In Loving Memory of Mark Planisek

With the recent Metro crash in DC, I thought once again of how a life, anyone's life, can be taken at any time. This hit home even harder as I just found out a friend of mine died after being hit by a vehicle leaving his art exhibit. I went to Mark's exhibit and talked to him over an hour as he was just so great to talk to. I left him a hour before this tragic event happened upon him. Those of us who knew Mark will indeed miss him, his smile, his artwork and his zest for life.


Mark Planisek

The Caps, Cortisone & a Grand Jury

What do the Washington Capitols, cortisone and a grand jury have in common – not much except my interest or involvement.

The Caps 4-0 win over the Rangers on Monday night gives Washington a sign of relief and some hope that we can win the series and advance. Finally, DC has a winning team and one for which tickets are hard to come by. I was lucky enough to win a ticket the first playoff game at the Verizon Center. Unfortunately, the Caps lost and it looked like they just fizzled in the last period. However, I finally got to see Ovechkin score a goal. When I go to the games, I try to keep my eye on him and watch him skate. He had some skillful moves skating forward, backwards, sideways and everything in between. Hockey players have also amazed me as they are actually taking on two physical activities: a scoring game of sorts and ice skating at very high levels – not to mention a third physical activity – fighting!

As for the cortisone, I had my second shot at my 11-month post surgery surgeon follow-up. My surgeon said if it didn’t work, he’ll be doing something else in June. It didn’t work so I guess it’s on to something else. My knee just isn’t getting to where it should be and I always “feel it” and have pain on a regular basis. If I ride in a car for several hours, I really feel it. So, I guess my ACL injury refuses to go away and right now it feels like it will be with me forever.

On to the grand jury, which I experienced this morning in DC. I was mugged in January and the guy was caught, thanks to a guy on a moped who following the mugger and led the police to him. Because of a technicality, the mugger was released, and, of course, never showed up for his court date. I’m not sure why the judge left him off in light of his being wanted in six other states. Seems to me he would have been a flight risk and indeed he was. So today there was a grand jury just in case he ever does get caught, DC can try him. At the Grand Jury, I got sworn in and then a U.S. assistant attorney asked me some questions and then I was able to go. Two of the police officers also testified. If the guy is ever caught, a trail will be next on my list of things to do.

So that’s what I’ve been up to the past month or two. Stay tuned for the ACL follow-up to see what is in store for me next.

Nine Months & Not All Good

It's been nine months since my ACL surgery and had yet another follow up visit with my surgeon. The pain and swelling I have been experiencing is not quite to be expected at this point. So, I got another cortisone shot. As I remember from my first shot, the results are not immediate and so it is with this shot. It's now 10 days since the shot and I still have pain and some swelling. I'm now wondering if this will ever go away.

The good news is that I am back to doing almost all of my regular activities pre-injury/surgery. I have been going to the gym and am now running and just started doing some yoga but am having trouble with some of the poses, especially of all things, the resting pose as I just am not that flexible yet. I also went back to doing a rehab exercise I used to do. I only did it on my injured leg but decided to do it on the non-injured leg. It was so easy on the non-injured leg that I thought I was doing it wrong. All you do in this exercise is stand on a step with your bad leg; bend the bad leg and then tap the toe of the good leg on the floor. I am still having problems with this but when I did it reversed, it was incredibly easy and simple.

I've also been monitoring the progress of the big-names that had ACL surgery. Gilbert Arena, Washington Wizards, actually had 3 knee surgeries in 18 months. He hasn't played since last April and will give it a try this week. Pre-injury he scored 60 points against the Lakers. Let's see what post surgery brings.

Tiger is at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in Orlando. He has won on this course five times as a pro. He rallied to a 68 just behind Jason Gore who is at 65. Let's see if Tiger can bring it home.

I haven't heard much about Tom Brady except that he got married. His orthopedist Dr. James Andrews said recently that he believes Brady's chances are good for a full recovery and CBS SPorts.com reports that Brady should be considered a fine No. 1 Fantasy QB once again.

Of course these guys have had a zillion more PT sessions than I had and have worked with the best in the field during their rehab and recovery. And, my career doesn't rely on my knee. So, I guess for mere mortals like me, perhaps full recovery isn't in the picture.

One Year & Counting

So,it's been over a year since I tore my ACL and almost 8 months since the surgery. I'm beginning to sense, my knee will never be like it was. I still ice my knee after workouts and still have pain going up/down stairs. During the inauguration, I walked a couple of miles and had problems the next day. I feel very unsure about kneeling and when I sit on the floor and try to get back up, it is difficult, espcially when the leg stiffens up.

Other than that, I'm back to at least trying everything I used to do pre-injury, runing, yoga, etc., except skiing. I sold my ski boots a couple of weeks ago. Quite a bargain for the person who bought them as they were only used for about 10 hours.

I have yet another follow up visit to the surgeon next month. Since I saw him last month, there has been no improvement so I guess this is it. He said he had some tricks up his sleeve and I'm not sure what he meant but I guess I'll find out next month.

I Was There - Part 2

Did you see me waving the flag on the Mall? I was there along with the 1.8 million people or so folks milling about the Mall & Parade Route (as well as those that were not able to get in because of overly zealous security procedures). Anyway, my day started out around 5 am….yeah, early! I walked to the Metro with Lisa, the person who was staying with me from LA and flew in just for the inauguration. When I went outside, I saw my neighbor’s dad, who also was getting ready to depart for the swearing-in. He and his friend drove from Wisconsin for the inauguration. These people were only 3 of the thousands from all over the country that came to witness this emotional and historical event.

I was supposed to be a volunteer and meet at the Castle on the Mall, which is located on 12th Street. At first, I was going to get off at the L’Enfant Plaza Metro stop but decided against it in the crowded metro (yes, it was crowded at 5:30 am) and I started to sweat because of all the layers I had on. So, I decided to get off at Gallery Place and cross over Pennsylvania Avenue at 9th, 11th or 12th Streets. Big Mistake. The organizers failed to let anyone know, including the media, that there was only ONE crossing to get to the Mall – at 18th Street. So, in the darkened streets of DC where thousands upon thousands were congregating, many of us begin the long, long walk to 18th Street (because of where the White House is located, we had to go north first to Eye Street, then back south on 18th Street to the Mall). I was just amazed at the number of people there at such an early hour. There also were hundreds of police/military and dozens and dozens of buses/trucks blocking the entrances to the streets.


I arrived on the Mall at sunrise and enjoyed some beautiful views of the DC skies. I decided to head to the Castle and ran into Sabine who told me to meet up at the Castle. She volunteered during the campaign and was one of the lucky few who got to meet Obama at the Open House on Wednesday. Because I signed up to volunteer, I got a credential, which came in handy. At about 8:30 am, I was COLD and heard the Museum of Natural History were opening their doors. My credential got me in a bit after 9 am and there was hot chocolate waiting, warmth and bathrooms. I stayed in the museum almost until 11 am and decided to join the masses.

Despite the cold, despite the crowds, despite people being hungry, everyone was still in a joyous mood. I have never seen so many people with so many happy faces and tears of joy. People just simply waited, many, like me, for hours and hours, until the big event. It seemed to take forever for all the VIPs to enter, then emerge from the Capitol to face the crowd. Then, on the JumboTrons, we saw Obama. Screaming and flag waving galore ensued – each and every time they showed Obama as well as Michelle and the kids. All the past Presidents were introduced, some more warmly received, i.e. Clinton, than others. However, when Bush (and Cheney) came out there were boos. I didn’t boo, which I thought was not appropriate, but I didn’t clap either. Obama then spoke and the people listened.


After Obama’s speech I thought I’d get out while the going was good. I decided to take the L’Enfant Metro back instead of taking the ONLY exit back out on 18th Street (I heard that was a nightmare as people were chanting Let us Out). I have never been in a crowd of people that dense for that long of a period. It was scary at times. But everyone was calm and mannerly and we simply trodded along as one. Once on the Metro, it was fine and getting out early was a good idea.
I finished my day having lunch and drinks at a bar on U Street, visiting my neighbor on the way home and watching the remainder of the festivities on television. Each and every time I saw the image of the masses of people on the Mall waving their flags, I got emotional as I was there part of that remarkable day or as the Post said “A Moment That Will Define a Generation”.

I Was There!

I had no expectations of seeing anything during the Inauguration events. I had to tickets and did not plan to arrive early and stand for hours and hours before anything happened. I just decided I'd go to things to be there and whatever I saw, all the better.

On Sunday, I started the day going to a wonderful pro-Obama brunch organized by my friend Natasha, who used to host salons in DC years and years ago. She has quite a list of friends and I knew several folks who came - many from the 9:30 club days.


After a good time at the brunch, I decided to head down to the concert on the Lincoln Memorial. I waited about 30 minutes for the bus and after 2 buses passed packed with people, I decided to walk. As I got closer to the Mall, it seemed like a lot more people were coming back than heading down. I found out that the entrances were closed and they were not letting anymore people in. They herded us to the Washington Monument where there were several jumbotrons set up. The crowd kept getting larger and larger. I managed to squeeze up to the gate in front of the World War II memorial and had a view of the Lincoln Memorial. Being 1/2 mile to 1 mile back, I saw nothing but I was able to watch the jumbotrons set up along the reflecting pool. I got there in time to "see" U2 (I just knew they would play "Pride" and they did) and Obama (my first time hearing in speak in person). I was glad I went to be part of all of this.

The Metro was packed coming back home and after feeding the cats, I headed to a friend's house for cocktails. I saw the end of the Eagles game where they made a great come back only to lose in the end and then kept sneaking into my friend's bedroom to watch the Steelers. Then I met another friend on U Street, which was happening and lines at all the "Obama-related" places like Busboys and Poets and Ben's Chili's Bowl. After a drink at Marvin's (named after Marvin Gayne so this place was packed), we headed to Polly's as I wanted a place with a TV so I could finish watching the game. The bars just got more and more crowded.

My last stop was at my neighbor's house as her father and his friend drove from Wisconsin for the Inauguration and I wanted to stop in and say hello.

So, all in all, it was a long, fun day where I saw many friends, U2, and our next President. I can't remember another time like this ever in DC, or anywhere. It's like New Year's, the Superbowl and Halloween all rolled into one holiday.

I can't wait to see what is in store for tomorrow. I Was There, Part 2, will follow.

Almost One Year Since My ACL Injury

It’s been awhile since I posted so I guess it’s time to catch up. I’m at about the 7 months post-surgery point and 11 months post-injury point so my life has been affected by my ACL injury and rehab for almost a year – that’s a long time. I still have pain and discomfort doing certain activities like going down steps, trying to kneel, etc. I saw the surgeon last week and he basically gave me the go ahead to do just about anything – running, yoga and yes skiing – which I won’t be doing. However, everything in moderation and if I experience pain and swelling, which I have been, I need to ease back down the next day as well as ice and take Advil or something similar. So things still aren’t back to normal and I’m not sure they ever will be.

Excitement is in the Air of What Will Come

I voted last week via absentee voting as I will be flying to Orlando on Election Day - which is a drag because I want to be sitting at Busboys and Poets in DC watching Jon Stewart and the election returns. Voting took about 1 1/2 hours and election workers said that is how it was all week. Someone asked the best time to come back to vote and the election worker said at 8:30 am as there usually is only around 10 people in line when the office first opens.

I pass the building where one votes in DC on my way to work. On Friday, at 8:30 am, the line was so long it continued out on the sidewalk and then some. I saw on the news last night that people in Georgia waited 10 hours to vote early. The media has been reporting long lines across the nation. Has this ever happened in any other election? Have Americans ever been so excited by an election? Will we finally see an 80% turnout (in 2004 it was 61 percent — which was the highest level since 1968)? I could only imagine what the lines are going to be like on Election Day. Be prepared to wait!

Creating more excitement was Obama's "infomercial" on Wednesday evening. Although I wasn't too keen on the idea that something like this should be aired, I watched it anyway. I must admit, I did get excited. Obama is a very dynamic speaker as witnessed by the massive audiences he draws. I do not believe either candidate will be able to quickly end our economic crisis or alleviate all the problems they will inherit. But what Obama is able to do is to create hope and optimism so that perhaps we, as Americans, can get excited about our future and continue to get through these tough times. He is charismatic and can lift our spirits. He is supported in the international community and because of this, if Obama becomes President, the United States may once again be a country looked up to with admiration and respect, instead of despised.

Another thing to look at is how are we going to remember this President after he leaves office? When one remembers past Presidents, what do we remember most of all about them? There's our first President, Washington, as the "Father of our Country" and Lincoln as "Honest Abe". Moving ahead to today, George W. is the "War President" getting us into a war we should not be in and costing the country $595 billion (as of 1/11/08) and over 4,000 lives of our fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters and neighbors. George H. Bush doesn't fair much better being referred to as "The Wimp President". Unfortunately, for Clinton, he may best remembered as "Clitton" because of his stint with an intern; and before that "Slick Willie". Ford, well, you remember the SNL skits and then there's good old "Tricky Dick". Skipping a few presidents, we get to Kennedy, the "King of Camelot" that inspired so many with his orations ("ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country). I was too young to form an opinion back then but I now think of him as a charismatic, exciting leader and wish we had that now - and I think we do. And that is how I think Obama will be remembered if he becomes our 44th President.

See what I mean and even more.

When Will This be Over?

By this, I actually mean two things: the election and my knee recovery. Both seemed to have gone on forever. Did you know over $1 billion has been raised and spent on the 2008 Presidential campaign (Disbursements -$1,394,012,631; see FEC website). Could not have that money have been spent more wisely on education, transportation, housing, etc. etc. One will finally be over on November 4; the other - my knee recovery - seems to have no end in sight.

As for the knee, I’m getting impatient and wondering when I will not feel or think about my leg and knee on a daily, if not hourly, basis and when I can get back to my normal activities. It’s now over 5 months since I had ACL surgery and, among many things, I still have stiffness when I sit and get up, have pain in the back of my leg when I sit, especially in a car; and most importantly, still cannot run, let alone even attempt yoga.

I did attempt running for 4 blocks and had pain from almost the first step but I assumed it was the “good” pain the doc talked about. I had grand plans to add 2 block every week but that never happened. Instead I stopped running because I believe I overdid it on my bike. I rode my mountain bike 3 days in a row in Pennsylvania as the fall foliage was in full swing and Mother Nature was cooperating – it was so nice. The first 2 days were fine but I had some pain on the 3rd day so I took it easy. However, after the ride, I walked down and back up a very steep hill and I think the knee just said enough is enough. I’m hoping to try running again the end of this week. So that’s the update on the knee.

As for the election, I voted last week, via absentee voting, since I will be flying to Florida on election day. It took almost 1 and ½ hours for something I thought I’d be in and out. So for all of you voting on November 4, prepare for lines. I’d rather be in DC and watching the returns as the environment will be very pro-Obama and the Democrats and I think it will be fun. But, I’ll be in Orlando. The only silver lining is I’ll get to see the ducks at the Peabody hotel.

If you don’t vote, you can’t complain!

Around 5 Months or So

It's been some time since I posted and it's now about 5 months post surgery. I am now doing most things I did pre-injury at the gym. I have ridden my mountain bike a couple of times and that was fine. However, running is still not easy. I started running about 4 blocks twice a week. My knee hurts and I will check with the doc to see if the hurt is the "good" pain or the "bad" pain. If it's the "good" pain, I will up the ante and add on a few more blocks each week. I still haven't even tried yoga as I still can't touch my foot to my rear. I try this each am along with several other stretches. So that's where I am 5 months post surgery.

Another One Bites the Dust

Well it appears another big name in the sports world has joined the growing list of folks who did big time damage to their ACL. If suspicions are confirmed, Tom Brady, the New England Patriot’s three-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback and reigning National Football League most valuable player, will be undergoing surgery for a torn ACL. Brady joins Tiger Woods along with what appears to be a weekly addition to this ever growing list – including myself (although I am not known in the sports world, only my world).

Before I tore my ACL and had surgery, I never noticed, let alone read, about ACL injuries. I did not even know what an ACL was before my injury. Now it seems all I see is ACL injury reports. Another report I read was about a Penn State player who tore his ACL last Saturday; last year he tore the ACL in the other knee. Talk about bad luck. I believe I now see at least one of these reports weekend, especially now with football season upon us.

It’s strange how one never pays attention to certain things until they affect him or her personally. I’m sure Lance Armstrong never really thought about cancer until the disease almost ended his life. Now it is his life! He founded Livestrong and the Lance Armstrong Foundation
and advocates to empower cancer survivors to live life on their own terms and to raise awareness and funds for the fight against cancer.

You also see this happening with other celebrities who fight for causes when their families or they fall victim to a disease or illness. However, because of this, those mere mortals, who are in similar situations benefit from this “celebrity exposure” as more light is shown on a particular disease and potential funding, research and medical advances/treatments could follow.

I am convinced that if big-time athletes who make big-time money and provide big-time entertainment would not be victims of ACL injuries, the advancement in ACL surgery that has taken place in the last 10 years would never have happened.

So thank you to all you athletes and celebrities for putting the spotlight on all the injuries and diseases you may have endured. The rest of us may have benefited.

P.S. I am now 16 weeks post surgery. I have ditched the exercise bike at the gym and am using the treadmill and elliptical. I still experience pain in the back of my leg when I sit (especially in the car) and stiffness/tiredness after the rehab exercises and walking. I go to Dr. K for another follow up on September 24. I am hoping I get the go ahead to start running.

It’s Not Even Close to Over

Now that I’m finally walking almost normally and have been given the okay to go to the gym and start using some of the equipment, the real work begins. Enough of those elementary heel slides, leg raises, quad contractions, etc. Now I get to move on to squats, lunges, leg extensions, hip curls, leg presses and more. My knee needs to be better than it was before the injury to prevent injury to the other knee and to prevent arthritis and degeneration down the road.

Before the injury, I exercised almost every day averaging between 30 minutes to 1 hour. After the injury, I did the rehab every day and after surgery I did exercises 3 times a day. The problem is while these rehab exercises have been and will be difficult and tedious; they do not contribute to any type of weight loss regime. So, in addition to doing the rehab exercises, I’ll also need to do some type of aerobic exercise to maintain my weight – not to mention the few pounds I’ve added during rehab. Up until now, that has been months and months on the stationery bike after my rehab exercises. Slowly, I will move to the elliptical, treadmill and finally running and biking. But in the good old days, I would alternate between running/yoga/bike days with gym days. Now I will need to add the more time consuming rehab exercises to my running/yoga/bike days.

This bit of news, combined with the news that as women age, they need to exercise more and bump up their exercise routine (NBC 4 Report), I am wondering whether I want to devote all that time to this and whether I will have any time or energy to do other things (like going out to dinner or a cultural/art event, meeting up with friends and so on) after I undertake my rehab/maintaining weight daily regimen. I need a bag of chips and chocolate.

Good News from the Doc

My 3-month post surgery follow up was today and Dr. K. gave me some encouraging news. He said the knee looks good and that I can stop going to PT in September and start using the equipment at the gym as well as the elliptical/stair master and treadmill. I’ll still need to do rehab daily but I can finally start to bid farewell to the stationary bike that greets me each day when I walk in the door as it sits in my hallway as there is no other place to put it. Soon, it will be on the curbside awaiting its new owner or bulk trash.

I’ll start to go back to the gym next week and start off on the stairmaster and maybe a little on the treadmill. I’ll then do some leg extensions, use the leg press and the other piece of equipment where you lie on your stomach, put the weights on top of your calves and lift. And, I’ll finally get back to working my upper body other than using “heavy hands” at home. The last time I did all of this was May 22 – right before surgery.


He also said I can take my mountain bike for a spin when I go to PA next month. That ride is going to feel so good. And…he said he’ll probably (I want to run on the beach September 26 when I go) give me to go ahead next time he sees me (9/24) to do just about anything – including skiing. I said no to that activity and he said you got to still live your life. He mentioned something about an 8% chance of tearing the ACL in the left knee. That percentage is not worth the risk to me. I just don’t ever want to go through this again.

Free Obama Buttons

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Hooray for Hollywood - Well Actually California

California, which is way ahead of other states on social and environmental movements, will have a referendum this November on animal rights in California. Proposition 2 would ban factory farms from raising chickens, calves or hogs in small pens or cages. Finally! While I do not think people should give up eating meat (they never will), the way animals are raised and slaughtered for consumption is atrocious and extremely inhumane. Witness the recent investigations by the Humane Society of the United States and others that have documented that "downed" cattle, those too sick or disabled to stand or walk, are routinely beaten, dragged with chains, shocked with electric prods, and pushed by forklifts in efforts to move them at slaughter facilities. California is taking a step to make the “food from the farm to the table” process more humane.

In his column in the New York Times, Nicholas Kristof says this is a major gain for the animal rights movement and is part of a broader trend, which is about time and I more than welcome. While he does eat meat, as do I (but not the pig and I try to buy only free range chicken and beef), like me, he draws the line at animals being raised in cruel conditions. He goes on to say “The law punishes teenage boys who tie up and abuse a stray cat. So why allow industrialists to run factory farms that keep pigs almost all their lives in tiny pens that are barely bigger than they are?...penning pigs or veal calves so tightly that they cannot turn around seems to cross that line.” He has expressed my sentiments exactly in his Op-Ed column which you can read at http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/31/opinion/31kristof.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin.

I Think Things are Finally Happening

Well the doc said expect nothing from around 4-8 weeks; for me it was more like 4-9 weeks. With 9 weeks post-surgery just beginning, I actually, finally can feel my knee bend a little when I walk. The horrible stiff peg-leg sensation is no longer and has been replaced with a bend – an ever so slight bend, but a bend – along with pain. The pain in not a sharp pain but rather it feels like something is in the way and there is some type of resistance. When I try to bend my knee, I feel I am trying to “break through” whatever is there and attempting to do that causes the pain. My PT said the pain is from not being able to relax my quad and other muscles and thus something needs to “give” if the muscles don’t relax and that’s why I experience the pain. So my challenge is not so much physical as it is neurological and to get my mind to signal my muscles to relax. It’s harder than you think; tightening muscles are much easier – at least for me. So if anyone has tips on how I can relax those muscles, let me know. Visualization, hynotics, and so on. I'm getting sleepy.

Good Monkey Business in Spain

Spain’s parliament approved a measure to extend some human rights to gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, and orangutans, becoming the first country to explicitly acknowledge the legal rights of nonhumans. The parliament’s environmental committee approved a resolution that commits the country to the Declaration on Great Apes, which states that nonhuman apes are entitled to the rights of life, liberty, and protection from torture. “This is a historic moment in the struggle for animal rights,” Pedro Pozas, the Spanish director of the Great Apes Project, told The Times. “It will doubtless be remembered as a key moment in the defence of our evolutionary comrades.” Once this measure becomes law in about a year, it will forbid keeping apes for circuses, television commercials or filming. Zoos that currently have apes can keep them but they must improve the conditions to comply with the new law.

Now all they need to do is ban bull fighting and extend these rights to bulls. Mr. Pozas said that the vote would set a precedent, establishing legal rights for animals that could be extended to other species. “We are seeking to break the species barrier — we are just the point of the spear,” he said.

Hopefully this action will indeed set a worldwide precedent and we can follow the wise words of Albert Einstein, “Our task must be to free ourselves from the prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”

Did I Need Surgery or Something Else?

Just got back from another PT session and am even more frustrated than usual. From the PT’s standpoint, it appears the reason for my inability to walk properly is my lack of coordination skills (I’ll never be on “So You Think You Can Dance”) and inability to relax my muscles – my brain wants to control all of my movements instead of letting gravity take its course (if I had my PT sessions at the beach I think then and only then I could relax).

Yes, there also could be something physically wrong (i.e. scar tissue build up or God only knows what) which would probably need to be corrected again surgically – a fear that I had even before the ACL surgery. But there is definitely a problem on my end and I now wonder if surgery was ever needed in the first place as the problem wasn’t in need of surgical correction but of mental and physical training.

I just don’t think, at this point, surgery accomplished anything. I am worse off now than after my injury. I can’t bend my knee, I can’t extend my knee, I can’t walk correctly and my knee is still swollen. Tomorrow will be 9 weeks post surgery. To me, I am now going through the worst time of this whole ordeal including the injury itself (January 20), PT/rehab after the injury (4 months), and surgery (May 24). I’m at my breaking point and don’t want to do the rehab anymore. I’m sick and tired of it – all 6 months of it. Where is the progress?

I hope this is just one those bad days and that I can get back on track and move forward. Once again I’ll anxiously wait for my next follow up with Dr. K. (August 15) and see what he says. I really, really need to hear from him all is fine and these things take time and it’s just taking a bit of more time for me. Just hang in there.

8 Weeks, 24 Minutes & 124 Degrees

It is now 2 months post surgery. My doc told me during my follow up visit that not much happens during weeks 4-8 so here I am just past 8 weeks and I am expecting some things to start happening. I am tired of limping, not be able to come down steps normally, doing the exercises 3 days a day, going to PT 2 times a week, having this knee be the center of my life, and so on. I want to see improvement! I want to walk to the metro and then to run and ride a bike.

Improvement has come but very slowly to date. I can now ride up to 24 minutes on the exercise bike (no resistance yet). My knee will get sore and if I walked a lot (i.e. 4-5 blocks) that day, I’ll cut back to 15 minutes. After riding my exercise bike for almost 6 months, I never want to see this bike when I can finally run and bike. Watch Craigs List for a stationary bike come October. My last ROM measurement was 124 degrees of flexion (140 is normal and what I’m aiming for) so I do have a bit to go yet. The extension is still, as expected, giving me problems and I really need to work on this. And, my knee is still swollen so I ice it 2-3 times a day and take Advil daily.

If all goes well, I hope to be running and riding my bike in the Fall amongst the newly fallen autumn leaves.

An ACL Injury is Nothing to Complain About

Since my ACL injury and surgery, I seem to take more notice to people on the street who use canes, crutches, wheelchairs, etc. as well as zero in on stories of those who have had heart-wrenching sports-related accidents. These athletes have seen their lives change from being one where the things they did drew crowds of fans and admirers to one where wiggling a toe or lifting a hand is a great feat. As I continue my PT and rehab and wait months and months to get back to normal activities, they may have to will wait years and years, and maybe not ever, to gain back what they once had. When I read these stories, I am in awe of and have respect for them as they continue onwards after such horrific accidents and persevere with a determination that is truly amazing.

One such person is Stephen Murray, a top professional bicycle motocross rider, who was paralyzed in a crash during the opening event of the AST Dew Tour's 2007 season. It is considered the worst accident ever in BMX, a crash so severe that many witnesses still decline to talk about it. During his last run, Murray landed on his head and hyperextended his neck upon impact. He had crushed the C3, C4 and C5 vertebrae in his neck. Doctors inserted 16 screws and three titanium plates to stabilize his spine during two seven-hour surgeries. Murray, one year since the accident, can now move muscles in his arms and his legs and he will see usable improvement in muscle function that will change his quality of life. Murray does not dwell on what happened or express any bitterness. The accident, he says, is his reality. No use in trying to escape it. Read the full story in The Washington Post.