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| Looking out onto the Boise 70.3 swim start, where I played race sherpa for Rom (and friends) shortly after I learned my fate for the season. He has been my absolute rock and support through this whole process. Love him! |
I don't have a definitive answer as to how this happened other than I have managed patellar tendinitis on and off for years. Under the care of doctors and PT's, I continued to train and manage the situation keeping it fairly under control. I now believe it was during my build into and racing Kona last year that started the slippery slope beyond that "manageable" place. I don't remember feeling any pain in my knee during the race (plenty of pain involved, just not there :)), but I remember telling Romney shortly after I finished, "I don't know if my knee will ever be the same again." Funny, turns out it's not! I took several weeks off after Kona, and I thought it had settled down. Clearly, I was wrong.
Looking back, it was a ticking time bomb. I started the season with it aggravated, not realizing the severity of the situation. As athletes, we often assess pain levels we can push through, and I had become accustomed to feeling some pain there. As I continued to train, thinking I was managing it, I started compensating for it, and we all know what that means. A laundry list of other issues that pop up due to the compensation and weakness. I started having severe glute and back pain, not realizing where the main fire was.
It was the Tuesday before Memorial Day at the track. Nearing the end of my workout, I was in the middle of an interval and suddenly I felt severe sharp pain on the inside of my knee. It was all I could do to slow down and stop without going down. I knew this was not the normal discomfort that I could push through, this was different.
At home I started my icing and rehab routine immediately, and within a day felt little to no pain as I went about my normal activities. I could even bike pain free, and put in a good 100 miler Thursday, as Ironman Coeur d'Alene was just around the corner. Normally I would have run off the bike, but in an effort to give it an extra day, I waited until Friday to try to run again. Didn't make it a quarter mile. I knew something was terribly wrong at that point.
At home I started my icing and rehab routine immediately, and within a day felt little to no pain as I went about my normal activities. I could even bike pain free, and put in a good 100 miler Thursday, as Ironman Coeur d'Alene was just around the corner. Normally I would have run off the bike, but in an effort to give it an extra day, I waited until Friday to try to run again. Didn't make it a quarter mile. I knew something was terribly wrong at that point.
A quick message to my doctor, and he wanted an MRI. Because of Memorial Day weekend, I had to wait until Tuesday to be seen. Wednesday morning it was confirmed, a 50% patellar tendon tear. Snap! I was to fly out Friday morning to race 70.3 Raleigh, NC. Trying my best to roll with it and adjust, I withdrew from that race and Ironman Coeur d'Alene. I was heartbroken, but at the same time, so sick of hurting. My main focus now was to figure out how to treat it.
After looking at all my options, which included surgery, I chose treatment with Dr. Joe Albano. Dr. Albano specializes in Regenerative Sports Medicine, and I believe is the best in Utah at Regenerative Medicine. It is more conservative than surgery, and can have the same outcome in a shorter period of time. There has been a lot of success with this type of treatment, and it is completely natural. If unsuccessful, I can always have surgery. After talking to several professionals, this direction seemed to make the most sense for me. And as an added bonus, I can swim through the whole process! I forced my way on to his schedule ASAP!
The procedure that Dr. Albano felt would be most effective is called a FAST Procedure with a Fat Graft and Platlet Rich Plasma (PRP) Injection. While we refer to this as a "procedure" and not surgery, it is not for the faint-of-heart! They do not put patients out for this, and much to the contrary, I was acutely aware of everything that was happening. I have since referred to it as yes, surgery!
It started with a quick blood draw, then the blood goes into the spinner to separate the PRP from the red blood cells. Pretty cool. Then, in to the surgery room to get the fat from... yes, me! I was fairly nervous for this part, and with good reason. The process is very painful and just gross! The doctor first had to pick the best spot to take the fat from, then he gave me an injection with a local anesthetic.
He then put the HUGE fat collector needle into my butt and maneuvered that thing around until he had what he needed. It took longer than I thought it would, and I cringed the entire time. Yuck!
Now that I had donated all that I could to the cause, they took the PRP and the fat and let them "marinate" together for about 20 minutes. During this time we began the FAST procedure. This is where the doctor debrides and removes the degenerated soft tissue. It is fairly quick, 10 minutes or so, but it seemed SO much longer. Brutal I tell ya!
Next the fat and PRP were injected into the tendon, and I had to sit and wait for about 20 minutes before I could move. Let it all settle in I suppose. The throbbing began, and the pain was quite intense for the next couple days.
Thrilled to be done and outta there, my hubby took me to 7-11 to get a drink. I ordered what turned out to be the best slurpee I have ever had, and he insisted I needed something to replace the fat that was just stolen from me :).
From here it was a SLOW road back to biking, and even SLOWER road back to running, as I am still not running. Three days of no swimming, then I was cleared to hit the pool, with no kicking and pushing off the wall. Within a week I was able to kick and push off the wall again, which felt awesome!
At about three weeks out of surgery I started spinning on my bike, and gradually built up duration before any intensity. I've never been so happy to ride my bike before! At six weeks out, due to good progress, I was cleared to start run therapy. And let me tell you, it is nothing more than therapy. It's a far cry from running, but it was something, and it was progress. I was thrilled to get that privilege.
Now at 10 weeks out, I just had my second treatment, without the FAST procedure. Another round of fat graft/PRP injections. The idea is that I take another 2 weeks of recovery now to buy me months in the end. It is fairly typical to have a second procedure, especially if time is an issue. And I do care about time. I am so hungry to race again!
It's been a hard road, harder than I thought it would be. I've had a lot of time to reflect and think about things. The mental highs and lows are brutal, and they're REAL! I've felt completely gutted at times, and others I am completely confident that I'll make a full recovery and be better for it. The mind is a very powerful thing, and to keep that in control is a real skill. One that I haven't perfected, but am trying every day.
I'm learning to appreciate the little things, and focus on what I CAN do. Find the positives and build on them. Work on weakness where possible. Fix my attitude when it slips. All of this will serve me well as I make my way back to racing. And with the support of my family, friends, coach Lesley Paterson (aka head doctor that totally gets me and lifts me up every time I have a meltdown), Dr. Greg Freebairn (who also understands me and has kept the rest of me healthy through this whole ordeal), and AMAZING sponsors, I'll get there! But make no mistake, I couldn't do it without them!!!
 |
| All smiles before the beating! |
The procedure that Dr. Albano felt would be most effective is called a FAST Procedure with a Fat Graft and Platlet Rich Plasma (PRP) Injection. While we refer to this as a "procedure" and not surgery, it is not for the faint-of-heart! They do not put patients out for this, and much to the contrary, I was acutely aware of everything that was happening. I have since referred to it as yes, surgery!
 |
| Ready to go! |
It started with a quick blood draw, then the blood goes into the spinner to separate the PRP from the red blood cells. Pretty cool. Then, in to the surgery room to get the fat from... yes, me! I was fairly nervous for this part, and with good reason. The process is very painful and just gross! The doctor first had to pick the best spot to take the fat from, then he gave me an injection with a local anesthetic.
 |
| You guessed it, donor spot was the tush! |
He then put the HUGE fat collector needle into my butt and maneuvered that thing around until he had what he needed. It took longer than I thought it would, and I cringed the entire time. Yuck!
 |
| And there ya have it...FAT!!! |
Now that I had donated all that I could to the cause, they took the PRP and the fat and let them "marinate" together for about 20 minutes. During this time we began the FAST procedure. This is where the doctor debrides and removes the degenerated soft tissue. It is fairly quick, 10 minutes or so, but it seemed SO much longer. Brutal I tell ya!
Next the fat and PRP were injected into the tendon, and I had to sit and wait for about 20 minutes before I could move. Let it all settle in I suppose. The throbbing began, and the pain was quite intense for the next couple days.
 |
| Complete Gimp! |
Thrilled to be done and outta there, my hubby took me to 7-11 to get a drink. I ordered what turned out to be the best slurpee I have ever had, and he insisted I needed something to replace the fat that was just stolen from me :).
 |
| Rom was sure I needed one of these! But being the girl athlete that I am, I was CERTAIN that I DIDN'T need one, I was now out of training for a while and would have no problem putting fat back on! |
From here it was a SLOW road back to biking, and even SLOWER road back to running, as I am still not running. Three days of no swimming, then I was cleared to hit the pool, with no kicking and pushing off the wall. Within a week I was able to kick and push off the wall again, which felt awesome!
At about three weeks out of surgery I started spinning on my bike, and gradually built up duration before any intensity. I've never been so happy to ride my bike before! At six weeks out, due to good progress, I was cleared to start run therapy. And let me tell you, it is nothing more than therapy. It's a far cry from running, but it was something, and it was progress. I was thrilled to get that privilege.
Now at 10 weeks out, I just had my second treatment, without the FAST procedure. Another round of fat graft/PRP injections. The idea is that I take another 2 weeks of recovery now to buy me months in the end. It is fairly typical to have a second procedure, especially if time is an issue. And I do care about time. I am so hungry to race again!
 |
| So here I sit, buying time! |
It's been a hard road, harder than I thought it would be. I've had a lot of time to reflect and think about things. The mental highs and lows are brutal, and they're REAL! I've felt completely gutted at times, and others I am completely confident that I'll make a full recovery and be better for it. The mind is a very powerful thing, and to keep that in control is a real skill. One that I haven't perfected, but am trying every day.
I'm learning to appreciate the little things, and focus on what I CAN do. Find the positives and build on them. Work on weakness where possible. Fix my attitude when it slips. All of this will serve me well as I make my way back to racing. And with the support of my family, friends, coach Lesley Paterson (aka head doctor that totally gets me and lifts me up every time I have a meltdown), Dr. Greg Freebairn (who also understands me and has kept the rest of me healthy through this whole ordeal), and AMAZING sponsors, I'll get there! But make no mistake, I couldn't do it without them!!!
