A year ago today I was a little bit hasty getting up off the floor after putting on my shoes, and less than a second later I had injured my knee. It was a tiny, seemingly innocuous movement, which subsequently had a massive impact on my year. After the knee was manipulated under anaesthetic I was told I’d probably be able to drive the next day. Sadly, that proved not to be the case and I didn’t drive for the next 8 months.
There have been complications along the way, some medical, others administrative. The first was having had the accident in Milton Keynes and being referred for an emergency MRI scan, but then needing to have that scan in Essex instead. The second was a blood clot in my knee and DVT in my calf which went undiagnosed for two weeks after it was missed by the first consultant, but when diagnosed, it delayed any possible surgery.
After the MRI scan the first consultant said I’d detached my meniscus and was referred to a specialist surgeon who agreed with the diagnosis and described the complex surgery required and the recovery process. After being bounced between surgeons, hospitals and waiting lists, when I finally had a consultation with my eventual surgeon, he looked at the same MRI scan and said he was convinced I’d torn my meniscus but he couldn’t see any detachment. Fast forward to surgery day and it turns out the meniscus wasn’t detached or even torn, but just needed a stich to tighten it. When I asked how three specialists could look at the same scan and come to such different conclusions, and ultimately get it so wrong: no answer.
The surgery was a complete success, but the six months delay prior to surgery had taken its toll. The muscles and tendons in my leg had atrophied and rehabilitation became a battle to return not just strength (which I expected) but to return elasticity to my hamstring. Post-surgery it was a full three months before I could fully straighten my leg. As I started to straighten my leg it became clear that something else was going on as I had excruciating pain on the opposite side of my knee. A further consultation back to the Surgeon revealed that I have arthritis on the end of the bone, which explains the pain.
Whilst I’ve been incredibly frustrated at times by delays and lack of communication within the NHS, I cannot fault the individual care which has been provided by the small army of people I’ve encountered over the last 12 months. I’m incredibly grateful to my wonderful family for their patience, understanding and support, and the care and encouragement of my colleagues and the Church family.
As I write, on the one year anniversary, I’ve been without my crutches for one month and I’m making progress every day. I’m walking every day and doing physio exercises every other day. I’m now able to walk to and from work (approx. 2.5km a day) but have managed up to 6km in one day, though it takes a toll. It finally feels like I’m on the home straight. I’d love to get back to running again, but my next target is getting back to walking the kind of distances I used to run.