This week I had knee surgery to fix a torn ACL and to move my knee cap a centimeter to get it back in line and on track so it doesn’t “float” any longer. I have been on crutches for the last three weeks and never fully understood the limitations of a person who didn’t have the full use of their legs until my need for crutches. Daily activities such as laundry, cooking, cleaning, getting the mail, driving, taking care of the kids, sleeping, taking care of the dog and more are no longer easy chores. Don’t get me wrong, I am very lucky because there are much worse things that I could be experiencing, but I thought I’d share this with you.
My knees began to feel slightly sore a few months ago and then I just woke up one morning with a swollen leg that hurt when I walked and made me limp. A trip to the orthopedic surgeon resulted in X-Rays and an MRI which led to Arthroscopic surgery last week where they checked out the inside of my knee with a camera. Years of a bad kneecap that slipped out of place easily since childhood resulted in my torn ACL and knee cap issues. This week’s surgery comes with a 3-6 month recovery time and 6 weeks of rehabilitation.
Now that I know how important it is to exercise and keep your leg muscles in shape, you’ll find me spending more of my time walking my dog and riding bikes with my kids after I recover! It’s been a hard life lesson, but one I’m glad I received now and not later.