Snow School. Snow Problem? 02/12/2010
Ok. I'm gonna just come out and say it. I know you've been thinking it, but were too scared to say it because of the potential for societal scorn. Here goes. And no, I'm not talking about the atrocious headline of this blog post. I kind of want to go back to class. Now let me rewind. A.) If you know me, you know I hate class, so this is a somewhat shocking statement. B.) I've always wanted to go to college without the class. But be careful what you wish for. If you've been living under a rock (which is certainly possibly considering the weather conditions), the Mid-Atlantic region was hit with two back-to-back snow snow storms in a matter of weeks, effectively shutting down the entire region. Meaning, we didn't have class for the entire week. Now at first glance, that is awesome. I mean, for a college student, that just means more time to do what we do best: procrastinate, drink/Happy Hour, and hang out. (Don't forget about playing in the snow). Now this was awesome for the first couple of days. But after awhile, there's only so much of hanging out you can do with the same people with nowhere to go. Now don't get me wrong: It's been fun. But it gets real old real fast. When you're in class all day and have a lot going on, you have distractions, things to get done, places to be. But it's strange when life effectively gets put on hold for a week. For the first time in my life, I went to the dining hall and stocked up on food, not because I was hungry, but because I wasn't sure when I'd be able to make it out of the apartment next. (Also, it didn't help that the power was out in the dining hall when I was there). After awhile, doing nothing gets boring. But I thought this was just my feeling.     I knocked on the doors of my residents today since I needed each of them to sign a form. I decided to ask each of them if they were enjoying their snow day days, fully expecting them to say that they're loving it. Every one of them said that they were bored and out of ideas on what to do. But don't just take my word for it. Here is a sampling of people's Facebook statuses, the ever-reliable way to keep a pulse on college students.
Great Expectations 11/28/2009
Good news is awesome. Bad news sucks. But how should you respond to mixed news? Sometimes, that can be worse. Take, for example, my five-month follow up appointment with my surgeon after my knee surgery. Keep in mind this is the day before I am scheduled to be finished with physical therapy. I went in expecting good news. Well, expectations can be a bitch. "Your ACL is rock solid," she says. Good news, considering that was the most serious part of my injury.  Your knee. Don't mess with it. Now on to my numbness. About three days after my surgery, my left foot began experiencing intense pain -- one second it would feel like it was on fire, the next, like someone was pouring ice cold water over it. (Side note: For more information on this topic, click here.) After a few months on nerve medicine, the pain finally receded. But the numbness has only marginally improved. From about halfway between my foot and knee, all the way down to the tip of my toes, is numb. If you touch the top of my foot, I wouldn't know. Now it's not all that bad. Think about it: What does the top of your foot feel like right now? That's right...it's not something you think about on a daily basis. And, after all, I have gotten used to it, and barely think about it on a day-to-day basis. It's kinda like Mr. Deeds...except my foot looks perfectly normal. I promise. "You have all the strength back in your foot...[In the beginning, I could barely lift my toes up]..."but at this point, you may not gain feeling back." Now, like I said, I don't think about it on a daily basis...but damn, that's kind of crazy. But on a positive note, the pain is gone, and now I have a great answer to an icebreaker for the rest of my life!  Next, she asked me to straighten my left, bad leg. Now keep in mind, for the last two months at physical therapy, my physical therapist has been working on it in an (unsuccessful) attempt to straighten it. And Dr. Curl noticed. Right away, she says "I'm going to order you another MRI. I think you may have retorn your meniscus." First thought: Shit. I remember exactly when I did it, too. I awkwardly tried to complete an agility drill about a month and half ago at physical therapy, and a couple of hours later, swelling appeared in the back of my knee. So yesterday, I got another MRI. I know what it's going to say -- it's going to say that I retore my meniscus in my knee and that I will have to get another surgery. But it's OK -- I should be back to normal within three weeks, or so they say. Walking out of the appointment, I didn't know how to react -- my ACL was perfect, I may have retorn my meniscus, my numbness might never go away, I was done with physical therapy, yet I may have to get another surgery. The only reaction I had the rest of the day was shock -- not because I was upset or mad, but because I didn't know how else to react.  This brings me back to expectations. When I first tore my ACL, I didn't expect the injury to be major. I expected to ice the knee for a few weeks, then be back on the soccer field, good to go. Well, I learned on the second day of spring break that I was, well, completely wrong. I went into this last appointment with my surgeon with high expectations. After all, I had put my time in -- five months of physical therapy plus no soccer. I expected my knee to be perfect and to be told that my numbness was improving. But I got neither. But on the other hand, I can exercise normally, even with my possible meniscus issue, and I am done with physical therapy. I guess this is overall good news, right? This process would have been easier if I had realistic expectations from the beginning. Kind of like Maryland. I'm not saying to be pessimistic, you just have to be realistic. I think this holds true not just with knees or ligaments, but also with life. That's why I'm assuming that I tore my meniscus -- if I didn't, I'll be happy, but if I did, I'll just roll with punches. What's another three weeks, right? Perhaps this quote eloquently sums up the situation: One day, someone showed me a glass of water that was half full. And he said, "Is it half full or half empty?" So I drank the water. No more problem.                   The Day Tiger Woods Met Me 08/18/2009
"Don't go, Joel," my Mom says. "It sounds fishy. I don't want you to get hurt." My Dad - usually the calm one - chimes in. "It's a scam, Joel. Don't go." I hang up the phone, smiling, still in disbelief. Oh the Irony 08/13/2009
I passed this walking on campus the other day, and I just had to take a picture. I hope this isn't the future of journalism...  Newspaper machines, empty and falling apart, remain outside the Journalism Building on the campus of the University of Maryland, College Park. Is this a sign of things to come? Cash for WHAT? 08/09/2009
Last week, the United States Senate OKed $2 billion more for the Cash for Clunkers program. Everyone, especially the media, is saying this is a good thing: it helps the American consumer, car companies sell more cars, yada yada... But is this really a good thing when the program ran out of money two months before it was supposed to run out? And why would Congress renew the program without changes? Why not cut the rebate in half - from $4,500 to $2,250 - so theoretically double the people could take advantage of the offer? $4,500 seems like an awful lot of money when a lesser amount would have a similar result of stimulating car sales. Let's take a look at what this program really is: another bailout for the car companies. Let me explain. The $4,500 that "the consumer "gets" toward the purchase of a new car after trading in a "clunker" is really just a government payment to the car companies. Sure it helps the consumer, but all it really is is free money to the car companies, this time with no chance of getting paid back.  There's one more thing: Basis economics would tell you that car dealers are increasing the price of fuel efficient cars. Why? Because of a.) higher demand and b.) everyone feels like they are getting a good deal. Here's an example: Let's say a Ford Focus (which is currently the most popular car under the program) normally costs $20,000. A consumer who qualifies for the $4,500 government rebate comes in and wants to buy one. If the dealership increases the base price to $23,000, the consumer would still be paying "only" $18,500, $1,500 lower than the sticker price. The consumer's happy - he got a good deal. The dealership's happy - they just sold a car that two months ago no one was buying, and even better, they sold it for higher than sticker price. The government's happy - they are "stimulating" the economy...aka getting positive press about the program. The only thing that's not happy is our national debt...but, uhhhh, that's not important because we're in such dire economic straits, right? Hold on. I almost forgot one of the most important argument for the program. The environment! O yea...with all the fuel efficient cars being purchased under the program, the environment will be saved and we will live happily ever after!!! Right? Wrong, wrong, and wrong. This article sums it up really well... "When you look at the CARS program in that light, it's not about the environment at all. It's far more about funneling even more government money into the auto manufacturers and especially their financing companies, because that's where the $3500 or $4500 really goes in the end – the local dealer doesn’t keep that money to put back into their business. Add to that the payments on new cars, interest and profits and it’s clear that CARS isn’t an environmental incentive program, it’s a thinly veiled stimulus program for America’s failed auto industry." Cash for clunkers? How about cash for stupidity. Nerveous 07/10/2009
Things are finally starting to get back to normal. My Mom went back to work. I'm getting in the three-days-a-week physical therapy routine. I have energy now. I'm totally off crutches and can walk (mostly) normally. I've returned to my RA duties. In a week and a half, things really get back to normal - I'm starting an internship.  The Common Peroneal Nerve The actual numbness doesn't really bother me. After all, it doesn't impact my mobility. But the pain is another issue. I get periodic shooting pains in my foot and toes - almost like an electrical shock. I am getting used to sleeping - I can't put any pressure on the left side of the left leg (where the nerve is located) or it will really act up. Now I'm on nerve medicine to control the pain. The surgeon assured me that there's no permanent damage and that it will grow back- she said they got no where near the nerve during the surgery. She told me it would return to normal in 8 to 12 weeks, but I'm thinking it will be more like six months to a year. Here's one piece of advice: When you are worried about a medical condition, don't read about it on medical forums online. That's what I did, and it didn't help. It only served to freak me out. (Some people complained that they had similar numbness and pain six months to a year out...) But think about it - who would post to a forum like that? Only people who are experiencing the extremes. If your pain and numbness is getting better - or if you're not having any issues at all - you're not going to post this to an online forum. The surgeon said it go away...the surgeon said it will go away...the surgeon said it will go away...the surgeon said it will go away... Do You Get It? 07/01/2009
For as long as I remember, my family has subscribed to the Washington Post. Today, we received a package containing two newspapers from May 11, 2009. One was the edition everyone saw on that date; the other one contained the same content but with a different design. They wanted us to fill out a survey online.               The Start Of Week Three 06/30/2009
 My biggest fan - My niece Talia I know, I know. I haven't had an update for awhile. I've been too busy watching all three seasons of Arrested Development and making random trips to Walmart in order to get out of the house.  Doing exercises at home  Getting my knee iced at physical therapy  My Dad and I before our failed attempt at going to the Keys' game As I mentioned, I am beginning to get out of the house more. But I have a new found respect for surgery. Two weeks out, I go one place (ie Walmart or the MVA) and I am tired. I went to the MVA today, and I came back and took a two hour nap. Surgery/medicine takes away so much of your energy. I definately was not mentally prepared for this before my surgery. Accomplishments over the last week: - I watched all three seasons of Arrested Development - It took my less that two hours to renew my license at the MVA - I can make full revolutions on the bike at physical therapy - I am walking with one crutch, and if I push it, I can walk without crutches with a limp - My leg can go perfectly straight - I can bend my knee to 110 degrees! - I am not sleeping all day - I can sleep through the night without waking up to take pain medicine - I am almost off all of my pain medicine  Random picture - If you look really closely, you might be able to see the Goodyear Blimp, which is stored at the Frederick Airport Week 2, Day 8 of the Recovery 06/24/2009
So I officially feel like a Grandpa. Senior citizens wake up early and take their medicine. I wake up early and take my medicine. Senior citizens then hang out all day, not doing much, looking forward to their trice-weekly bridge game. I hang out all day, not doing much, looking forward to my trice-weekly physical therapy sessions.  My leg is almost straight, but I still can't cut my own toenails. Regaining independence has been a slow process. I am almost there.. the PT said that by the next session, I should be able to get it straight. She said that this is the prerequisite for getting rid of the crutches. The next goal, more of a long-term goal, is to regain the ability to bend my knee. Many of the exercises push the leg to do just that. At the end of every session, the physical therapist takes a measurement with a protract-like instrument to see how far I can bend the leg. I was at 62 degrees last week; I'm now up to 82 degrees. As I cut down on my pain medicine, I am gradually gaining more energy back. Biggest accomplishment: I can walk to the bathroom by myself! (No joke - this is actually a big accomplishment. I have learned to appreciate the small things.)  Another small thing: The ability to walk up and down stairs Tomorrow, I go to my follow up appointment with my surgeon. The biggest problem I am having is the pain in my foot. Think of it this way: Imagine someone lighting a lighter under your foot, while at the same time pouring ice cold water on the top of the foot. Taking it one step further: Imagine that your most of your foot was numb. Not the tingly, my-foot-is-asleep kind of numb. No, the type of numb where the foot is asleep and won't wake up. Well, that's how I feel. Not all the time, just some of the day. And it is gradually decreasing, but has still not gone away. This will be the main topic with the surgeon - I hope something can be done to improve the situation.  I love the fact that there's a pain management practice right next door to the physical therapist.  The ice machine made my foot worse, so we tried frozen vegetables. It didn't help. Today was my third time at physical therapy, but I have already realized that there is a sense of community within the walls. Everyone is there for one reason or another - nerve pain, back spasms, ACL tears. But everyone supports everyone else because they understand what you're going through. Just as a Grandpa is excited to go to his trice-weekly bridge, I am genuinely excited to go to physical therapy. One - to get out of the house. Two - to work out my knee. Three - to see what everyone else is going through. It may sound horrible to say, but one thing I realized is that no matter how bad you think things are, someone is always worse off. That is exactly what I have seen at physical therapy. I said I feel like I'm a senior citizen, but in reality, I can't imagine having this injury later in life, even 10 years from now. I am getting better, and I will get better, but it has taken so much energy, and it's only the beginning. And I'm only 21 years old. I've seen older people coming to physical therapy, and it does not look fun. I mean - I'm exhausted after one session. I can't even imagine if I were 80 doing the same thing. Tomorrow: Follow up with surgeon Friday: Physical Therapy Here are some more pictures from the last few days:                             | About
I recently had surgery for my torn ACL. I recently decided to blog. I recently decided to blog about my surgery for my torn ACL.  ArchivesFebruary 2010 |
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