I realized I never wrote about the knee surgery.
So here goes...
The problems started circa 2001,2002 when I was participating in a Taekwondo tournament held in Serdang. I was at peak form, and fighting was something I enjoyed. It came to a point where I could beat everyone at shuttle run (a tremendous feat considering I was short, a girl and not that all thin)
So anyway I was dominating most of my fights and the current quarterfinals was just another obstacle to my way to winning the championship. I viewed my competitor as a non threat and made the conscious decision to end the fight early via KO so that I can proceed to the next round. TLDR, something audibly snapped when i retracted my leg to kick and I tore my ACL. It was karma and payback for being cocky.
That was the start of the dark times where I wandered aimlessly, with a bummed knee and when the weight gain began. From a fit 60kg, I started gaining weight steadily like a pregnant woman. For 2 years I bounced between martial arts and masters, unable to find a purpose. The ACL tear was diagnosed by an MRI a year later and I learned the importance of insurance. With insurance, treatment options could be instantaneous. I did not have any.
Training was difficult, I had to wary of the bum leg, it was unstable when weight was put on it.
It was only around 2003 that I got the ACL reconstruction done and in a govt hospital. Things were not the same even after the surgery. I blamed it on the fall I had a week after surgery. The leg still dislocated everytime I was not cautious.
Later I found karate and poured my heart & soul into it and since it did not tax my knee so much, it was the perfect martial art for myself at that time. However the knee dislocations were getting more frequent, longer to recover and expensive. I guess it was a blessing in disguise when I finally injured my knee while kick starting a motorbike so badly that pieces of my cartilege broke off and prevented me from walking altogether.
It was a wake up call that forced me to meet the orthopaedic surgeon recommended by a friend. An athroscopic knee surgery to remove the pieces was soon scheduled.
I like to think of hospital visits in a positive sense. Focusing on the improvement to my quality of life and the promise that I can go back to kicking & fighting was a great motivator. I actually looked fwd to the procedure. This was much straight fwd than my FESS. I did this during raya week. The only bummer was they left me in post op for quite a long time as they were shorthanded. I did not puke this time around and was able to walk after 2 hours albeit slowly and very carefully. My knee felt so good, almost like new. I was discharged the very next day.
It's been almost a year after my surgery and touch wood, 0 dislocations. I'm not even using knee guards anymore. The lesson to take back from this is to get good insurance at a young age. Focus on getting better. During your time of distress and pain, you should not have to worry about the cost of treatment.
So here goes...
The problems started circa 2001,2002 when I was participating in a Taekwondo tournament held in Serdang. I was at peak form, and fighting was something I enjoyed. It came to a point where I could beat everyone at shuttle run (a tremendous feat considering I was short, a girl and not that all thin)
So anyway I was dominating most of my fights and the current quarterfinals was just another obstacle to my way to winning the championship. I viewed my competitor as a non threat and made the conscious decision to end the fight early via KO so that I can proceed to the next round. TLDR, something audibly snapped when i retracted my leg to kick and I tore my ACL. It was karma and payback for being cocky.
That was the start of the dark times where I wandered aimlessly, with a bummed knee and when the weight gain began. From a fit 60kg, I started gaining weight steadily like a pregnant woman. For 2 years I bounced between martial arts and masters, unable to find a purpose. The ACL tear was diagnosed by an MRI a year later and I learned the importance of insurance. With insurance, treatment options could be instantaneous. I did not have any.
Training was difficult, I had to wary of the bum leg, it was unstable when weight was put on it.
It was only around 2003 that I got the ACL reconstruction done and in a govt hospital. Things were not the same even after the surgery. I blamed it on the fall I had a week after surgery. The leg still dislocated everytime I was not cautious.
Later I found karate and poured my heart & soul into it and since it did not tax my knee so much, it was the perfect martial art for myself at that time. However the knee dislocations were getting more frequent, longer to recover and expensive. I guess it was a blessing in disguise when I finally injured my knee while kick starting a motorbike so badly that pieces of my cartilege broke off and prevented me from walking altogether.
It was a wake up call that forced me to meet the orthopaedic surgeon recommended by a friend. An athroscopic knee surgery to remove the pieces was soon scheduled.
I like to think of hospital visits in a positive sense. Focusing on the improvement to my quality of life and the promise that I can go back to kicking & fighting was a great motivator. I actually looked fwd to the procedure. This was much straight fwd than my FESS. I did this during raya week. The only bummer was they left me in post op for quite a long time as they were shorthanded. I did not puke this time around and was able to walk after 2 hours albeit slowly and very carefully. My knee felt so good, almost like new. I was discharged the very next day.
It's been almost a year after my surgery and touch wood, 0 dislocations. I'm not even using knee guards anymore. The lesson to take back from this is to get good insurance at a young age. Focus on getting better. During your time of distress and pain, you should not have to worry about the cost of treatment.
The knee surgery
![The knee surgery]()
Reviewed by Surebor
on
June 24, 2015
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