The Knee Goes Out and a Man is Down

Man down!  That’s what I thought last night as I approached my friend Joe’s deck, carrying a bag with my little drum and some beers inside. It was an awkward step up, too high, and just before I made it up I felt my knee buckle.  Joe was walking over and saw my leg and knee do their little twist…and then I was down.

I had to lie down because my left knee couldn’t hold my weight.  OUCH!   Joe advised me to lie back and elevate the leg, putting it above my heart. He said to breathe, slowly, and I did, trying to relax but wincing with the pain.  When I would try to get up, I was a collapsible frimp, as Dr Suess once wrote. My knee was made of jelly.  Bad timing!

I spent a few hours with some ice on the knee while my friends played music. I couldn’t make it over to the drums for my usual stint, so I had to remain in my chair playing my little drum to the beat. I kept thinking, no, no, this is terrible timing. I am scheduled to fly to Cancun for a big meeting very early Friday morning, six am.

I thought about walking down the long corridor to the airport gate. I couldn’t imagine being able to do that. I came home and Mary helped me find my crutches and set me down in bed with ibuprofen and water and a pillow to elevate the knee.  All of the fears came to me, would I have to cancel the flight?  Would I not be able to do? It brought back memories of a few years ago when I had an accident and I broke my foot. This knee isn’t broken…but that time I ended up with a big cast and had to cancel a trip to Estonia.

I kept taking ibuprofen and icing the knee, and at night I could barely walk to go to the bathroom, but I was glad to have crutches. In the morning I debated whether to go to AEIOU, or let my primary doctor help me. Mary kindly offered to drive me there, but I found I was able to walk gingerly. So now I am able to get around better and no longer feel that I’ll have to cancel my trip.  I wanted to give my main doc a heads up before I endure hours of waiting at the clinic.

I’ll go down there  to Mexico but I won’t push it. Fingers are crossed this will all work out and my business trip will go off without a hitch.