Cripple

Here's an update on my progress:

16.10. 19:00 Crisis
I was training with this annoying young guy, who thinks he can do everything but then he cannot do anything, who complains I (me, me???) hit or kick too hard, who thinks you can pass a belt examination by just going there, there's no such thing as motivation or idealism. We were rehearsing on distanses at a match, the opponent is too far to reach with just a kick. So you need to go forward while kicking. I was doing quite well and I even improved his kicking as well... Suddenly, while kicking, on my way landing, I heard a crack and then came the enormous shooting pain. Before I knew what happened, I was lying on the ground, holding my knee and could barely breath. Everybody stopped and I tried to get on my back from the fetus position but I couldn't turn, the pain was horrible. I couldn't even get my eyes open. I soon got cold and wet paper for my knee, and by that time the pain was completely gone. It ended as suddenly as it came. I carefully stood up, tried if I could walk and realized I could stand normally. My knee felt a bit wobbly and I went to sit for the rest of the training, squeezing my knee with the paper and held it up. After the training was over, I walked back home, I didn't dare to bike. My knee was quite OK, just a bit wobbly. At home after shower I held some ice on it and went for sleep. I couldn't sleep well, I don't remember my knee hurting actually, it ust felt uncomfortable.

17.10. 7:00 Stuck
When I woke up, I couldn't move my knee much, it wasn't hurting but it was kind of stuck. A bit swollen, but not badly. I called a doctor for an appointment and left for work (and went by bus). I was limping as my leg felt wobbly and went for a doctor (and waited for him half an hour, he was late!). He tried to force my leg to move but it was too painful. He said it wasn't sterile enough there and he didn't have needed equipment and gave me a referral to ER/surgery department. I also got one week of sick leave. I went back to work and finished my blotting. Then my parents came (of course I broke myself the weekend they were coming...). I hadn't had the time to tell them about this accident so I was laughing inside when I saw their faces when I went to get them to our lab. I showed our labs and staff and then I took them for a lunch. After that Dad took me and my Mom to the hospital. Mom was nice and stayed as a company for me, Dad went to sleep, he hadn't slept well because he was so excited to come to Kuopio :D
We waited for around two hours and then I got x-rayed (the device was cool! I was so excited to see that and Mom was laughing at me). Then we waited for an hour and the nurse came to ask me the conditions and how I felt. And after one more hour I got to the doctor. There was this MD student also and they diagnosed that I had blood in my knee and it had to be sucked out. She tried to do it but couldn't do anything. So the doctor came back and took 30 ml blood from my knee (not so much after all). After that I could move my knee better, though now it was hurting a bit because of the suction (which was uncomfortably painful). I got instructed to walk and bike as much as I could from the pain and I got walking sticks. I was joking to the nurse that it's good that she brought me black sticks because they suit my jacket, if they had been purple, I wouldn't had accepted them! (Of course I wouldn't have.)
Then Dad came and picked us up and we went for a small shopping tour with Mom. I bought few books (about nutrition, Functional Training and muscle upkeep). I had been told that there would be no taekwondo at least for rest of the year so I needed to keep my head up and figure out something else. Functional Training would do that, as I need to keep my legs in good condition (actually the muscles can get very weak in these kind of accidents if you don't train them!).
After grocery shopping we wathced Geishas Memories and went sleeping. I started to eat pain killers, not for the absent pain but to keep the inflammation down. I slept well.

18.10. 14:00 Sad
We were supposed to show some taekwondo to my parents on Saturday but obviously I couldn't do much. Tarmo showed some moves but I was sad because I'd wanted to show some "real moves" (like I could to real moves yet...). But they were impressed anyway. I just wasn't that happy. I already missed taekwondo. After a short training session we went to Puijo tower to see some landscape. After that we had pizza and then we just relaxed by watching House the whole evening. My knee was still very much stuck and I was just learning to walk with the annoying sticks. They were always on the way!

19.10. 11:00 Feeling Better
In the morning we went for a walk with Mom and we walked 5 km! I had bought this knee support and was wearing only that. It took two hours to walk and in the end it started to hurt a bit but I was feeling a lot better. I could somehow walk already! Though I was still limping.
We went to buy some food, cooked and watched some more House. After all, I had had a nice weekend with my parents and it was relaxing (as Mom made the dishes ;). We went for bed quite early as I had this course starting 8 am and my parents were going to get me to the university.

20.10. 8:15 First Day of Sick Leave
My friends were worried on my knee and I guess a bit surprised to see me. I was on sick leave yes, but I had this course. I was exhaused after the 3 hour lectures and went back home (by bus). I called to schedule a hair dresser time so that I could feel a bit better (I was supposed to schedule a week before but she was on this course in Greece...). I also went to buy a bus card.

Week 43 - First Week
I was exhaused after the course every day and I was fighting to keep my eyes open until 9 pm. Then I just passed out. My knee was acing a bit during the lectures and I needed to keep it up and straight most of the times. On Wednesday I went to get an orthosis for my knee and I became Forrest Gump. I made a plan for Functional Training and did it twice this week. And it felt good. One day I also walked to work, and one day back home. At the end of the week I could almost get my feet straight and bend it almost to 90 degree angle. But I was still limping. And very, very tired. On Saturday Santtu had a party but I drank only little, but had quite fun time. During the weekend I slept 12 hours one night! On weekend we did some laundry and because it's upstairs, I needed to train myself to walk stairs. Going up was manageable but coming back down wasn't that easy... I also tried to get on my bike but I couldn't even get on it...

Week 44 - Second Week
My sick leave was over so I had to be at the lab after the course. There was this one training thing, so it took two days and on two afternoons we had demonstrations at the hospitals (it was part of this course). So I didn't have much time to be at the lab, not that I could have done much with my Forrest Gump leg... I was still very tired and didn't train much, just walked few times back home from work. During the weekend I walked upstairs (to 7th floor!). I now could get my leg almost straight without any discomfort and I could bend it a bit over 90 degrees. But only if I helped with my hands, with only my leg muscles it didn't bend that much. I also started to learn to walk with the Forrest Gump thingie and could already go faster. During the lectures I could already held my leg in a bended position without any pain. I also could already be on my knees (though not to sit on my knees). Also, I stopped limping. On Sunday I was doing Functional Training and I could already do some movements in a proper way (required some strength from my legs). I tried to ride a bike again, now I could get on and even cycle a bit but if I had to put any strenght on my leg it felt bad. So no biking yet. And I started to learn to walk the stairs downwards.

Week 45 - Third Week
Today I went for swimming with Santtu early in the morning and it was great! We went for this "water aerobics" with all the grannies and grandpa's. But it was really efficient and in water I could bend my knee more than ever, in a controlled way. I also could walk the stairs without any support! I left the orthosis at home and was wearing only this sports knee support and it was fine. I can already walk normally and keep my leg straight well.

So I guess I'm already in good shape with my knee. I'll have an MRI and doctors appointment next week, and then I'll know what needs to be done. I'm missing taekwondo but I try not to think about it. This Functional Training and now swimming is a good alternative and makes me feel good. During the first week I was really tired and lost some weight... But now I feel that I can already work the 8 hours a day and maybe have some activity besides that. Luckily I have another two week course so I don't need to be much in the lab, I cannot run between labs with vulnerable reagents yet. I see the progress but I try to take it easy. I'm still avoiding pain, so if something hurts too much, I don't do that.

So heads up with a positive mind! I'm doing well and I can already walk normally, and I've found new activities!