Time to send me to the glue factory...

I have had a few health issues the past couple of years, and it seems each one likes to taunt the other.

First it was my knees. I suffered a pretty bad injury playing softball about seven years ago that took me completely out of the sport. Out of all sports really. No softball. No skiing. No biking. No hiking. Then the weight started adding on. Which of course, puts more pressure on the knee and makes it harder to do anything. Anything at all.

Tired of feeling so old at such a young age, I finally realized it was not going to self correct and in July of 2004, I went in for surgery. They scraped a few chunks of cartilage here and shaved down another area there and fixed me up pretty good (mostly).


My right knee felt great, but shortly after the anethesia wore off, my left knee started acting up as I guess I had overcompensated with it for so long that it finally fired back at me. Choosing physical therapy over surgery, I have spent the last two years trying to get the weight off and get my knee back in working order. Frustrated I wasn't making any headway with the weight, my doctor suggested swimming as it was a really low impact that should give me great results.

So into the pool I jumped.

Then, being the smart multi-tasking girl I can be, I figured no better time than the present to get my scuba diving certificate as I had a trip to St. Thomas/St. John and a trip to Jamaica in 2005 and both are known as lovely dive spots. So I strapped the tanks on, added a few weights to my belt and dropped to six feet.

Pop. Hey, what was that? Hello? Can anyone hear me? Hello? What are you saying? I can't hear you...


Yes, it seems this dumbass (that would be me) was taking diving lessons while still battling a sinus infection. This is not recommended. Actually, it is downright discouraged. Plugged head and water pressure do not mix and eardrums tend to rupture. %*(#@&%(*&#%!!!

Fast forward 1-1/2 years. Unable to run/bike/hike/swim I have put on a massive amount of weight. In fact, I never ever expected to be this big even at nine months pregnancy. Good Lord that is a lot of pounds. And I am not happy about it. And I whine about it occasionaly.

My eardrum has finally healed (though my ear still feels clogged all the time) and I am now able to get in the pool without crying, but my left knee needs to be worked on. So, I headed over to my doctor's office yesteday for an xray (or two), and we confirmed what I have been thinking for the last year.

Yep...I am going under the knife again. November 13th. I am actually excited as I have been trying to diet for the last eight months and I have not succeeded in my attempts. We like to eat out. We like wine. We love beer (well, I do anyway). And I can go to the gym, but that one day agitates my knee so bad that I stay away for three. So it will be nice to be able to work out consistently and hopefully retrieve my body back from the grasps of mother gravity.

But in the meantime, I will try to be good. Losing weight before the surgery will make my recovery a lot easier and I need all the help I can get. So I will swim. And I will not drink beer. And no pasta after 6pm. These should help jumpstart my metabolism, but I can't wait to buy a new pair of running shoes.


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