A brief update:

The 5k was awesome! My group looked pretty amazing with our multi-colored tutus, string of lights, and crazy t-shirts that we cut and stretched, and covered in puffy paint in order to show off our name: The Fairy Flies. The run was a ton of fun and I am pretty happy with myself being able to run a good chunk of the time however my knee continued to give me issues.

Soon, the warmth of August bled into the Indian Summer of September and I worked harder on my goal of 3x a week at Crossfit. I joined a new gym in August and I LOVED it. The people were great, the atmosphere was what I was looking for, and the coaches worked with me on my knee, making me feel less like a social pariah and more like an actual member. The best aspect of September was my birthday and the birthday wod that my gym did just for me. My entire family came to Redmond to work out and we did all of the movements that I love. It was a ton of fun and made me feel even more like I was a part of this amazing group.

September quickly transitioned into the cool, dark of October and I found myself at a Josh Groban concert. Wow, that man is phenomenal! He is hilarious, talented, and just a good looking man. Amanda, my grandma, and my mom were with me and it was such a splendid night. Dinner, limo ride, drinks, and Josh. What more could a girl ask for? About a week after the concert, I started to experience a pretty sharp pain in my side that got a little worse everyday. My coworkers were convinced that it was my appendix so I took myself over to the doctor, got a CT Scan, and yes, it was. The pain was there but it wasn't terrible. My family came and sat with me while we waited for surgery and I was in good spirits. Over the next couple of days, however, the pain intensified and my blood pressure jumped to 155/115 and I was back in the hospital until the pain was under control. After that, I was in healing mode and anxious to get back to normal.

The following week, after my appendix, I met with an ortho surgeon about my knee. He was 99% sure that the issue was a torn meniscus and prepped me on what to expect with recovery. It sounded somewhat easy; go in, snip the torn part, clean up any jagged areas, and then I am off of it for a few days. Rehab would start on the 3rd or 4th day and I would be able to walk, no problem. He requested an MRI to be sure and I got that scheduled right away. Well, the MRI did not show a torn meniscus. Instead, it showed that I had a "chunk" of bone missing from my femur and the piece was likely floating around in my knee which was causing a lot of the pain. We still planned on the same procedure for surgery with the hope that the removal of the fragment and the smoothing of the hole would stop my knee from popping out and causing issues. I scheduled my surgery for the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and finished healing up from my appendix.

Surgery. Never a fun time and always stressful. At least for me it is. My grandma was a huge help; she took me to the hospital and then waited while my surgery took place. Everyone at Evergreen is great, by the way! The surgical staff was super friendly and made me feel really comfortable about the whole procedure. When I laid down on the surgery table and the nurses finally finished with the needles, monitors and blankets, I counted back from 100 and fell asleep.

"Crutches. She is going to need to be fitted for crutches" My eyes flew open and the first words out of my mouth were "Oh Hell No! I am not going to be on crutches. That was not the deal!" All grogginess and calming fog quickly vanished from my head and I was wide awake. And pissed. "This wasnt the plan! Why am I going to be on crutches?!" I should stop and mention that I wasn't try to be difficult or belligerent but if you know me and my klutziness, crutches just don't work. I quickly discovered that I didn't really have a choice and that my knee was in way worse shape than the doctor has previously realized. The nurse, realizing that I was fully awake grabbed my clothes for me and told me to get what I could on and then she would be back to help me with the rest. Sadly, all of my past falls, twists, and breaks have taught me how to dress myself, even while in a hospital bed, so I pulled on my clothes and sat, waiting for the nurse. A bit later, the nurse wheeled me in to the recovery area where my grandma was waiting and that was where I learned what happened.

First, the doctor was both wrong and right. I did have a torn meniscus and I did have a chunk missing (he called it an ulcer). The meniscus was tricky and looked really good until you realize that 60% of it was ripped and formed a bucket handle (he called it a bucket handle tear). He had two options; either remove 60-70% of my very much needed meniscus or stitch it together so that it heals. Next, he found that I had two chunks of bone floating around the insides and one side of my knee looked like a bunch of sea anemones floating around in there...which is not how a knee is supposed to look. He removed the chunks, smoothed out the bone, and cleared up all of the loose, shredded tissue in my knee. The stitches were the reason I was going to be stuck on crutches for a week or so and, while not thrilled, I came to terms with them. My grandma then took me back to her house so that I can rest until my parents came and got me.

You know you are in pain when the first person you want is your mom. My mom, who is the strongest woman I know, is not the kind who kisses your forehead and coddles you when sick. If you are ever in an emergency, she is the best person to turn to. Want someone to tuck you in and calm you down? Not really her style. My grandma, on the other hand, is just that. It was a perfect balance to have after my surgery. I got the loving kisses and help that I needed while I was pouting over my situation and then I got the logical help later when I had to figure out what I was going to do afterwards. Some of that help turned into my parents taking Daisy back to their house. Oh man did I miss her the minute she was gone! The dog is a huge part of my life and the house was gloomy and quiet while she was away.

Fast forward a week and I have Daisy back, crutches are a distant memory and I took a huge step for my health (more to come on this later). My parents were amazing and had Daisy for 8 days, through Thanksgiving, and worked on her manners. She now sits when waiting to go out or come back in instead of smacking the door with her paw. She also stays off of the furniture and my bed. Ok the last one has been a challenge because I miss cuddling with her and may have let her come up a few times before shooing her away. She is sleeping on her own bed but around 4am, she has been sneaking up on me. However, how can I say no to her face? And how quickly she warms my feet up? I only have so much strength against her beguiling eyes! With the crutches gone and my underarms healing, I am in a leg boot thing that prevents my knee from bending. I can put all of my weight on my leg but no weight while the knee is bent or my stitches may come out. I am in this contraption until January but still, so much better than crutches!

With both surgeries out of the way, a new plan in place for health, the start of December is shaping up to be pretty great.