Friday, May 14, 2004
Psst. Looking for me?
I started a tri blog. You can find it here: http://nicetri.blogspot.com. Training schedules will be predominant (I expect there'll be some whining, too), and I'll throw in general life updates as well.
Thursday, April 29, 2004
Long Time No See
Hi.
It's been a while.
This might be the last Fix My Knee post... at least for now.
A few things to update. First, I had an appointment scheduled with Dr. Nestor at the beginning of April that I missed. Forgot. Totally slipped my mind. Terrible, right? Nope, I think it's pretty freakin' great, actually. Because I'm not preoccupied with my knee anymore! I don't have pain at all, and only a little stiffness sometimes. I'm completely active again - this week I did yoga on Sunday (with David!), a spinning class Tuesday, weights yesterday, and this morning I jogged a little. (Jogging's a little harder, and my knee is sometimes a little hurty.)
I did reschedule the appointment with Dr. Nestor, and saw him two weeks ago. Pretty much nothing to report... He's happy with my progress, and I can return to regularly scheduled programming now. He did mention that I could stop wearing the brace except for new activities, which I thought was a little funny because I haven't worn it since December. Shh.
But before that: I'm going to do a triathlon! I signed up last weekend with Team In Training, run by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Training starts mid-May, and the race is on September 26th. It's Olympic distance, which means .9 mile swim, 25 mile bike, and 6.2 mile run. I'm so psyched. I'm also going to be fundraising, so watch your mailboxes for those letters.
I'll probably start a training blog, and when I do, will post the URL here. For now, though, it appears Fix My Knee is on hiatus. Thanks everyone for reading, I couldn't have done it without you.
It's been a while.
This might be the last Fix My Knee post... at least for now.
A few things to update. First, I had an appointment scheduled with Dr. Nestor at the beginning of April that I missed. Forgot. Totally slipped my mind. Terrible, right? Nope, I think it's pretty freakin' great, actually. Because I'm not preoccupied with my knee anymore! I don't have pain at all, and only a little stiffness sometimes. I'm completely active again - this week I did yoga on Sunday (with David!), a spinning class Tuesday, weights yesterday, and this morning I jogged a little. (Jogging's a little harder, and my knee is sometimes a little hurty.)
I did reschedule the appointment with Dr. Nestor, and saw him two weeks ago. Pretty much nothing to report... He's happy with my progress, and I can return to regularly scheduled programming now. He did mention that I could stop wearing the brace except for new activities, which I thought was a little funny because I haven't worn it since December. Shh.
But before that: I'm going to do a triathlon! I signed up last weekend with Team In Training, run by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Training starts mid-May, and the race is on September 26th. It's Olympic distance, which means .9 mile swim, 25 mile bike, and 6.2 mile run. I'm so psyched. I'm also going to be fundraising, so watch your mailboxes for those letters.
I'll probably start a training blog, and when I do, will post the URL here. For now, though, it appears Fix My Knee is on hiatus. Thanks everyone for reading, I couldn't have done it without you.
Thursday, March 04, 2004
Whew!
Things to report... Cara, the girl we met in the last entry, is fine!
"It turns out that the anatomy of my knees is such that my kneecaps - -
both of them - - have a born desire to dislocate (ask me about my Q
angle, if you’re curious), and the bang I gave my right knee at 15 was
what gave that kneecap the path to dislocate at whim. The doc pretty much
dislocated my “good” left kneecap as a demo while I was lying there on
the table, much to my shock."
Hm. More things that can go wrong with the knees, which as Candace pointed out to me a while ago, are way behind in evolutionary terms. I received another email from Cara last week, and from the It's A Small World department, she has the same physical therapists as I do!
Speaking of PT, I squeezed 3 more visits out of my insurance company. Pretty unnecessary at this point, but still useful for information. Melissa said I'd be OK to start jogging, and so far David & I have gone once. I lasted for less than a mile before my knee started hurting. That's a question for Dr. Nestor when I see him in April: How much should I push through the pain?
I'm thinking about doing my first triathlon in June. At some point this might turn into a training blog!
"It turns out that the anatomy of my knees is such that my kneecaps - -
both of them - - have a born desire to dislocate (ask me about my Q
angle, if you’re curious), and the bang I gave my right knee at 15 was
what gave that kneecap the path to dislocate at whim. The doc pretty much
dislocated my “good” left kneecap as a demo while I was lying there on
the table, much to my shock."
Hm. More things that can go wrong with the knees, which as Candace pointed out to me a while ago, are way behind in evolutionary terms. I received another email from Cara last week, and from the It's A Small World department, she has the same physical therapists as I do!
Speaking of PT, I squeezed 3 more visits out of my insurance company. Pretty unnecessary at this point, but still useful for information. Melissa said I'd be OK to start jogging, and so far David & I have gone once. I lasted for less than a mile before my knee started hurting. That's a question for Dr. Nestor when I see him in April: How much should I push through the pain?
I'm thinking about doing my first triathlon in June. At some point this might turn into a training blog!
Sunday, February 15, 2004
Happy Day-After Valentine's Day! And, Hi Cara!
On Thursday night after tutoring, David & I were riding the 6-train home. At one of the downtown-ish stops a girl got on the train, and as the train started moving she twisted her knee - hard. It was like déjà vu! Several people asked if she was OK, and she said she'd dislocated her knee, and that it hadn't happened in years. We got off with her at the next stop (Astor Place), which has a Kmart conveniently located right off the station. She bought an ice pack and an Ace brace, and we packed her into a cab and sent her home (to Park Slope, of all places).
Today she called to thank us, and I gave her the link to this blog. As I was giving her the info, David was mouthing, "Tell her yours was the meniscus, too!" Because, yeah, this site was soooo depressing! Anyway, hi Cara! It really, really isn't that bad. I'm 4 1/2 months post-op and I went to the gym today, did a full workout, and even swam a little! And really, who cares if you can't run in the park when it's -4°C.
Today she called to thank us, and I gave her the link to this blog. As I was giving her the info, David was mouthing, "Tell her yours was the meniscus, too!" Because, yeah, this site was soooo depressing! Anyway, hi Cara! It really, really isn't that bad. I'm 4 1/2 months post-op and I went to the gym today, did a full workout, and even swam a little! And really, who cares if you can't run in the park when it's -4°C.
Friday, February 06, 2004
Denied
Well, it finally happened: My insurance company is denying coverage for further visits to physical therapy. I called them this morning and I have to file an appeal. I'm putting that together today. I've also been warned that the appeal can take up to 3 weeks to be resolved, and during that time while I may opt to pay out-of-pocket, I might not be reimbursed.
Dr. Nestor's office will fax me a letter of medical necessity, and I've already called my primary care physician for another referral. Besides a whiny letter about not yet having my quad back yet, I'm not sure what else to include in the appeal.
My last covered visit is tonight. I'll talk to Melissa then about what I should do, both about the appeal and about ongoing therapy, and perhaps she can give me a regime to tide me over until I can (hopefully) resume treatment.
Wish me luck!
Dr. Nestor's office will fax me a letter of medical necessity, and I've already called my primary care physician for another referral. Besides a whiny letter about not yet having my quad back yet, I'm not sure what else to include in the appeal.
My last covered visit is tonight. I'll talk to Melissa then about what I should do, both about the appeal and about ongoing therapy, and perhaps she can give me a regime to tide me over until I can (hopefully) resume treatment.
Wish me luck!
Wednesday, February 04, 2004
Virtual Knee Surgery
A co-worker just sent me this excellent Flash movie! Check it out!
Tuesday, February 03, 2004
4 Month Anniversary!
It's been exactly four months since surgery. I feel fantastic. Rehab is going swimmingly (literally - I started swimming!).
The weekend in Toronto was awesome. On Saturday morning my cousin Katherine & I went swimming, and she taught me how to do a proper front stroke (she's a lifeguard and swim instructor). Sunday morning I woke up early to work out in the hotel gym - I ran on the treadmill, then did wall slides, lunges, and leg press. Not a complete session, but pretty good for having squeezed it in.
Yesterday morning I saw Dr. Nestor. He is very happy with my leg at this point, even my quad. I bit the bullet and asked him about my left knee, which also has a torn ACL. He checked the MRI results (from two years ago, when that knee was bothering me) and did a clinical exam of my knee. He is recommending that I have the left knee repaired as well. I'm going to think about it, and if I do decide to go for it, I'll schedule surgery for late-Fall (so I can at least enjoy the summer!). Rehab for my left knee will be easier, as without the meniscal repair I'll be allowed to weight-bear immediately following surgery. My mom already offered to come again, even!
I see Dr. Nestor again in April. I'll continue rehab until then, and after that I'll likely be on my own again! I'm already planning to train for a triathlon or two this summer - that will also help me get in shape for the second surgery, if I decide to have it.
The weekend in Toronto was awesome. On Saturday morning my cousin Katherine & I went swimming, and she taught me how to do a proper front stroke (she's a lifeguard and swim instructor). Sunday morning I woke up early to work out in the hotel gym - I ran on the treadmill, then did wall slides, lunges, and leg press. Not a complete session, but pretty good for having squeezed it in.
Yesterday morning I saw Dr. Nestor. He is very happy with my leg at this point, even my quad. I bit the bullet and asked him about my left knee, which also has a torn ACL. He checked the MRI results (from two years ago, when that knee was bothering me) and did a clinical exam of my knee. He is recommending that I have the left knee repaired as well. I'm going to think about it, and if I do decide to go for it, I'll schedule surgery for late-Fall (so I can at least enjoy the summer!). Rehab for my left knee will be easier, as without the meniscal repair I'll be allowed to weight-bear immediately following surgery. My mom already offered to come again, even!
I see Dr. Nestor again in April. I'll continue rehab until then, and after that I'll likely be on my own again! I'm already planning to train for a triathlon or two this summer - that will also help me get in shape for the second surgery, if I decide to have it.
