Monday - my appointment with the ortho was in the afternoon and I didn't have time to get out and even walk. My DX: Patella Alta and advancing osteoarthritis in both knees. While the right is the one giving ME problems the doc fixated on the left and its tissue paper thin cartilage. The cartilage is worn away because of the structure of my knee, my knee cap sits too high on my knee and movement causes friction against the cartilage and it wears away, the pounding of running excels this process.
I'll get some PT to strengthen the muscles around the knee and some fluid injected under both knee caps and see how that goes. Doc did mention that my muscles, tendons, and ligaments are doing their job quite well. Probably the falling/weakness/crumpling is due to the kneecap catching on the cartilage and my leg not straightening. He seems less concerned about that more about my left knee. I don't have to stop running, I probably should cycle more, however not stand up on the pedals as that causes the pressure I should be avoiding.
All very fascinating the mechanics of the body. I feel a little relieved that I won't be running any more marathons or ultras and at the same time disappointed. As my mother says "You are not a natural athlete."
Tuesday - NYC day. Mehest - Not good, not bad, just kinda like "Why am I still awake for this". Both Biddy and I are over this project in the worst way.
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| This is out by my parents, I always love the lone tree in the middle of a field. These are soybeans. |
Wednesday - Hills with Ro, nice to be back to something normal.
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| My childhood kitty is buried with the willow tree. I visit Bells everytime I go home. |
Thursday - Drive to MI
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| My parents are very big into "NO" signs |
Friday - The P loop from my parent's house. Saw a field of turkey vultures, with one sitting atop a pole. I hoped I was fast enough he wasn't going to round up what looked to be 50 of them pecking around a mown hayfield and try and chase me down for a more substantial breakfast.
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| The prairie and the trees co-mingled in the back 80. |
Saturday - Did my beer run despite the caution from my father that it was a football Saturday in Ann Arbor. He suggested I try the new Meijer a bit further out of Ann Arbor, and it was a success, they have a very lovely and large selection of MI beers. When I got back we all went on a walk around the farm/forest. Things are progressing nicely since we all started planting trees on 75 of the unforested acres. The big plantings of 10,000 trees per year happened 1995 - 1998 I believe. My mom has this all nicely documented. I have memories of the weekend in April we did this each year, I've probably gotten the details all wrong (except year 1 I remember that clearly).
Year 1: sitting in the tree planter shoving evergreen saplings in the ground at designated intervals while sucking in exhaust from the tractor.
Year 2: hardwood planting was a bit less exhaust filled for some reason, my brother and I were really dreading the planter and the exhaust
Year 3: I'm thinking the planter worked well this time.
Year 4: the ground was soaked after a very very very wet spring and dad couldn't use the tractor so we did this all by hand it was hardwood and it was some freakishly long days.
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| The pines on the left are from the first planting, they would be about 23 years old. It was opening day of private land hunting, better to be safe than sorry. The guys usually manage to harvest a few of the pesky tree eaters during the season. |
Sunday - Did the 'hilly loop' backward, which means I have to cross and run on the busy hardtop road. No incidents. We met up with my middle brother and his family to watch Jin at LAX practice. Jin is 7 this year and a very quiet docile boy, John and Julie were really surprised once they put him in the LAX gear he was busy bopping other kids on the helmet with sticks too. It's fun watching all these wee people run around! Guess I need to learn about LAX?
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| Jin They usually can see him amongst the other kids (he is Korean) but with the helmet and pads, he looks like the rest of them. He and John went on a boys night shopping trip to get some bright colors so they could pick him out amongst the other wee people. ha ha! It worked! |
Not a high mileage week, I knew that going in. I was going to bring my mountain bike out to my parents and ride around the back roads, gravel grind. I decided the gear and the bike would take up valuable beer space so I left that home. Plus I'm having issues with the tubeless back tire staying inflated.
Knitting: Made some excellent progress on the usual baby sweater.
Reading: Finished "One Thousand White Women" by Jim Fergus. I thought it was true, parts of it are, but the whole thing isn't true. It was a great story and a good read and gave me lots to think about. The reviews are mostly "that it is a horrible untrue book", feh. Enjoy the mind candy when it is presented to you.
Started "The Green Road" by Anne Enright, a nice calm novel about a family.
Mileage:
Feet: 23
Saddle: 0
Sincerely,
Beth, good to go home and then to be home.
Does it hurt your knees to run? I always tell people (when they comment how running ruins your knees) that running doesn't ruin your knees, arthritis ruins your knees. Since being diagnosed with RA, I get knee pain. I've never had knee pain, ever, until now. Dammit!
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't hurt to run, unless I've been running a lot then they are a bit tender for 1/10 of a mile. Mostly they are tender after I run, and always have been. I've had a few knee injuries over the years, between spraining, twisting, bashing, and lifting up the knee cap incident (my first ambulance ride - I passed out from the pain), I'm luck they still talk to me! I often wonder if knowing what is going on makes me perceive more discomfort? It is nice to know what is going on and hopefully the shots will help in some way, hopefully all that will get straightened out soon.
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