Saga of a Knee

Two and a half weeks of succos vacation passed by in the blink of an eye for us over here, and just like that my favorite holiday is gone. It's taken a while for me to reflect on the holiday and all the good because I've been very preoccupied with the not-so-good. After a beautiful first day and Chol Hamoed trips to Ammunition Hill in J-lem, the Safari in Tel Aviv, a BBQ in on Tel-Tzora and the Beit Shemesh concert, I woke up with a very, very painful knee on Hoshana Rabba morning. I couldn't move it and was literally writhing in pain on my bed. 


Me and this knee have a history. Avery long and annoying history. When I was 7 I was tobogganing down Cobb's Hill at night and our toboggan hit a tree. Somehow my leg wound around a tree (to this day we still wave at this tree whenever we pass by) and my femur broke in half instantly. I barely remember being put on the toboggan stretcher-style and being rushed to the hospital. The next couple of hours I endured a long surgery and was put into traction: essentially a very large screw was put through my knee to literally hang my knee from a sling above my bed to reset my bone. I was in the hospital in this position for almost 2 months and after that I was sent home with a double cast from waist to ankle. It was not pretty. I missed the second half of 2nd grade. After months of being in bed I had to relearn how to walk, first with crutches then with much physical therapy on my own. 


Once I was completely healed (or so I thought) things went back to normal and I didn't think about that leg again. Until one day in 11th grade. I was sitting in English class and my knee had the weirdest sensation; I felt something slip into place and the pain was excruciating. Worse than that I was stuck in my desk unable to move until they called an ambulance and I was brought to the hospital. I'll never forget that day. We had one more period until the end of the day, and our Student Council had planned a roller skating/blading party with music and pizza. It was a big deal and I loved rollerblading. Long story short there was no rollerblading for me that day or any day after that one for a very long time. My knee needed surgery; x-rays showed that my traction 10 years before had torn cartilage in my knee that had never healed. Now it had somehow locked around itself, and needed to be cut out. Another surgery, another significant amount time of school missed. 


Months later I was back in school with a very large and obnoxious apparatus, complete with a wheelchair and crutches. As only my 11th grade self could, I would complete my outfit every day with neon colored tights. Well, one tight... 


Thank goodness it healed completely and I haven't heard from it since then until now. We spent Hoshana Rabba in Terem, the emergency clinic, first here in town and then in Jerusalem. The original concern was that it was a blood clot, but bh that was ruled out. The only thing I have to go on now is the preliminary x-ray that shows that there are bone lesions on my tibia. Related to my old injury? They won't say. Related to my new jogging regime? Dunno. I'm getting worried, it's been over a week and the improvement is minimal. I have an appointment with the orthopedist next week, and until then....


Here I sit on the couch where I've been parked for the better part of a week. Trying not to feel sorry for myself. Wondering how much damage I've done to my kids by being incapacitated for so long. Thanking my lucky stars for good friends and sister in laws. Marveling at what a wonderful husband I have. 


What's ironic is that every time this knee acts up and I have time to sit and actually think, I go over and over in my head, "I will never take walking for granted again. I will never take walking for granted again." So maybe it's just a reminder that I need every couple of years; to slow down and be grateful for the small things. 


Things could be worse. Grateful for what I have. :)