Reason #2

So, after waiting the 4 weeks for my thumb to close up I decided I was ready to try playing again, even though my knee was still swollen and bothering me. Ooooh, and I went ahead and decided I could play before I saw my thumb doctor to...but don't tell him. ;)

It was Saturday morning. My team had 2 games that day against 2 really good opponents. So, it was going to be a tough first day back, but I knew I could do it. The 1st game went pretty well, not too many issues with my knee. But during the 2nd game I could feel my knee start to stiffen up. Every time I would sub for 3 minutes it was like I needed to warm my knee back up again once getting back on the field. This was not a good sign.

The game ended and I headed home. By the time my drive was over my knee was significantly bothering me and I was limping with each step. I decided to take it easy the rest of the day, ice it and elevate it. I did the same on Sunday too, but since it was not getting any better I knew I had to make the call to my surgeon. We had talked 5 weeks previously when my soccer team played his team. I had told him my knee had been swollen for 2 or 3 weeks, he checked it out and said, "Get a tight wrap on it and take 5 Aleve a day for a week if it's not better in 2 weeks call me." Well, come on, I don't want to go into the doctor...plus I blew out my thumb so I decided to just wait. After playing those 2 soccer games on Sat I knew it wasn't going to happen and I needed to give in and see him.

At the appointment he said he'd like to scope it. I told him my concern of spending $1500 for the surgery and not finding anything wrong. He decided to give me a steroid shot to try for a less costly approach. Within 2 days my knee felt pretty good! I called the doctor and said, "can I play tonight"? I was shocked and excited to hear, "yes, you may". So, I happily played and that's when stuff inside my knee started getting weird. It felt very loose. It felt unstable. It popped often and occasionally the pops would be very painful causing me to double over. At that point I did what I normally do...waited to see if it would get better. A week and a half later I'm working outside and I'm wearing a lot of clothes to keep warm, plus my heavy tool belt. My kneecap was going all over the place! Every step I was afraid it was going to shift and cause me to double over. And that's when I decided things just aren't right. I had to admit that I needed to consider the option of surgery.

I contacted my doctors nurse, also named Jennifer. She's really sweet and I guess she thinks I'm alright because she knows I'm not trying to get any drugs out of her. So she takes the time to discuss things with me. After telling her my symptoms she said it sounds like I'm experiencing Pattaler Subluxations. It's where the kneecap slightly dislocates for only a brief moment and then goes back into place. I'm waiting a few months, trying rehab on my own in the meantime. But in either April or May, I will be making a trip to get an MRI and will have it reviewed by my Orthopedic Surgeon and discuss having an additional surgery.

I am hugely disappointed. I wanted more than anything to challenge myself to score 200 goals, but it's just not going to work out for me like that. So, I've been recruiting and my Women's team is going to help me! They are donating all of their goals and attempting to reach 200. I'm also going to speak to my Saturday team as well. Combined they need to get 7 goals a week to reach the 200 by June 30, 2009. Good luck teams!!!!! I can't wait to watch you guys make this happen!

I'll be posting their progress on here...so stay tuned to hear about their success!

Updating on the last 100,000 weeks...ok not that much really

So a lot has happened since I last wrote. I've now played in a total of 92 games and scored a total of 90 goals. I am WAY behind...and there's a reason for it. Around late October I ran into a dry spell. No matter what I did I could not score! I was getting so frustrated which likely added to the my inability to score. My Wed night women's team keeper, Jo...what a crack up. She asks me before every game, what number are you on? At first I didn't hear here, but she'd stand back in goal and holler right before I scored...68!!!!!!!!! The next goal, when I had the ball right before I'd take a shot...69!!!!!!!!! So adorable! Well, I never heard her until I hit that dry spell...and every time I'd hear..."75...Ooooooo" :( And again..."75...Ooooooo dang!" Lol! Why did I start hearing her then...when I was screwing up? :) I did love it though...such an encouragement to continue to work towards my goal.

REASON #1
So January 19th, I'm sitting there with 88 goals...way behind, but it's probably still manageable if I pick up some more games here and there, when... BLAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hit the ever living LOVE out of my thumb with a hammer at work. I was trying to hit the tip of a chisel with my hammer to break away the asphalt street. It was about 10 degrees that day so the asphalt was frozen. I was swinging with everything I had and completely missed and smashed my thumb into the pavement. At first I thought...DANG, I'm going to have a BIIIIIIIIG bruise! When I took off my glove, I knew it was much much more. At first I looked at my palm, filled with blood. I knew I didn't want to look at my thumb, I didn't want to see the big mess I had made of it...was it still there? Did I break it? Did it come apart? Well, in a way yeah. I couldn't see where or how bad the damage was because there was too much blood. So I told my co-worker Ryan, I may have to go to the hospital...I'm going to go to the truck to find something to clean off the blood. I find the first thing available: A Subway napkin. You know the one with all the nutritional information on it? Yep, it was the thing I could find the fastest. So I took the Turkey Breast nutritional info napkin and placed it on my badly damaged thumb. I started to blot it to get a better picture of the damage. It didn't take me long to see my skin sticking to the napkin and lifting up with every blot, AUGH I need stitches STAT!

So, off I went, to the hospital. Had Ryan help me get my phone and called my Mom with that quivering voice..."Mom, I've hurt myself and I have to go to the hospital. Which one should I go to?" She met me there and after a waiting period of 2 hours (at 2 different hospitals) I got in and saw the doctor. Everyone who had looked at my thumb said "Do not look at this" I already told them "I won't" I was cool, it wasn't horrible because I had no idea what it looked like. I think if I would have seen it, the tears would have flowed! I even had nurses who looked all brave and smiley to me, and once the got out of my sight they would look at my Mom with a horrified face! You know the kind you make when you can just imagine the pain someone else had to have felt?

So, the doctor proceeded to stitch me up, 12 stitches in all. But, there was an area he wouldn't be able to stitch. It was too damaged and my skin was like rice paper, ripping with each attempt at stitching. He did an amazing job, and had very good bedside manners. He humored me with every little request I made. When it was all said and done...he said, "wow, I must say, you gave me quite the challenge." And I have to tell you, after the initial shock crying, the only other time I cried was during 2 of the countless shots (maybe around 20) to numb the area.

And off I went. Home to eat some really great cheeseburger, fries and drink a delicious chocolate milkshake. The next day I would see a hand surgeon who gave me the bad news. I asked "I have a soccer game tonight...I am not going to play, but can I play in 2 days?" He looked at me like I was about to be checked into a mental institution and said "No" As simple as that. No, if the wound is open, you will not play. That was reason #1, which cost me 4 weeks of games, putting me more and more behind.