December

December, readers-mine, has been a strange month. I see no shame in admitting that it’s been a struggle. Emotionally, it’s been hard because I would normally talk through all the medical happenings with Lindsay, but, as you may have read previously, Turtle passed away January 2020. My friends have sent me teas, fruit, book money, blankets, cookies, candy, art, and all sorts of good wishes. They have made a point to call, text, and generally check-in. My brother has been the best nurse I could ask for and has really stepped up to do everything he possibly can to help. They all know this year has been rough personally for a myriad of reasons and this month has been unique for one particular reason. I am more appreciative of them than they will ever know.

At the beginning of the month, I was diagnosed with one heck of a mess of a knee. (That’s the technical term, obviously.) Yes, if you know me personally, this is no surprise. I saw a new specialist because it had reached the point where I couldn’t walk. He sent me for x-rays. On the x-rays, he and his team could see there were issues, but they couldn’t determine the full extent. I was sent for an MRI. Turns out, I had multiple tears in my meniscus, fissures in my cartilage, a cyst from constant inflammation, osteoarthritis, and inflamed tissue that was getting stuck under my kneecap and tearing, catching, locking, and all sorts of other fun things. My surgeon looked at my scans and said that I needed surgery sooner rather than later. If I tore anything straight through, I’d be in more of a pickle. The next two weeks were filled with pre-op COVID testing, bloodwork, and further imaging. Then I had a five-day quarantine where I was even supposed to avoid my family, stay in bed, and go off all of my medications except for my asthma and thyroid meds. On the 22nd, I had knee surgery. It lasted exactly one hour and, when I woke up, I felt better than I had in two years. Since then, I have been highly medicated and today is the first day I feel more awake than asleep. I did go see the doc and get my stitches removed. During that appointment, he also showed me all the pictures from the surgery. Trust me when I say, you’re better off not knowing what the inside of my knee looked like. It was pretty thoroughly shredded.

One thing is for sure, 2020 has been a doozy of a year. It’s been filled with all sorts of loss, health issues, and problems, both for me personally and the world. However, it’s also been filled with love. It’s been filled with people stepping up and helping each other out. This coming year, I wish you health: mental and physical. I hope you get to follow your dreams and that you listen to the people around you. I pray that we help each other and, in doing so, make the world better. Hopefully, 2021 will be an upswing for the world.