Knee, Therapy and House!

So I haven't posted a blog entry in a looong time. I apologize to the two or three readers that check my blog. hehe Well my knee is still not 100%. I have been going to therapy and I find it very enjoyable. I go to Mile Square on 6th St. They took over the place where Swift Photo used to be. Since my dad was a photographer, I used to go to Swift all the time to make runs for him. The people at Mile Square are cool and knowledgeable. When I first went, Cesar thoroughly explained what was going on in my knee much more in depth than the orthopedic had ever explained to me. The parts I really enjoy are the heat up and icing parts that bookend the therapy. I get to sit back and relax and my knee feels really good at that time. The ultrasound part is cool too.

I was really sore & tired this week because while I was off last week, I had pretty much rested the entire time so I wasn't used to much activity. Plus when I walked around that week, I hadn't put much weight on the right leg because of the pain. So as you can imagine, when I went back to work, I really felt it. I still limp around but I think that the leg is better than it was last week. I met this guy named Jeff in therapy and he was telling me that his right bicep tore off and he had to have it re-attached. His advice is to take any recovery one day at a time and to do my exercises at home regularly too. Now this guy's had surgery on both shoulders and actually had an operation for the same injury as mine (torn meniscus), so I think he knows a thing or two about recovery.

Ok so enough about my knee. A few weeks ago, I went to an open house around the corner from where I live now and I liked the place. I mean it's not a jaw-droppingly amazing place, but I see potential for improvement because we do a lot of renovation on our own. Plus it's got a lot more space that we have now so that'd be good too. Also, even though it's around the corner from me, my current backyard and its backyard both share one common fence. So we can tear that down and open it all up. So when we rent out both units in our current house, we will be right next door to handle any problems for our tenants. I put in an offer and they countered and we countered back and they accepted my final offer! I signed the paperwork today and so did the seller. We're in attorney review now so things are taking off.

If you asked me two weeks ago about what I need to do to buy a house, I would've been clueless. I think I've learned a thing or two in the meantime. Trust me, it's only a thing or two... I'm still pretty confused by a lot of it. I believe that the entire process takes some real project management skills to be the liaison between the agent, the lawyer, the inspector, the various mortgage people, etc. and handling their requests without being overwhelmed. I've started keeping a notebook with everything I've got to do and questions I have so I don't miss anything. I'm excited!!!

MRI

I got the MRI done on my knee yesterday. It was actually pretty cool. As previously mentioned, I got it done in Hoboken - about a block from where I work. They have an open MRI setup and it was so nice. The tech. put my leg in a brace and had me lie down on the table. The lower part of my body was under the MRI and the top half was out in the open. It took 24 minutes for the entire process but it didn't seem long at all. They had the radio blasting so that helped. However, I was told to stay very still and pumping music in the room can't possibly help someone remain still. I did have some leg spasms while the machine was running so I tried very hard to stop them. If spasms are involuntary, can one voluntarily stop them? I don't know but I tried. I guess my leg didn't move too much because the tech. said I did well. I can totally understand how people feel claustrophobic in the regular MRI machines. Especially if you're in there for about a half hour - totally enclosed - and you're not allowed to move. Thank goodness they had an open MRI or I would've cracked!

My knee still feels icky. I can't really put much weight on it so I limp along when I do get up. I spend most of my time in bed and that sucks. Before I get up, I have to massage my legs because that makes it easier to "walk." Gosh, is this what it's come to?

Knowing is half the battle

Sgt. Slaughter used to say that at the end of the G.I. Joe cartoon.

I know a little about my knee but not everything. I went to Dr. Steinway's today and we're still not sure what's wrong w/ the knee. I mean it was fruitful in that he took x-rays and nothing showed up in them. He elevated my leg and then hit the back of my knee with his forearm and it didn't hurt. So apparently that means my ACL is ok. He twisted my leg in many directions and it was ok so that ruled some other things out.. But then he poked certain areas and it hurt. So he wants me to get an MRI done. The sucky part is that I have an appointment at Hoboken Medical Imaging tomorrow at 3:30 and I hear we have snow coming.

Nilesh

What do you call an Indian guy w/ bad knees?

Nilesh... get it? Knee-less? (for those non-Indians reading this, Nilesh is a real name)

S told me that one. I still find it funny. What's not funny is that my right knee is really shot! I had such a hard time putting weight on it today. And my mind races much faster than my body can take me. Like I was walking to the restrooms today and in my mind I would make it to the end of the hall in a split second but it took me several long, agonizing seconds to get there. blah.

I'm really scared that it's something bad. I don't want an operation but I am slowly coming to a realization that it may be serious. I think not knowing is so scary. That's why I wanted to see the Orthopedist today but I couldn't get an appointment. The earliest appointment my sister was able to get was for tomorrow at 1:30. It seems so far away. :-(

Bum Knee & Dark Ages

I'm getting so old. I was jumping to reach something the other day and I landed awkwardly and ever since then my knee's been killing me. It isn't swollen or anything so I'm hoping a few days of rest will fix it up. If not, I'll go to the doc's and see what's up. I remember the good ol' days of high school when we'd go to Nick's house every day and play basketball. I got hurt so many times but after a night of rest, I'd be as good as new. Not anymore. Actually, I think playing basketball on that court every day is actually what messed up my knees in the first place.

So as I was resting my knee, I put on the Dark Ages special on the History Channel. The fall of the Roman empire, the invading barbarians, the plague, Justinian and his courtesan wife and the Hagia Sophia, Charlemagne... I LOVE IT! It really seemed to have been a depressing time. Those dudes seemed to have regressed from the glory of Rome. I LOVE history. And I love it when they piece together contemporary things to give you a richer idea of what was going on. For example, they mentioned how after the fall of Rome, the empire was split into an Eastern and Western half. The riches of the east had always supported the west, but after they split, the economy of the west suffered. Roads and infrastructure that defined Rome fell into disrepair. Then the plague and constant warfare caused the population to dwindle. All of these things combined to isolate small communities from each other with little communication with each other. So there weren't enough people in one area - a "critical mass" as they put it - to really
feed off of each other and create things to better their lives. Hence, the Dark Ages.
Plus not many people were educated back then either. Until Charlemagne came around, the monks were usually the only ones that were educated. After the Crusades, texts were brought back from the East that really sparked the intellectual advancement that laid the foundation for the Renaissance.

Suffice it to say, I enjoyed the special.

Locke's LOST his mind

Ok, so what the heck is up w/ Locke? He's completely obsessed w/ pressing buttons! At first it was in the hatch where he obsessed over entering the code. Then he lost his mind and didn't press it and caused the hatch to blow up. Last night he presses buttons on the computer at Flame which started a self-destruct sequence and left Flame in, well, flames. He's like a two year old! I bet he lost his ability to walk because he came across a button that said "Don't push or else you'll lose the use of your legs" and he pushed it. So to recap, Locke likes to push buttons and blow things up.