Patella Problems III
My junior year was one of my most important years of high school. I had an awesome year, except for one tiny thing: I wiped out on the cafeteria floor and my right kneecap was dislocated once again. I couldn't believe it happened; luckily, it wasn't on the knee that had been operated on already. My dad is a physical education teacher at my school, so he was able to get there pretty quickly and put my knee back into place while I was lying there. Once it was back in I felt better, until I noticed a sharp pain.
I knew something was wrong because I had never felt that pain before. My knee swelled up very quickly and the pain continued. I had an MRI done and it was off to my doctor's office again. He told me that I had torn my medial patellar-femoral ligament, a small ligament that attaches the patella to the femur.
My doctor encouraged me to get surgery again because he said that if it wasn't fixed, it wouldn't take much for it to dislocate again. This surgery wasn't as invasive as the first so the full recovery was only 6 months. I have two smaller scars on my right knee now, and two healed-up holes where the arthroscope entered.
Today, I am feeling much better and both of my knees have remained healthy. I have to continue to keep them strong, though, in order for the surgeries to continue working properly. I can't say that my confidence is totally back because I will always have the fear of something happening.
Shifting Perspectives: Sports to Studying
Now that I don't have sports, I have realized that I need to rely on academics more, so keeping good grades is very important to me. I plan to study occupational therapy in college. I've been through physical therapy so many times, and the more I learned about occupational therapy, I knew it would be something I would love to do!
For the past two summers, I have also volunteered at the hospital where I had my surgery. It's my way of giving back to the hospital that has helped me so much. After volunteering, I knew right away that I wanted a career where I could work with children in a hospital setting. I want kids to find happiness, no matter what life has thrown at them.
It's not easy to lose things that you love to do, like I loved sports. But I have found a love for new things that are within my capabilities. Although I can't do as much as I used to, I have found other important things in life. My family and friends keep me going every day.
One of my favorite things to do is take pictures of people and nature. Then, I edit them for everyone to see. I can no longer play softball, but I help out the baseball team by managing with a few of my close friends.
During the school year, I enjoyed working on the homecoming committee to build our parade float and spirit wall. I was part of the prom committee that planned the junior and senior prom for my high school.
This past summer, I traveled to Europe. Throughout the trip, I didn't have any knee issues, which was thrilling because I was thousands of miles away from home.
I have learned that I should never take anything for granted because you never know when something will be taken away. It's been a great lesson because it lets me know I can really achieve anything if I put my mind to it!
Date reviewed: January 2014