I Surrender! I Surrender!

Imagine me waving a white flag, not so cheerfully.

Mom's doctor boss says it sounds like I tore a patella ligament/tendon. My nurse best friend says that it sounds like I fractured my kneecap. My medic sister says that my insistence on the lack of swelling doesn't mean anything. My boyfriend won't stop bugging me. Andy and Mom both say that I'm hardheaded and they won't even try to convince me to do the right thing (i.e. go to the doctor).

Therefore, I surrender. I have an appointment with my orthopedist Tuesday afternoon (when he gets back from vacation).

Last night, Mom and I removed the steri-strips to discover that my gashes closed up nicely. It was then that I realized that the pain wasn't due to the gashes, as I said before. My flesh wounds don't hurt, but my kneecap does. Just a light tap on the top makes me jump slightly.

I love to self-diagnose myself, so I went to a website about knee injuries. I did the activities that doctors might ask me to perform (i.e., bending, squating, etc.).

Here's what hurts...

1) Bending to sit down.
2) Bending to stand up.
3) Moving it after keeping it still for a bit.
4) Walking down stairs.
5) Walking up stairs.
6) Squatting.
7) Doings lunges (yes, I tried one).
8) Jogging (I jogged three steps before the pain kicked me)
9) Hyperextending the knee.
10) Bending it while sitting (not major pain, but there is a definite twinge).
11) Walking for an extended period of time (aka 60 minutes in the Galleria).

The above, combined with the insistence on friends and family, prompted me to make the appointment. Plus the slight fear of work next week - I'll be on my feet to teach and have to walk up and down stairs to get to my classroom, so if something's wrong I need to know now.

Too bad the doc is on vacation.

Cheers, I guess.