2020 Update

Happy 2020! Hoping everyone is having a happy and healthy 2020 so far…

Unfortunately for me, 2020 hasn’t been going too great. On New Year’s Day, Jordan and I went skiing at Pico with some friends. I was skiing well and I was having fun! I took two runs, the second being from the summit where I followed some friends down Forty-Niner. It was steep but I felt confident and made it back down the summit chair. I felt great and wanted to do the run again! Jordan headed back into the lodge to warm up and I got on the lift with some friends. I skied back down forty-niner and separated from my friends who took an alternate trail.

Halfway through the upper part of the trail, my skis got stuck on some tacky snow and my body went flying while my skis stayed put. I heard and felt a loud pop in my right knee. After landing (with skis still on), I realized I couldn’t move my knee. This was not good! I yelled over to some others that were skiing nearby and they came over to help. They called ski patrol and helped me take my skis off. Ski patrol came and took me down the mountain via sled and snowmobile…

A week and a half, two urgent care visits and an MRI later, I learned I tore my ACL completely, tore 90% of my MCL and slightly tore my lateral meniscus. As an active person who has had zero knee issues despite years of long-distance running and hiking, this was devastating news. Fortunately, with physical therapy and surgical ACL reconstruction, I will most likely recover completely. But for the next few months, my mobility will be severely limited.

As of Thursday, my doctor cleared me for working, driving and walking with a brace without crutches. I’ve been attempting to walk around the house without crutches but after a few minutes, I get an intense shooting pain on the outside of my knee, which I think could be my MCL or meniscus. My next appointment will be in three weeks to discuss the possibility of pre-surgery physical therapy and the overall plan.

Instead of this blog just wasting internet space, I’ve decided to document my recovery from this knee injury with hopes that it will be beneficial to others dealing with the same thing. Not only has this injury had a profound physical impact on me, but it has also taken a toll emotionally. The knowledge that I may not be able to return to my favorite activities for months is devastating. But as with everything else in my life I’m trying to look at my recovery as a large goal divided into small chunks and I’m hoping to come out the other side stronger than before my injury!