My Torn ACL

I just wrapped up my third American doctor's appointment on my bum knee. I did go to the doctor in Bulgaria and that's a story, but I'll get there in due time. It is confirmed that I will need surgery to participate in my beloved kickboxing class again or travel without fear of re-injuring my knee. Sigh. I don't want surgery - I mean who really wants surgery. But the thought of other people helping me for weeks doesn't sit right. I'm very much used to doing things on my own or paying someone to do them like cut my grass because I loathe yard work. However, I do realize that this is a common surgery. It's not a life threatening surgery and things could have been so much worse. There are children with cancer, adults having back surgery, etc going through much more pain than me. I am thankful that this is very minor compared to those situations - this is just an inconvenience really.

I decided to document this journey so that anyone else going through ACL surgery can get an idea of how it all goes and how things developed for me.

How it happened...

I did not know I could hurt my ACL without having a 250 pound football player tackling me as I'm making a game winning touchdown run. I seriously thought only sports people get ACL injuries. NOPE. I was very very wrong.

May 17, 2018 was our second day on my annual mission trip to Bulgaria. I look forward to this trip every year! I could down the days until I see the precious children and meet their parents and share God's love for them. This was extra exciting as we were going to visit Apostle Paul's prison in Philippi, Greece. Philippi was really amazing and we were able to walk amongst the ruins.

We found Paul's prison and several team members jumped in to check it out. They had to jump in as there was a gate and it was locked. The gate sat about chest height but you could jump up to a little ledge and get around it to jump into the prison. The team members that jumped in sang a song and a few of us stayed outside the prison to video the song.

Someone suggested we all jump in and take a group picture. Fantastic idea - truly - as this is a once in a lifetime chance. Well when I got up to the gate, I need to jump down into the prison. When I jumped, I must have landed with a stiff leg as I felt and heard a pop. No one else hear the pop but I did hear it. I stayed on the ground for a few minutes and then felt ok enough to get up and get a picture.

Paul's Prison in Philippi, Greece

After the picture, I just wanted out of the prison. When I stepped up chest height to the gate, everyone and I heard my knee pop and I felt it twist out of place and back in place. I almost passed out from the pain but stayed upright otherwise I was going to fall back into the prison. One of the Bulgarian pastors was with us and pulled me out of the prison. Then one of the other team members put me on his back and he carried me to the road. We immediately began praying over my knee as someone went to get the vans.

The vans come and I'm just praising God for some air conditioner and a seat. We made the trek into Bulgaria from Greece (about 3 hours) so that we can go to a Bulgarian doctor, Dinko could translate and they won't charge us an arm and leg like Greece might. Once into Bulgaria, they have me switch vans to so our other team members can go to the village for a kids festival. When switching vans - I twisted my knee again. So incredibly painful. But i realized I was gong about the walking all wrong - I need to walk just on my toes (to stabilize my knee) instead of walking on my heel.

We make it to the ER and the nurse writes down my information from my passport and sends us across the street to the Orthopedic "doctor". The ER and the hospital look really really old. Concrete walls with plaster breaking off. But it's the best we have for now and I'll take it. We are first called to one end of a hallway to get an x-ray. The sweet nurse kept trying to motion how she wanted me to sit. I eventually got it but not without a lot of hand movements.

After the x-ray we sat for a while. I had to sign some papers and one of the nurses was smoking the room. And yes, we are in a hospital. Next the "doctor" wants to see me. The wheel a patient out of a room. This patient was lying down and I believe had a catheter coming out. We go into the room - just Dinko and I - and the "doctor" arrives in flip flops, cargo shorts, and a pack of cigarettes in his front pocket. Yes - this is the doctor. He tells Dinko and Dinko translates that there are no broken bones - thank you, Jesus - but there may be a torn meniscus. But he said those heal pretty quickly. He recommended elevation, compression and ice.

Leaving the hospital we grabbed some dinner, an ace bandage, and two gel cold packs. The first night trying to sleep was not fun - I'm typically a stomach sleeper and had to sleep on my back.

The next two weeks

The next 3 days I hobbled around by walking on my toes in my injured leg and walking very slowly. After the 3 days, I was able to walk more normally albeit still slowly. I still enjoyed my time in Bulgaria and Prague. In Bulgaria, the team would setup a table over my chair and I would stamp the kids hands without the kids bumping into my knee. In Prague, I was still able to enjoy everything and even climbed the 172+ stairs to the Klementinum Astronomical Tower. The cobble stones in Prague were no joke and my calves burned for days but all was worth every moment. there. 

View from the Klementinum Astronomical Tower