More writing

Well, it's been awhile, as always, but that's generally because I haven't had much to say, haha. After all the knee stuff, I made my way up to NYC for 4 days of whirlwind meetings with advisors and parties and the like. And since I was doing a lot of walking, it was decided that I should probably stick to (at least) one crutch, so that I wouldn't wear out the knee. It was also decided (by me) that one crutch really, really sucks. Not as much as two, of course, but way more than none at all. THIS is what my 4 days in NYC looked like:


You will note the rockin' crutch decoration, all thanks to Junette's mad googling skills. I decided that if we're going to be in a long-term relationship (the crutches and I), then I should probably bedazzle them in some way. And that's where "Broken Beauties" comes in. A website (with a lame name) that sells all sorts of fancy decorations for all sorts of orthopedic equipment. Now THERE is a niche market for you. And thank goodness someone has filled it, as my crutches are waaaaaay more fun as a result. No easier to use, alas. But at least I'll look good while doing it.

The main surprise of my trip was that if I have to do the ACI surgery (the one that requires two parts), it makes much more sense for me to defend the diss in October, before that second round. Which is totally true, since I might not be able to get up to NYC in December if I have that big-ass chondrocyte implantation in November. So now I have two possible defense dates: December 16, or October 26. And I won't know until October 1, when the doc finally gets inside my knee and decides which routine is more appropriate. So I could wake up from surgery and find out I'm defending the diss in about three weeks, haha. In order not to panic if that moment should come to pass, I'm now writing like my life depended on it. It's totally doable to have the defense early...but it'll kick my ass in the process.

Otherwise, my only major preparation for the surgery is perhaps the most annoying task of all: retraining myself to be a back sleeper. I learned this lesson the hard way for my first surgery, way back in 2003. I'm a side sleeper in general, but that just doesn't work with a big old incision in the knee. When your knee has been poked and prodded and sliced open, there's no choice but to be a back sleeper for a while. Nothing else works, even sleeping on the other side. Believe me, I tried everything. Because I couldn't fall asleep on my back after the 2003 surgery. So ever since then I've tried to build up to being a back sleeper before surgeries (which I suppose raises the question of why I revert to the side when the knee is not on the radar...but let's face it, it's just more comfortable!). Fortunately the previous two surgeries were so minor that I could get back to being a side sleeper after only like a week. This time around I doubt that will be possible, since I'll have a full incision at some point (now or in November). Either way, that takes time to heal. bah. So in the meantime, I'll have to make it happen, which is why I'm training early!