I was minding my own business teaching my year 8s in the last lesson of the day yesterday, and I turned to get something. My body turned. Unfortunately, because I was wearing rubber soled shoes, and the floor is a sort of rubber, my feet did not turn with me. And my knee felt instantly weird. I am moving all the time when I teach, whizzing about helping individual students, and doing stuff. I get bumped and bashed quite a bit. It goes with the territory.
However, with a class of year 8 boys about, I thought it unwise to check the knee then. So I creaked up the stairs at the end of the day to the staffroom, and had a look. "Good grief...what have you DONE???" was the general shriek from my friends. I don't know when last you looked at your knees, people, but they are seriously ugly things. Mine looked like an elephant's knee. Hideous. Swollen. With lumps and bumps which clearly do not belong there.
So I came home, rested it, took some anti-inflammatory capsules and thought that would be that. Until this morning. I was talking to my son on Messenger after I hobbled down the stairs, and he suggested calling NHS direct. This is a free NHS call line staffed by nurses, and I spoke to a delightful lady who told me to go to A and E. So I did. And I have torn the lateral collateral thingy.
I am supposed to lie on the couch, with ice packs and pain killers and do nothing for a few days. Please tell me why this does not happen on a Monday??? On a Friday, it is most inconvenient. And while I love my couch, I do not like being told to lie on it. I like to choose to do so myself.
I glared at the man at the hospital, and his mouth was definitely twitching. Have you got plans for the weekend then, he said. Of course, I replied. I am doing a rock and roll marathon. And he roared with laughter. He told me that rest was an order. I told him I work full time and the weeekend is when I do everything else. Like live. Get on the couch he said. Unfeeling beast.
Anyway, I came home, collected David and we went shopping for his suit. And THEN I came home and lay on the couch. I nearly used one of those little electric cars at the shop, but David would have disowned me. I have always wanted to drive one.
See?????? Those are my toes in the distance. You need to share the couch here. As it is raining and positively wintery, I have the cloud over me. That is the softest fleece in the world. Known to my family as the cloud. And the ice pack is in place.Judith??? I know what you are feeling. I empathise.
So this is the fun way to spend a Saturday. The friend who took me to the hospital reminded me that this is the second thing which has ground me to a halt while I have been working at the school. And he suggested that I leave before the 3rd thing happens. He could have a point.
17 comments:
You poor thing. I completely understand about making the choice to lay about on the couch and being told to do it.
That sounds like a plan to me Linds...Someone is sending you a message to not waste a lot of time finding something to move on to.
Thank you so much for sharing your couch with me. Since the day you brought them home and posted pictures of them I have been wanting to try one out. Talk about comfy...... :-)
Could you move over and make room for me. I'll bring you some very very hot CA sunshine!!
Being immobile is so not fun. I have 5 weeks and 5 days left of this! Will you go back to work on Monday?
Take care..
xo
Since my injured ankle is very much on the mend, I'll come and take care of you AND Susie in her pink cast. Wouldn't the three of us have a blast!!
There seems to be a bit of an epidemic going on around our little community Linds - first Susie and now you. I'm so sorry. It certainly doesn't sound like much fun.
Well, I suppose you'd better follow doctor's orders and rest. Praying you heal very quickly Linds.
Hello twin across the ocean. I'm so sorry you're having this problem.
Now comes the mothering: I don't know if your country's work laws are like ours. (You might want to check on this). Our state or federal requires accidents, injuries, etc, be reported IN WRITING to your work place within four working days.
Usually they have special forms for this. It never hurts to cover yourself, in case the injury becomes a bigger problem. Get names and addresses of any witnesses, if nothing else get names of the co-workers who saw what your leg looked like when you were checking it.
I sure understand about being told to stay on the sofa. You begin to feel like it's "Sit, roll over, or heel". My orthopedic doctor said stay off my feet two weeks. I am glad he didn't think I need a cast, or a big heavy support something or other. Every time I must go to the bathroom, or want more coffee from the kitchen, or try to do hardly anything, I feel like I'm breaking curfew, or some big serious rule.
You do understand we are now an elete group of injured. I've had high hopes a long time, but never imagined linking names with the famous, like Tiger Woods.
I arranged for a financial person to come to my house to discuss some things, and when he saw my crutches, and I said what my injuries are, he stopped what he was doing, rolled up his britches, and plopped on the floor, to show me the pinpoint holes of his orthoscopic surgery to repair HIS Miniscus. Until I got this leg problem I'd hardly heard that word, but latelty it's sounding a bit like something we shouldn't repeat in polite company.
My MRI was read right away, and because it's so bad, they called the doctor right then, instead of it taking a few more days. Then he called me, and I'm stuck with the couch penalty, too. Take care, friend, and pamper yourself as much as you can, and please check on reporting the injury.
You have my sympathy as a fellow knee-problem sufferer! Knee injuries are very unpleasant and rest is very often the only thing you can do. X
Oh nuts! You've got to stop making those sudden moves...you know the way you did thirty years ago. Take care, hope that it's all healed up before next weekend.
I am so sorry you have hurt your lateral collateral! Wait a minute I don't think I spelled that right. Your knee, there, that was easier to spell. Seriously though, I hope this mends soon and that you aren't in a lot of pain. You are so right, I only want to hit the couch when I want to not when someone tells me I have to.
How much more school is there? Our kids get done tomorrow. I think they should have let them off last Friday and not make then go one day of this week. Just my opinion but I think the kids would agree with me!
Take care of yourself, I will be thinking of you!!!!
Oh dear, sympathy from me too. Mind you, that couch and fleece look fairly tempting... But only, yes, when one chooses to lie down.
Still, a few days off school, maybe? Could be a slight consolation?
Best wishes for your speedy recovery.
Ow, I really feel your pain! I can't believe you carried on until the end of the lesson. Your blog looks terrific and I've bookmarked it to come back to (oh dear, not very grammatical :( )
Best wishes, gillie
I agree with your friend! At least I'm glad to know that you found out what the exact problem is - even though it has a weird name. I tried one of the electric carts when I spraned my ankle so badly 4 years ago - they're great, but people are very rude to you when you're in one - as if it's your fault you need one! I saw the world in a whole new way, and it was not a nice revelation.
I hope you get good rest and get some time off from that horrible place!
Oh, my - I think I agree with your friend! What a horrid thing to have to cope with now. I hope it heals quickly and that you aren't too uncomfortable - especially for weekend! With prayers for healing and a new job - ((( HUGS )))!
I understand if you refuse to believe what I am about to share, but I swear it's the truth. A few weeks ago I was talking(on post) to Judith about my knee injury last year (I was responding to her post about her recent knee injury). Anyway,last week I was in the classroom and decided to mimic some sort of well trained and agile ballerina and was half way through a delightfully, attractive pivot ( I was actually turning really quickly to try and catch out the persistent 'tak while the teacher's back is turned' student) when I felt a soaring pain in my knee. I too managed to hobble through the rest of the day. Upon reflection that evening I decided that although it was a bit sore not much damage had been done. I was also thinking that I was developing this unfortunate medical (pyscho) disorder, where as I show long distance empathy for another (Judith - or so I thought). So, when I read your blog and discovered you had also attempted to execute a similar find the student turn,and in doing so had also damaged your knee, I realized that it was time I sent you over some blood and we do a DNA test. I am fairly convinced that we may be twins separated at birth (with a three year time loss). Either that or we are experiencing some amazing parallel experiences.
I noticed Judith refers to you as twin, so maybe we're triplets?
Hope your knee is better soon.Oh and thanks for the compliment. Loved it.
Oh, poor, poor you.
How are ytou feeling today?
Between you and Susie, I am not sure that I should trust you when I leave town!!!!! You poor thing. I did that same thing when I was skiing (at a much younger age) and it is NO fun. I so hope that you are feeling better and can avoid surgery on the tear.
Oh Linds, I am so sorry!!
Love the name of your ailment though.
And I highly recommend the little electric carts. Last year when I had the bunion surgery that knocked me off my feet for far too long...that was one of the few consolations: embarrassing my teenagers by being a poor driver of the electric cart! I kept bumping into things.
Hope you get the chance to appropriate one soon!
:)
Jeanne
Catching up on your posts, and let me just say that I can completely empathize with your pain. I discovered what an LCL was back in January of this year for the first time and you MUST be good and do what the doctor says. There is really no cure except keeping it elevated and iced. I could hardly believe that what with all the medical knowledge in our world today. So I became fast friends with ACE bandages and ice packs and pillows stacked under my knee. It is now June and it seldom gives me trouble, but let me tell you January and February were NO fun! Hope yours mends a lot quicker than mine...
Blessings,
Christi
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