About My Absence…
Knee surgery was not something I had planned for, but was a long time coming. Sometime earlier this year, I had torn my meniscus pretty badly. I am not sure how or when it precisely happened, as I don’t recall doing anything overly active or strenuous to put myself in such a predicament.
But nonetheless, I had knee pain. Like most people, I dealt with the pain by just ignoring it. My knee would often “pop” and occasionally buckle while walking, especially when taking my usual three flights of stairs at work. At first, I found the pain to be mildly irritating, but as time progressed, I eventually avoided taking the stairs altogether.
Something wasn’t right. And I could no longer ignore it.
A few weeks ago, I booked an appointment with my physician, who immediately ordered an X-Ray followed by an MRI. There were no broken bones, but the MRI did reveal a severely torn meniscus on my right knee. I’ve taken a few biology classes in my day, but I was completely unfamiliar with this c-shaped pad of cartilage. The meniscus acts as a sort of shock absorber for each leg, and clearly one of my knees no longer had that ability.
In mid-July I underwent an arthroscopy procedure to repair my torn meniscus. It required the administration of local anesthesia. Being that this was my first surgery, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.
I’ll spare the details and say that the surgery was a success, thanks in large part to the excellent orthopedic surgeon who handled my case. I’ve been in recovery for the past week, which involves a lot of bed rest, hobbling around on crutches, and (for the first few days after the procedure) affixing a trash bag around my knee while I showered. While being mostly immobile, I have experienced weight loss due a loss of appetite. (A fringe benefit, I suppose.)
Throughout the entire process, my wife and daughter have been there by my side. For their love, kindness and support, I am incredibly grateful and appreciative.
I’m slowly, but surely, starting to move around without my crutches. And I no longer need to seal my knee in trash bags while showering. But re-learning how to walk normally once again will take some time.
-Krishna
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