an appointment with a knee surgeon.




Meniscus, torn.




Cruciate (ACL) not good.




The Surgeon (Paul Minter ~ was he the guy who 'did' Allrounder?) will help me decide which way to go - an estimate of the recovery time for one form of surgery was four weeks, the other four months.




In the meantime, no running, gentle cycling or (yuk) swimming!!




My arthritic joints are playing up again (tell me why we live in Canberra in winter again?), and my hands and wrists are hardly able to do anything without pain. I tried to make an appointment with my GP (why did they take Vioxx off the market again?) and the next one available is 10 August - three weeks away.




Groan, groan, misery guts.



Oh well, after the school holiday weeks of Bob being at work for a change, I've hardly had a moment to think with a few episodes of baby sitting (Great) Niece and Nephew Max and Maddy, and a couple of days with (Great) Nephew Sam. I'm exhausted!



The washing machine has gone kaput, so we are doing daily trips to the Laundromat (drag), and Bob's calf is so bad that he didn't even get through the first run in the long awaited duathlon on Sunday.



Normal cheerful service will resume presently.

It seems as though the not-so-good news was confirmed today, despite my best-ever efforts at doing the requisite exercises. It was a short and sour appointment, confirming what we already know. I have a referral for an arthroscope with the liklihood of also knee a reconstruction of the cruciate with a peice of my hamstring.

Sigh. No running. (It hurts too much anyway).

It has been a long week, and life has just been one strange thing after another.

I went along to Customs again today, and for my trouble, stood shivering in the cloud-shaded ground while a hardy band of the usual suspects ran around the course. Yesterday I saw my physio and got the bad news about the knee injury which I reignited in Vienna some weeks ago. Of course, it wasn't through actual running that the injury was done (as usual). Being at breakfast on holidays, even household chores couldn't get the blame this time, instead it was leaping up to assist someone in opening a door while they were carrying an armload of coffee.

Something went 'crack', and I was in pain.

I thought that it would just go away, so wasn't overly concerned, beginning ice and anti-inflammatory gel upon returning home.

It just wasn't improving, and although fine at rest, whenever I walked more than a few steps at a time the pain on the inside of my left knee returned with vengence. The diagnosis?

A recurring meniscal tear. No running for quite a time. During the examination my cruiate ligament was found to be wanting. Busted, torn, kaput.

Some exercises, however not much hope from that. No running (did I say that I was not permitted to run), and only easy, high cadence cycling (but not too much). I want to run.