I Think About My Knee Every Day

It has been a little over 7 months since my surgery but each day I wake up and think about my knee. How will it feel today? Will it make that nice crackling noise when I go up and down the stairs? Will I feel limpy (I don't think this is a word but I use it to describe the days my knee feels tired and has a trace of a limp)? Is the weather changing? My knee has correctly predicted the last two winter storms.

My PT also had an ACL Reconstruction but over 20 years ago. She told me that she was in a plaster cast from her ankle to mid-thigh for about 8 weeks. It was set at a slightly bent angle and after 8 weeks the cast came off and the therapy began. She told me that her experience made her want to be a Physical Therapist. I could not imagine having to be in a cast for 8 weeks. Thank goodness for medical innovation! I had asked her how long it took her to "forget" about her knee. She said that it took her over a year to play basketball again without focusing on her knee.

The truth is I am afraid of falling. I read about someone falling on wet grass 6 months after surgery and having to have the surgery again. I actually did fall about a month ago. I was walking on grass and there was a small hole in the ground. I fell and I just sat there. I would not stand up. When I first injured my right knee during karate my leg planted and my knee twisted. The result was me collapsing on to the ground. When I stood up I felt my lower leg separate from the upper leg. I was sure that I was going to stand up and have that feeling again. When I decided to get up I went into the house and iced my knee and kept it elevated. I was certain that I did it again. The next day I woke up and realized that my left ankle was swollen and it hurt quite badly. I was so focused on my right knee that I did not even know that I actually injured my left leg.