Two weeks ago today, I woke up went and ran my 6 mile morning run, like I always do. I was just heading down a set of stairs at my house, when my left knee gave out. It completely locked and twisted, as I fell right on my butt! I was unable to walk or put weight on my entire left leg. I sat there for a good 45 minutes trying to straighten my knee. I had no success I knew something was WRONG! It was the same knee that I heard "Pop" during the full marathon only 5 1/2 months earlier! Tim came home, and asked if I needed to go to the ER. I told him, I would take a warm bath with Epson salts, put some ice on it and see how it was the next the morning. Well, I woke up Tuesday morning, in worse pain! I knew I needed to get into a doctor. My good friend Steph Hock texted me and asked if she could watch my kids while went to the doctor. I accepted and off I went to the IHC Instacare! They took x-rays and saw the results showed no broken bones. The doctor placed me in a knee brace and told me to follow up with a Orthopedic Specialist. I knew that it was pretty serious, and was scared I had torn my ACL. I was in tears! I was emotionally depressed. I just kept thinking about my inability that this would cause, in not being able to RUN!! I had grown to love, need and desire to exercise ( Run and Bike). And at the moment I couldn't even walk!! I was in need of a blessing! Tim called his dad, and he came over with Tim's mom to give me a blessing. I felt a relieve of peace after the blessing, and I ended up calling a Orthopedic Specialist and got an appointment for the next day. On Wednesday, I went to saw Dr. Brinton from Riverton Hospital. He examined the knee and knew right away that I torn meniscus. He asked what had happened and if I had troubles with that knee before. I told him about the "Pop" I heard during my 23rd mile run at the St. George Marathon. He then explained this to me:
Your knee is the largest joint in your body and one of the most complex. Because you use it so much, it is vulnerable to injury. Meniscal tears are among the most common knee injuries. Athletes, particularly those who play contact sports, are at risk for meniscal tears. However, anyone at any age can tear a meniscus. When people talk about torn cartilage in the knee, they are usually referring to a torn meniscus.
The meniscus is a rubbery, C-shaped disc that cushions your knee. Each knee has two menisci (plural of meniscus)-one at the outer edge of the knee and one at the inner edge. The menisci keep your knee steady by balancing your weight across the knee. A torn meniscus can prevent your knee from working right.
He suggested I get a MRI to see the severity of the tear, and to see what treatment I would need. I ended up getting an MRI and he called that next Monday with the results. He told me the results showed I had a Severe tear. He says another name for this kind of tear is a "bucket-handle" tear. He explained these large tears tend to occur in younger patients, and are always traumatic injuries.A bucket-handle tear is a tear around the rim of the meniscus, causing the central portion (the bucket-handle) to displace into the joint. Patients with these bucket-handle tears may have limited motion of the knee joint if the meniscus tear is large enough to get caught inside the knee. He suggested I get surgery soon. He referred me to Dr. Brady from his office. I scheduled a meeting with Dr. Brady and he sat down with me to go over my options.
The doctor explained that since the injury was quite old, the tissue would be hard to staple, and therefore would make the it hard to repair. He told me that if he tried to repair it, I would have to be on crutches for 6 weeks and there would be a 50% chance I would need surgery again. He then told me I had the option to have a portion of the meniscus removed and the recovery would be a lot less. I would be on crutches a few days and need physical therapy but could start jogging in 4-6 weeks...I opted for that choice!
So, we scheduled my surgery for Tuesday April 2nd! Tomorrow! It works out nicely, it's spring break for most, and my mom and dad would be going to our Manti Cabin for the week. My parents offered to take Mason and Allie down there for a few days until I was off the crutches and was back on my feet. I am so very grateful for them, and for all those that have offered to help me, feed me and serve me! I have some of the greatest friends in the World and I feel truly blessed!
My little Allie has been praying for the past 2 weeks for mommy's leg to feel better. She said,"Please bless mommy, so she can walk normal again." It brings tears to my eyes, the sweet sound of a child's plea! It is going to be a hard week being without my kids. I've never been away from my kids this long. I pray they will be watched over and protected while being at the cabin. I love them more to the moon and back...with all my love, -mommy!!
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