Happy M-Day Plus 7.

I can't believe it's been 7 years since my meniscus transplant.  My knee continues to serve me well, and I'm still playing ice-hockey, riding bikes (transitioned to mountain), and doing lots of things I probably shouldn't do (like catching bullpens for my baseball youth team and playing scout team QB against pee-wee footballers).  I'm not particularly good about icing after big events, and I don't really think about my knee holding me back.  If I treat it poorly, my knee will remind me that I'm not 21 anymore, and doctors have inside there 4 times.

Through this blog I've met many people from around the world that have had this surgery.   I've seen some awesome outcomes, and some unfortunate folks who have had setbacks (one was hit by a truck on her bike wrecking her freshly minted MT).  As I'm sure you can see from my blog, rehab was the key to my personal recovery, but also I knew there was a chance the outcome wouldn't be great. I was 35 and nowhere near ready to quit playing hard...it wasn't a tough choice for me, but I did as much research as I could before making the final decision.  I was also fortunate to have a great team at Dr. Stone's and a great local PT (John Zior in Rocklin, CA), who guided me through every up and down.

I'm on my second custom functional knee brace as I wore the first one out (yes, I play that hard).  I use it for skiing, hockey, and basketball (yes, I've started playing again with my 12 year-old son).  Hockey is not a twisting sport, and my MT rarely, if ever, gives me issues.  I feel like I have something going on behind my knee cap, and in the lateral part of the knee (the opposite side of my MT), but I can live with those issues and I don't plan on stopping for anything.  I've read that the average life span is 10 years for an MT, and considering how hard I've pushed mine, I'm hoping for the best.  I'm not ready to do it all over again, but I would still do it all over again.  My MT surgery been a solid decision for me thus far.  Since I don't have medial pain, I'm assuming my articular cartilage is hanging in there, my knee is very stable, and the MT is doing it's job.  So, for those of you getting ready for this surgery, get yourself ready physically and mentally for a challenge.  For those of you in the middle of this journey, hang in there, there is light, however faint, at the end of the tunnel.  Finally, if you've had the surgery, and you are still going for it, let me know about what you are doing in the comments.

All the best and Merry Christmas.

6 Years, 5.5 of them Awesome

It's my six year meniscaversary today.  I celebrated with a hard workout and a hard indoor ride this morning before work.  Six years after my MT, and still doing everything I want to do.  I say 5.5 awesome years because the first six months of the first year are notably un-awesome.  Heal well folks!

Five and a half years after my MT, I finally raced again.  I didn't run a tri, my knee and I both don't like running, so I tried an aqua-bike.  You swim and bike, and that's it, so I spare my knees from the repeated pounding of a 210 pound frame training.  So my wife found a race we could both do (she wanted an Olympic distance tri), and we signed up. It was a blast, I placed 2nd overall, and she was second in her age group. 

Still charging.

Still Going....

Five years later, and like the Energizer bunny, I'm still going.  I'm training harder, playing harder, and playing more than I have since...maybe ever.  My knee is strong and pain free.  Thanks Dr. Stone and Trish for everything!

I celebrated my 5th Knee Anniversary with my first hat trick in the Silver Division last night!  Best game of the new season, and I was charged up afterwards.  The charge I got out of the game last night was amazing.  I can't imagine hanging them up for good anytime soon.

Rich

My Fourth Anniversary

Four years ago today I arrived home from my surgery in San Francisco with my knee looking like this:

It was so painful I could feel my pulse in my knee, and I couldn't even imagine returning to anything.  It was hard enough trying to get to the restroom or take a shower.  Dr. Stone had told me I would be back better than before the surgery, but it felt like that was never going to happen.  It was an extremely challenging recovery, and there were plenty of bad days.  At six months there were more good days than bad, and at one year I had fully returned to sports. 

Four years later I still play hard.  I play ice-hockey two days a week, ride my bike, hike, ski, train, jog a little (no more than 3 miles), swim, and chase my kids.  I'd walk the golf course more if I didn't normally play on the same days as my hockey games, but that will change next season when I move up a level.

I've battled other injuries (my other knee and wrist) that have come from my hard charging, but I have no regrets. As I approach my 40th birthday (next July), I have no plans on slowing down.  I'm very thankful that Dr. Stone put me back together, and Trish helped me get that pesky knee to function with the rest of my self-perceived high performance body.

For those of you who are comtemplating this surgery, do your research, understand the procedure and recovery, and only move forward if you are prepared to work harder than you ever have to get back to "normal."  I'm aware that there is a supposed shelf-life for MT's, but I didn't have this done so I could sit around doing nothing hoping it would last forever.  I know of at least one other person who is still going for it 10 years out!  Find a doc you trust, a PT you trust even more, and have a plan in place for the rest of your life since things won't be normal for awhile.

For those who find this board after your surgery, I hope it helps to know what can be.  Understand it was not all wine and roses, and that the road to recovery is long and not always filled with joy.  Welcome to the small fraternity of MT recipients, and good luck.  I'm more than happy to speak with any of you during your rehab...just send me a message.

So in the end, my Christmas present, my new knee in 2007, has been my best present ever.  Good luck everyone, and Merry Christmas.

FOUR YEARS BABY!

Yeah, so that sucks a bit

I was very excited for this past weekend. Golf on Saturday morning, little league in the afternoon, and Sunday with Mother's Day and a late night hockey game. I played great golf Saturday morning (73-one over par), and squatted (like a catcher) reading a number of "big" putts. Later that day, I warmed up my little league players (actually catching). The bummer is my knees didn't like it. Worse, the non-MT knee is giving me a lot of trouble that past 10 days. It's painful when I get up after sitting, and feels really stiff. It occasionally catches, and I wonder if the tear they trimmed last year started again. I was told no more "catcher's squats" for a year after my MT, and I think that really meant forever. I've been working with my son's pitching a lot the past 2 months, and I'm feeling it. I hung up the gear almost 15 years ago for the last time, and I think I need to leave it on the shelf. More limitations...not what I want right now.

On a positive note, I played hockey last night and had great game. We won, I scored twice, and it was just a blast. I iced when I got home (after midnight), and today I'm feeling pretty good. When I played ball I constantly iced my knees and shoulder after practices and games. I feel like icing kept me healthy. As I've gotten older, I've been lazy about icing, and I think it's causing me some pain. So, I'm digging out the ace-wraps again.

I'm feeling a bit down about my non-MT knee right now...not something I want to deal with.

Hope everyone is healing or healed, and out there doing it!

New Goals

My knees generally don't like to run anymore...it's just a fact that I have come to realize. But my feet are even worse. I couldn't shake the plantar fasciitis, so I stopped running for a few weeks. Sure enough the pain is almost entirely gone.

However, my knees and feet don't mind ice-skating, and after 3 months of practices, I'm playing games with my new team. I still wear my functional knee brace (and will forever), but I seem to have very little pain and no problems ice-skating. So, for now my goal is to make them...every game. I'm skating 2-3 times per week, and playing hockey is a great workout. I love it. I'm still considering an Olympic distance triathlon this year (I know...why), but right now my focus is on hockey, swimming, coaching my kids, and getting back on my road bike now that the weather is good. I don't know that I want, need, or should do any distance running anymore.

I've read a lot of studies that say the MT will last 10 years, and then you either get another one or do a PKR. I'm hoping that study is wrong since I'm having too much fun, but I would do this surgery again for 10 more years of this.

I'm still having a strange "popping out" sensation in my MT knee once and a while. It hadn't happened for months, and then it happened last weekend messing around. It only happens when my muscles are relaxed, and pops back in when I straighten my leg. It's pretty gross, but it doesn't hurt, and it goes back in and I'm pretty much good. Not sure what's causing it or what it even is (seems like my entire lower leg is out of place), but if it happens only 6 times a year I can live with it.

Hang in there...it gets better.