Update: Knee Injury

This was me on Super Bowl Sunday:



Notice the big grin from proving I can still ski! Really. I can, actually.
Notice the ball of yarn I had with, even when skiing, to keep me company --Just In Case.
Notice the nice warm coat Kat bought for me for Wisconsin and the borrowed ski-pants from a very nice co-worker of Bethieee's. Kept me very warm despite the amount of time I spent sitting on the snow. (prior to the injury I had fallen about 15 times. Most of them NOT on the slopes, might I point out. Only 2 falls occurred on the downhill runs. The other 13 occurred in or close to the ski lift lines where embarrassment would be maximal. Doh!)
Notice the nifty cardboard splint the Ski Patrol gave me! I drove us to the slopes, but I had to sit crosswise in the back seat for the ride home. I guess I'm glad I checked in at ski patrol because otherwise I might have tried to shrug it off and say I wasn't really injured at all. After all, I'd gotten myself down the rest of the hill...
Notice the little green sock poking out of the nifty cardboard splint. That sock is my SET sock, knitted for me by Cindy! That's right, the sock and I went skiing!! :) The sock helped keep me very toasty-warm and feeling pampered even after I got myself hurt. There were even a couple of compliments on it from the ski patrol! :)

Then the 24 hour swelling curve hit. Once I got home and settled in on the couch I started realizing exactly how sore I was. All over. Muscle stiffness and soreness in all the rarely-worked muscles, even my shoulders! All dwarfed by the ache in my left knee. For the first couple of days I cancelled all my appointments and errands because all I was up for was sitting on the couch. I would have been just as happy spending the day in bed, but once I got down to the couch I realized there was no way I was going back up the stairs to bed again. Besides, all my knitting was downstairs next to the couch, and carrying things wasn't really an option.

Advil and an Ace bandage helped.

These days my knee is improving steadily. Yay! Today I can sit cross-legged again for very short periods of time. I can walk up the stairs with one foot per step! (I still need to go downstairs one step at a time with both feet collecting on the step before I take the next one.) I even drove the car a little ways yesterday!!! It's a manual transmission, and pressing the clutch really wore out my knee very quickly.

I still can't kneel, but I can sit on the ground and get back up again. It's about as graceful as an eaglet falling out of its aerie, but I can do it. :) I can also walk a bit without needing the cane for every step, so I can carry things (like my lunch from the kitchen to the couch! No more standing in front of the fridge to wolf everything down. I can eat leisurely again like a civilized being!)

I still can't extend my knee fully, nor can I fold it completely. And it won't tolerate twisting at all. But it's going to heal, and I am *so* happy about that!

Today I put in the first load of laundry since Super Bowl Sunday!! (massive cheering) I can't begin to explain how happy that makes me.

Advil still helps.