Dunkirk NY – During the time I was in Washington state taking care of my daughter, my right knee was giving me trouble. Not much trouble, mind you, but enough that I was being careful with it. I had my Surface 604 ebike with me, and I had begun to take rides with it along the bike trails that surrounded the Lacey area. I also began to take CBD pills. Both of these actions seemed to begin to ameliorate the pain, and I found that as time went on there was not as much pain as there had been. By the time I got back home, the pain seemed to have lessened dramatically. Continue reading →
Month: November 2019
The Meniscus – A Primer
Dunkirk NY – I had always heard about menisci from watching sports. It’s a common injury among athletes, especially as they get older. Apparently a meniscus is somewhat easy to tear. Quick lateral movements can easily do the job. It’s also one of the most common knee injuries around. According to WebMD, 40% of people over 65 have a meniscus tear.
The meniscus itself is a small piece of cartilage that acts as a cushion for the knee joint. Superficial tears of the meniscus can heal themselves if they are close to the body’s blood supply, but if the tear is deeper into the joint, then there is no blood supply to repair the tear. In that case surgery is warranted.
I have a feeling the one in my right knee has been around for some time. Since my 20s I’ve always been able to “pop” that knee. No pain was ever involved, but on occasion the knee would feel off. When that happened, a quick snap f the joint usually produced a popping sensation, and the knee would be fine. Physically it was never a problem. But when I took the fall (most meniscus tears are the result of accidents), the left knee became very painful, and the right knee just a little more aggravated. I remember last September being practically unable to walk by the time I had the surgery in October 2018. Today the left knee is fine, and I look forward to getting the right knee repaired as well.
BTW, Opening Night for the opera went off well. I’m still disappointed I didn’t get enough time to polish the staging in the finales for both acts, but I had a problem with people not showing up for rehearsals. Last night – opening night – was the first time everybody who was supposed to be on the stage was there. So it goes with semi-professional productions. Today is a day off for vocal rest for the singers, and tomorrow the matinee. Don’t forget to turn your clocks back. -twl
NaBloPoMo 2019
Dunkirk NY – National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) begins today, and so does its subsidiary, National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo). While NaNoWriMo has an organization behind it, NoBloPoMo has apparently petered out as a “thing.” Some people still take it up, and I’ve decided to do so as well. Why? Because on Nov. 7th, I will be undergoing some arthroscopic knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus in my right knee, and I will essentially be off line for most of the month of November. NaBloPoMo took as its idea sticking to some kind of theme to help generate writing material, and I figured with all of the down time I will be having in November recovering, using the knee surgery as the theme itself would be a decent enough topic to occupy the month.
I actually had this surgery done in October of 2018 on my left knee. The damage to both knees was the result of a small fall down the last two steps leading to my cement basement floor. At the time I actually took the fall, I thought I had done no damage other than a little pain. Over the last three years, however, the damage manifested itself via two MRIs, and so last year I had the left knee done, and this year the right. The right knee is not as damaged as the left one was, and does not cause as much pain, but my doctor said that eventually it would give out, so might as well get it done.
So be prepared this month for daily posts on my upcoming knee surgery. Tonight is opening night for La Cenerentola at Buffalo Opera Unlimited. It runs tonight and a Sunday matinee on Nov. 3. After that, it’s all about the knee. -twl