Deciding to Have Surgery

I was not easily convinced on the slicing thing.

All of my aunts have had knee surgery and it seems anything but convenient.

And I didn't go straight to surgery.

I tried EVERYTHING.

muscle strengthening - especially quad

physical therapy

homeopathic medicine

vitamin and nutritional supplements

more physical therapy

I even walked around like a dork with some muscle activating tape on my legs for a while, hoping that would tighten up my muscles and hold my knee together ...

EVERYTHING.

Nothing worked.

Some of it helped, don't get me wrong.

But I wanted to be at a D1 athlete level ...

cute leg tape can only go so far.

When my knee got to the point of ruining my life ... that's when I caved.

For a good 6 months, I wasn't able to exercise much, run far, climb a ton of stairs ...

I felt like a grandma.

I had difficulty rock climbing. Hiking long hikes. Biking was still ok.

Anything that would put the majority of my body weight on my left leg

I tried to avoid.

Skiing was the stick that broke the camel's back.

This winter, I couldn't keep up with my boyfriend ...

and ladies, we all no THAT isn't ok. 

I would get home from a day trip and couldn't even find my knee ...

it was so swollen ... just straight thigh to calf.

That was when I decided to see Dr.LaPrade.

They say he's the best of the best so I met with him.

Xrays, MRIs, all kinds of pictures were taken

and Dr.LaPrade said he could help me.

Surgery was booked for summer.

Patellar Chondroplasty at the Steadman Clinic in Vail

I've had a lot of people ask me why exactly I had knee surgery at 19.

Well ... let me explain.

Dr.LaPrade at the Steadman Clinic in Vail did a Patellar Chondroplasty on my left knee.

As it has been explained to me, patellar chondroplasty is pretty much a clean up job.

See this brace?? Well, let me explain ...

It all starts when you're a freshman in high school and your orthopedic doctor tells you to take a season off from softball because you are ruining your knees.

You smile and say to him

"No way. I would much rather experience agonizing pain for the next 5 years"

Make sure you smile when you say that though.

He will say "Ok, you athletes are stubborn, but maybe when you stop growing it will improve"

Congratulations. You now have what I like to call false hope!

For the next few years you slide, dive ... do everything you always did.

Yes, because none of these things are hard on your knees or anything?
You will dislocate your knee more times than you can count.
But no, no, no ... you're too stubborn to quit.

Eventually, when you think you can take no more,
when the glory days are over
you'll decide to hang up your jersey

and you'll tell yourself that it will improve upon doing so.

Oh but wait ... not only did you play softball 50 weeks a year ...

you also skied ...
double black diamond moguls ...
all winter ...
since you could walk ...

you can't quit that?!

Your knees hate you.

They are out to get you.

So it doesn't get better.

It swells. It catches. It clicks.

Your grandma can now squat more than you.

Enter: SURGERY

Cause:

Effect: Patellar Chondroplasty

(for the record, I was safe right there!!)

The cartilage behind my knee cap was in shreds

like your nasty neighbor's yard

and it needed a serious mowing job.

That is how it was explained to me at least. 

(Hopefully I didn't overwhelm you with medical lingo)

My surgery was not a result of a specific injury,
but YEARS of overworking a knee that was never built well to begin with.

It got so bad that I didn't even have to be stressing it much to get pain and swelling.
Just a day of walking to my classes at ASU and I might need some ice that night.