Summer 2013 update - falls, bicycling, a bothersome knee and Africa

Well much has transpired since my last entry.  Some good, some not so good, and yet I keep on bicycling and doing what I can to support our family and be involved in the life of our community.  Just a week ago the 9 year anniversary passed of my trauma.   Still hard to believe; though also what life used to be like is getting to be a distant memory too.  The new normal.

First the bad.  In December I fell on our stairs over our 105 lb. Bernese Mountain dog.  I had stepped on his tail and slid, falling backwards actually but forcibly flexing and rotating my right knee underneath me.  After lying on the landing for perhaps 5 minutes waiting for the tone and general spasms to dissipate, I got up to find my knee was none too stable.  To cut through weeks of uncertainty and a few more falls in the meantime, basically I shredded what little cartilage was remaining in my right knee.  The joint space filled with debris and floaters, which cause either knee locking (stuck in partial flexion, unable to flex or extend further) or sudden collapse (thus a fall again down the stairs just when I thought all was well with the world).  Many phone calls, exams and consultations later - we decided the best course was Physical Therapy.  Failing that, a surgical flushing out; despite the fact the plain films and the MRI looked as though a total knee was in order!  The good news - no pain at all (since I have almost no sensation below the waist), and even better yet, PT again worked wonders!  Time heals - well that and PT, and prayer and a knee brace and perhaps even Wobenzyme (a German developed combination of anti-inflammatory enzymes).

Gradually, by March, I could begin cycling indoors for up to 10 minutes!  But quickly due to my improvement the 10 minutes became 30, then an hour, then pushing personal records on a Compu-Trainer.  Soon it was outdoors, and since sometime in April I have managed to get in about 1400 miles on the road!  Lots of knee clunking and popping, but no collapses nor locking.  My weight back below 170 and a hope for further improvement.  Still a scope and a wash out are likely on the horizon, but who knows.  Time will tell.

Africa, book writing and further updates .....

 

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