I went to Jewett Orthopaedic Clinic yesterday about my knee. The initial diagnosis based on symptoms is I've torn the
meniscus. The meniscus is the cushion (shock absorber, if you will) between the upper and lower leg bones. MRI is the only way to properly diagnose a meniscus tear and determine the extent of injury. Treatment can be as simple as physical therapy and as serious as surgery. Since the majority of the pain is in the front of me knee, I'm hoping it's a horizontal tear in the front which is easier to repair if surgery is required. Only
I can injury my knee sitting. LOL
I also found out I've been doing things wrong in caring for it to this point. I've been applying heat, when I should have been applying cold. The knee brace I've been wearing doesn't help this type of injury at all. It actually can hurt because it can cause more swelling due to the heat that is retained in the area around the knee.
Bottom line, I will be spending the majority of the meditation retreat sitting in a chair. While still slightly disappointing, I have accepted the way things are. The doctor said I can still sit on the floor, but without bending and pulling my leg as close to my body, leaving it partially extended. I tried sitting like that this morning and no go. It's uncomfortable and it's difficult to attain a balance that does not cause my back to start hurting.
Between now and when I leave for the retreat, I will be sitting upright in a chair or with my leg elevated for meditation. Hopefully this will help with healing and I can maybe get in a few days of floor sitting during the retreat!
Now - to convince Troy to buy me a video camera so I can do a recording of myself the day we are allowed to start speaking after the 10 days of silence. I've seen a couple of people post videos that day and it's interesting to watch them as they try to reintegrate verbal speech.
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