2008 – 25% done.

So, it’s April. Somehow.

Wasn’t it just Christmas? Wasn’t the Big Day Out yesterday?

I had an MRI on my knee yesterday. Goddamn those machines are noisy. Especially seeing as though there are no moving parts in it. Lucky the attendant gave me ear muffs cause it was like a jack-hammer in your ear for 20 minutes.

Yes. 20 minutes of having to lie as still as possible. The problem was, when I thought about lying still I would tense up and that’s no good for anyone. I ended up trying to think about beaches, nice food and football.

I couldn’t think about anything racey being in a hospital gown and all. Absolutely NO privacy in those things.

I will have to go and pick up the films now and see what my knee looks like on the inside. Maybe I’ll try and scan it in…

Spring in Step, Bullets in Blog

Bullet Points are all the rage at the moment, so here are mine..

• Earth Hour is a good thing. Apparently Energy consumption was down 11.4% in Canberra is the equivalent of taking 8.4 cars off the road for a year. Canberra was also the city with the largest percentage of participation (73%). Yay US!
• If you want to see a complete tool who decided to turn ON all his lights and appliances during Earth Hour, click here. But I am hesitant to give him any hits what-so-ever.
• Knee is soooo much better. Isn’t it always the way? You see a doctor, spend the money and then whatever ailment you had improves. Never-the-less I will still get the MRI on Wednesday morning. I have canceled the surgery and will wait for the MRI results and a 2nd opinion.
• I am doing something tomorrow that may or may not lead to a rather big change in my life. Stay tuned. No hints yet 🙂
• The Drop Bears played at the Mawson Club last Friday and it went well. The crowd seemed to enjoy the punkier dancier stuff more than the heavy, but really, when you get that drunk, does it really matter? Stay tuned for 2 Anzac Day gigs…
• Daylight Savings being pushed back a week and then brought forward in October is a good thing. I whole-heartedly enjoy extra daylight and will miss it from next week.
• Did you know that too much Vitamin C causes diarrhea? Neither did I. Might explain something..
• Who wants to go and see The Panics with me on the 10th of May at the ANU Bar?

Bullet Point Stop.

He seemed nice enough…

“So, do you ever want to run a marathon again?”, he asked.

“Well, no…not really. Once is enough”, I said.

He was younger than I thought he would be. Seemed very mobile and active and asked lots of questions.

“Well, after you have surgery, you should feel fine with a bit of physio”, he added nonchalantly.

“Right. Ummm. Surgery?”

“Well, there’s something wrong with your knee so we’ll have to fix it.”

And so it is, that I am booked in for arthroscopic knee surgery next Thursday.

…

My knee has been better. Still not 100%, but I can walk without limping. I can even run, but have not done so very much. So much for self-diagnosis, or even doctor diagnosis. It seems that it is cartilage damage to my knee. I cannot quite straighten the leg out completely without pain, and I occasionally get the feeling that my knee is giving way.

The surgery will cost $1800. I get $450 back from medicare, but then I have to add on anesthetists fees, assistant surgeons and hospital fees, plus an MRI. I dare say it will end up being $2000 at least.

Having thought about it overnight, I am inclined to get the MRI and hold off on the surgery. I really cannot afford it right now and it seems overly presumptuous that surgery is the only way to fix the problem.

Not that I’m a knee specialist, but hey…

I know knee injuries are common, but I’ve never had a problem with mine. Does anyone have any stories or wisdom to share in regards to these sorts of things?

Should I postpone the surgery?
Should I seek a second opinion?
Should I live with it?

MRI is booked in for Wednesday. Thursday for Surgery. Wouldn’t most doctors look at the MRI and then decide what to do from there? He said that the MRI would not determine whether or not he did surgery at all.

I am hopeless when talking to doctors. I never ask the right questions. I get flustered and not know what to ask. My mind races and I just accept what they say.

Help?