Double Whammy

Out Thanksgiving trip was quite nice. I could not run and was in pain most of the time but it is always fun to see everyone and hear all the latest stories. When we got back, I was anxious to move forward with getting my knees fixed.

My MRI was scheduled for Tuesday morning at an imaging place not too far away. The imaging place specialized in imaging. All they did was MRIs, Mammograms, X-rays, and other scans. When I arrived, I was immediately impressed with the facility and the efficiency of the staff. I had prepared well as I had an MRI before. One thing to remember when you are having and MRI is that it is always cold. I have had them in the past so I knew to dress warm. I wore several layers including my sweatshirt with a hood. The person conducting the MRI tucked me in nicely so I was very comfortable. They even gave me ear plugs because the machine is very loud. I recommend ear plugs if you ever have to have an MRI. I put my hood up and relaxed for the next 50 minutes while they did the imaging. During the procedure, I heard the technician say to one of her co-workers that I looked like the Unibomber with my hood up. The whole thing was painless and really a piece of cake because the staff was so good. Here is one frame from the results of my MRI which I have on CD. This is my right knee. I can't really tell you what it all means but it is kind of neat.

On Thursday, my doctor's office called and told me that I had multiple meniscus tears in both knees and referred me to Advanced Orthopedics. I immediately called and got an appointment for early the next week.

When I went to see the surgeon, it was a pretty quick appointment. He checked my range of motion real quick and told me my only option was surgery and that if was him, he would do both at the same time. The surgeon was a triathlete which was a detail I really liked. He asked me what my knee injuries were preventing me from doing. I said soccer, biking, running, hiking, going up and down the stairs. Then he set me up with the scheduler. And I got a break. Someone had canceled for that Friday and I scooped up the appointment. If I had not taken that appointment, I would have have to wait until mid January and I really did not want to do that. Remember, I could hardly walk at this point. So that was that. I was going to be having outpatient surgery Friday, December 11th, 2009.

I am keeping this posting short tonight. Next time I will discuss the surgery and what it was like to recover.