Knee Injuries Part 3: A Setback, The MRI and the Diagnosis.

I don’t even know how long this has been going on now but I do know I am finally getting near the end game. Last week I had my MRI scheduled and everything was going along as good as can be expected until the day of the MRI. I had just gotten to work, parked the car and on the 25 or so steps to get inside my left knee basically collapsed. Holy shit that’s the pain I hadn’t experienced much of to this point. It felt like what had been a partial tear of the meniscus just fully went ahead and shredded the shit out of itself. I was carrying my lunch and I had noticed there were a couple of women on the sidewalk in front of our building but when the knee shredded, I bent over at the waist and shouted “FUCK!!!!”, the fitness walkers picked up their pace immediately. I limped inside to start my shift.

I probably could have gone home but what good would that do? Besides my MRI was scheduled for 7:00 PM and the imaging center is right around the corner from work. I stayed for my whole shift. For a little perspective, this was last Thursday, the first day of the NFL draft. It’s been a fun few days since and now due to compensation and protection, my right knee has begun hurting too. Remember this is the knee that was repaired just last year and that I’m still recovering from. Hot damn what a fun year it’s been.

So on draft day as I was waiting for my appointment, I started following the draft online. It was a good distraction for a couple of hours. My team, the Vikings were picking 23rd and it was starting to look like I wouldn’t be able to see us pick due to the timing of the appointment. I was right, we were just “on the clock” when the MRI technician called me in. It was actually kind of amusing because I was getting texts from a bunch of people asking me about the Vikings and who did I want them to take. The way the MRI works is you have to remove all of you clothing except for underwear and socks and they give you the lovely hospital gown to change into and you lock your belongs in a locker, therefore I had no idea what was happening in the outside world. I told the MRI tech that things had been a little hectic with me finishing the tear on the knee that same day and with the draft going on. He told me that he had been following the draft on the radio and that his team was on the clock. That’s right. He was a Vikings fan from Minnesota. I can’t begin to tell you how rare it is to encounter a Vikings fan in L.A. so this felt like a little bit of kismet, maybe this wouldn’t be that bad after all.

The MRI machine and I are no strangers to each other. I’ve probably gone in about 6 times so I know what to expect. You lay on your back while the technician locks your knee down in a slightly elevated position and you are given a blanket because as with anything hospital related it is cold as fuck in there. The technician asked me if I wanted to know the Vikings pick when the procedure was over, I told him “Sure.” The tube is a tight fit and you are always asked if you are claustrophobic. Fortunately I don’t have this issue and was only gifted with the shitty knees when I came into the world. The questionnaire also asks if you have any pins, plates, screws or possible metal items in your body. Lucky on that count too. So far. You tuck your arms at your sides, the table you are lying on is elevated and slid into the tube. You are only put in about mid-chest deep so your head doesn’t enter the tube. I can see how that might lead to the claustrophobia question. The lights are lowered, you are given ear plugs to put in and the procedure starts. The last MRI center I visited gave you a headset with your choice of music. I always choose techno because of the rhythms of the machine itself. It just works really well. The technician stopped the process after about 3-4 minutes and readjusted the position of the knee and the “coil” that was placed underneath my knee. He said the machine was picking up “relics.” I have no idea what a relic is but this was the first time I encountered it during an MRI and thought it warranted mentioning. Back into the tube I went and the process started again. It’s about 18 minutes in total and it consists of 4-5 cycles of some pretty damn loud banging. I mentioned the techno music because I am always reminded of industrial music during an MRI. The 18 minutes feel like 45.

The procedure is finished and I am wheeled out of the tube. The technician told me who the Vikings selected and we discussed that for a few minutes. I told him I was hoping they would draft Myles Jack to reunite with his old UCLA teammates on our linebacking corps. He shook my hand, told me the images looked nice and clear and wished me luck. The MRI technicians are not doctors so they will not give you a diagnosis despite how much you ask for one. That’s what the orthopedic surgeon gets paid to do. The tech said he would get the images to my surgeon within 24 hours. I finally got home and now I have to wait until Monday morning for my diagnosis.

It was a long, slow painful weekend. But did you make Sunday Gravy you ask? Bet your ass I did. It was delightful too. Can’t wait to share.

The diagnosis.

The orthopedic surgeon met with me on Monday morning. I thought it was a little odd that he was wearing surgeon scrubs and the little protective hat thingie but it wasn’t my place to ask. I figured maybe he has a unique fashion sense. At least now I know why this shit has been such a challenge. I tore BOTH the medial meniscus and the lateral meniscus in the left knee.

Well fuck.

This should be really goddamn fun. I’ve never had them both tear at the same time so I may be looking at some substantial rehab and recovery on this motherfucker. Turns out the reason the doc was wearing his scrubs is that he actually performs the procedures on site! He had already performed 5 Monday morning before 9:00 A.M. That is fucking amazing. The best part about that, besides being really close to home is there will be no charges for the surgical facility. Last time I had to drop $3,600 bucks before they even wheeled me in to the O.R. Not this time baby! I have a pre-op appointment with my primary care physician on Wednesday for some quick lab work and I am scheduled for surgery next Monday 5-9-16 at 7:00. I’m probably going to go ahead and take all of next week off from work. The doctor said I get there at 7:00 A.M. the procedure is at 8:00 and I should be out of there by 10:00.

Boom!

The start to recovery is less than a week away.

I’ll be back to explain how the surgery went and the process of that entire day. Despite the fact that my knee hurts like Hell I am actually doing better mentally. I’m not discouraged at all, just fully resolved to get this damn knee fixed. Although I still do feel…

To be continued.