About 10 days ago, Dr Schena and his team gave me a new ACL. In a 1hr 20min procedure he harvested part of my hamstring (apparently we last used this piece when we walked about on all fours), drilled a hole in my femur and another in my tibia, feed the hamstring into the holes, and plugged them with two dissolving screws. Today, the three little incisions below my knee, a few punctures lower down just above the calf, and one tiny hole in my thigh are the only proof that anything happened to me. Oh, and the small fact that I can't yet walk unaided.
If anything, the surgery was a lot easier than the post-op recovery. Although I was a little miffed that I didn't get to hallucinate (the anesthetist promised me "ladybirds and flowers"), the hours immediately following surgery were full of drug-fueled dreams, random conversations with Ebba and Scott, and pleas for more ice on my knee.
On Saturday and Sunday I entered my own personal world of pain. Percoset did nothing for me (why couldn't they find a better opiate?). Irrational me surmised that such pain must be abnormal - surely you should be back in the hospital getting some serious treatment? no? - and it wasn't until two burly paramedics talked some sense into me that I gritted my teeth and got on with it.
But being hapless and bed-bound has it's upsides. You get fed and watered. Every whim is attended to. You ask for ice and it arrives. People shower all sorts of kindness on you - they even bring the party to your bedroom. Nothing is too much of a hassle. So, I tried to forget about the pain and enjoy my time as maharajah of 2 SFP 219.
Now that's all over of course. I'm stuck with 6-8 hours in my constant passive motion machine (looks sort of like this), reading cases, and watching Lost (by the way, you can watching it for free online here. Amazing!). The recovery will be long and laborious. They say 5-6 weeks in the brace, 4 months of physio until I can jog, 5 months until I can sprint, and 6 months until I'm physically ready for Tortin. Fine, I can deal with that. But what worries me most is will I be mentally ready?
20 April 2008
14-16 March: New Mexico
We arrived from all corners of America. 144 students from 74 countries pursuing masters and PhDs in everything from medicine to infomatics, plate tectonics to architecture. The State Department has brought us here, organised three days of activities, and put us up in a smart desert retreat, all in the name of cross-cultural exchange. This is one of seven Fulbright Enrichment Seminars that take place around the country from January - April.
New Mexico is sort of as I imagined it: a desert state full of cottonwood, tumbleweed (the fabled brush was bundling across the airstrip when we landed), cowboys, mountains, and not much else. After the densely packed housing and historic streets of Boston, New Mexico feels enormous, and it is. It's the fifth biggest state in the US (though 3x smaller than Texas) and has a population of just 2.5 million.
The theme of the seminar was "Engaging the Electorate: The Dynamics of Politics and Participation in 2008". We did have a few high-brow discussions, but generally we spent most of our time exploring the area and chatting to each other. HBS talks about diversity, but really we are all the same (straight-laced, business-focused people). This bunch was wonderful and wacky. For some reason I was accosted by the Latins and ended up playing their mad drinking games, singing songs which I didn't understand, and generally pretending I was Don Juan.
One of the best things I did was have dinner with a local stockbroker. He was an avowed Republican who was curiously pro-choice, pro-gay rights, and vehemently anti-Bush. The dinner he served at his home was fitting for a 61-year old bachelor - ravioli and a little salad followed by ice cream. But I didn't go for the food. I went for the conversation which was engaging and lucid. He wanted to know our opinions on everything from marriage to Iraq, climate change to Mark Twain. It was the most frank and honest conversation I've ever had with a stranger (Me: "Do you own a gun?" Him: "I own five". Me: "Five?! Why do you need five" Him: "I two from inherited them from my father.") More disturbing was his defence of the death penalty ("It's the quickest way to clean the gene pool. And why should tax-payers cough up $40,000 a year for people who are guilty of terrible crimes."). He was passionate, informed, and opinionated. The best combination. It's refreshing to meet people with strong convictions that are not your own.
New Mexico is sort of as I imagined it: a desert state full of cottonwood, tumbleweed (the fabled brush was bundling across the airstrip when we landed), cowboys, mountains, and not much else. After the densely packed housing and historic streets of Boston, New Mexico feels enormous, and it is. It's the fifth biggest state in the US (though 3x smaller than Texas) and has a population of just 2.5 million.
The theme of the seminar was "Engaging the Electorate: The Dynamics of Politics and Participation in 2008". We did have a few high-brow discussions, but generally we spent most of our time exploring the area and chatting to each other. HBS talks about diversity, but really we are all the same (straight-laced, business-focused people). This bunch was wonderful and wacky. For some reason I was accosted by the Latins and ended up playing their mad drinking games, singing songs which I didn't understand, and generally pretending I was Don Juan.
One of the best things I did was have dinner with a local stockbroker. He was an avowed Republican who was curiously pro-choice, pro-gay rights, and vehemently anti-Bush. The dinner he served at his home was fitting for a 61-year old bachelor - ravioli and a little salad followed by ice cream. But I didn't go for the food. I went for the conversation which was engaging and lucid. He wanted to know our opinions on everything from marriage to Iraq, climate change to Mark Twain. It was the most frank and honest conversation I've ever had with a stranger (Me: "Do you own a gun?" Him: "I own five". Me: "Five?! Why do you need five" Him: "I two from inherited them from my father.") More disturbing was his defence of the death penalty ("It's the quickest way to clean the gene pool. And why should tax-payers cough up $40,000 a year for people who are guilty of terrible crimes."). He was passionate, informed, and opinionated. The best combination. It's refreshing to meet people with strong convictions that are not your own.
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