It was only a Nightmare
The rest of my weekend in Vegas was quite awful. I couldn’t stop crying for the life of me. I mean, my god, it was just a knee, but when you work so hard for something (or in this case, many things) it is such a blow to lose it all so quickly. On top of that I was completely alone out there. A combination of the above was the perfect recipe for self pity alone in the hotel room.
When I got to the routine round on Saturday morning, I was told that fellow competitor Brandy Goddard also tore her knee on the obstacle course. At first I was happy to have a “buddy” but once I came to my senses, was devastated by the fact that at least three of us suffered season ending injuries in one stupid evening. Brandy was great to sit with. We felt each other’s pain watching the other girls do their routines. We both knew we would have rocked that stage.
My flight out on Sunday was nothing short of a disaster. I’ll keep this short, but basically the person who was supposed to push my wheelchair left me stranded at the airport parking lot and I missed my flight by less than a minute. When I was told I would have to spend the day in the airport and wouldn’t get back to Milwaukee until 1am, I completely lost it. The faucets turned on and wouldn’t slow down. The poor lady behind the counter didn’t know whether to cry with me or call security! They were finally able to get me on a flight to Chicago after only three hours of waiting. Whew. I made it into Chicago, got a ride back to my car in Milwaukee (more about that later) and got home by 11pm. I once again cried myself to sleep thinking about what I would do with the rest of this year and a bit upset that the majority of the things I strive for are physical. And now, we end the sad part of my story.
I got in to see the doc right away, and after the obligatory pulling and tugging, she said my knee felt fairly solid. I was also encouraged by the fact that I had virtually no pain or swelling, just some unsteadiness and stiffness. They got me in for an MRI quite fast and today I got the amazing news that although still mostly torn from 4 years ago, I have no new damage to my ACL. NO SURGERY! There was a bit of damage to my MCL, and I have a sexy cyst on the back of my knee from the trauma. But despite all of this, my doc thinks I can still log roll this summer! I see the best orthopedic doctor in the world, Dr. Graf, on Monday to get fitted for a brace and for the final word on this summer’s log rolling. I tossed away my crutches (literally) and started rehab. I even stepped on a log for a bit! I know, I know, take it easy. But I only have one week to learn how to log roll again before the world championships!
Now for all of the silver linings: my friends. The moment I went to the ER my phone started ringing. I was alone, but my dear friends made sure I didn’t feel that way. My phone literally rang all night long, which was wonderful. After the last blog I posted, the e-mails, texts, and calls kept coming. I had no idea so many people cared so much. The girls in the Tri Fitness competition were also amazing. It was so similar to Fitness America a few years back… everybody shared their injury and recovery stories. Absolutely inspiring. During routines they sat with me, laughed with me, and cried with me. Thank you girls… especially Brandy and Allison. You guys are remarkable. I did get a chance for a fun experience out in Vegas during all of the hoopla. My new friends Erik and Tracey invited me to watch Erik perform as a king in the Excalibur show “Tournament of Kings”. It was like Medieval Times on steroids! Totally marvelous! I have so much respect for those actors. After the show, Tracey and I went to my all time favorite place to eat: the Rio Seafood Buffet. My two favorite words: seafood and buffet. It was worth every penny. Thanks for a wonderful evening guys.
After my flight insanity my dear friend Kurt volunteered to pick me up at O’Hare and drive me to Milwaukee. Wow did I really need that. We acted like complete idiots (as we usually do) the entire drive while stopping for a yummy dinner and ice cream. We even managed to meet up with my best friend Erin in Milwaukee on our way back to my car! I was only reminded of my injury a few times during that afternoon. The rest of the time was spent laughing with good friends.
I’m not in the clear yet, but I sure do feel much better. I will do whatever I can to get on a log in Hayward next week, no matter how pathetic it may be. Tonight I am going to sleep with a smile on my face knowing how incredible my support system is. Thanks everybody.
The rest of my weekend in Vegas was quite awful. I couldn’t stop crying for the life of me. I mean, my god, it was just a knee, but when you work so hard for something (or in this case, many things) it is such a blow to lose it all so quickly. On top of that I was completely alone out there. A combination of the above was the perfect recipe for self pity alone in the hotel room.
When I got to the routine round on Saturday morning, I was told that fellow competitor Brandy Goddard also tore her knee on the obstacle course. At first I was happy to have a “buddy” but once I came to my senses, was devastated by the fact that at least three of us suffered season ending injuries in one stupid evening. Brandy was great to sit with. We felt each other’s pain watching the other girls do their routines. We both knew we would have rocked that stage.
My flight out on Sunday was nothing short of a disaster. I’ll keep this short, but basically the person who was supposed to push my wheelchair left me stranded at the airport parking lot and I missed my flight by less than a minute. When I was told I would have to spend the day in the airport and wouldn’t get back to Milwaukee until 1am, I completely lost it. The faucets turned on and wouldn’t slow down. The poor lady behind the counter didn’t know whether to cry with me or call security! They were finally able to get me on a flight to Chicago after only three hours of waiting. Whew. I made it into Chicago, got a ride back to my car in Milwaukee (more about that later) and got home by 11pm. I once again cried myself to sleep thinking about what I would do with the rest of this year and a bit upset that the majority of the things I strive for are physical. And now, we end the sad part of my story.
I got in to see the doc right away, and after the obligatory pulling and tugging, she said my knee felt fairly solid. I was also encouraged by the fact that I had virtually no pain or swelling, just some unsteadiness and stiffness. They got me in for an MRI quite fast and today I got the amazing news that although still mostly torn from 4 years ago, I have no new damage to my ACL. NO SURGERY! There was a bit of damage to my MCL, and I have a sexy cyst on the back of my knee from the trauma. But despite all of this, my doc thinks I can still log roll this summer! I see the best orthopedic doctor in the world, Dr. Graf, on Monday to get fitted for a brace and for the final word on this summer’s log rolling. I tossed away my crutches (literally) and started rehab. I even stepped on a log for a bit! I know, I know, take it easy. But I only have one week to learn how to log roll again before the world championships!
Now for all of the silver linings: my friends. The moment I went to the ER my phone started ringing. I was alone, but my dear friends made sure I didn’t feel that way. My phone literally rang all night long, which was wonderful. After the last blog I posted, the e-mails, texts, and calls kept coming. I had no idea so many people cared so much. The girls in the Tri Fitness competition were also amazing. It was so similar to Fitness America a few years back… everybody shared their injury and recovery stories. Absolutely inspiring. During routines they sat with me, laughed with me, and cried with me. Thank you girls… especially Brandy and Allison. You guys are remarkable. I did get a chance for a fun experience out in Vegas during all of the hoopla. My new friends Erik and Tracey invited me to watch Erik perform as a king in the Excalibur show “Tournament of Kings”. It was like Medieval Times on steroids! Totally marvelous! I have so much respect for those actors. After the show, Tracey and I went to my all time favorite place to eat: the Rio Seafood Buffet. My two favorite words: seafood and buffet. It was worth every penny. Thanks for a wonderful evening guys.
After my flight insanity my dear friend Kurt volunteered to pick me up at O’Hare and drive me to Milwaukee. Wow did I really need that. We acted like complete idiots (as we usually do) the entire drive while stopping for a yummy dinner and ice cream. We even managed to meet up with my best friend Erin in Milwaukee on our way back to my car! I was only reminded of my injury a few times during that afternoon. The rest of the time was spent laughing with good friends.
I’m not in the clear yet, but I sure do feel much better. I will do whatever I can to get on a log in Hayward next week, no matter how pathetic it may be. Tonight I am going to sleep with a smile on my face knowing how incredible my support system is. Thanks everybody.
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