Wednesday, September 24, 2008

The Power of Veto

Finding out that my insurance won't cover my surgery put the wind up me a little; and that's an understatement. There aren't many I know that could take a $4000 blow on the chin and keep a smile on their face. I was feeling pretty shaken for the better part of the day until on my way home a thought occurred to me... I don't HAVE to get the surgery do I?

With that in mind I called up the surgeon and we had a bit of a chat: Turns out the odds of improvement were slim and the knee should really heal itself over time with the formation of scar tissue. With strengthening exercises and care I should be fine without it.

Oh.

So the decision to pull out was not a difficult one and so far so good. I have a lot of work to do to get into shape for the season. Lots of stretching, stability exercises and other stuff not nearly as satisfying as throwing around big weights but I think I can force myself to get into the hippie pilates/flexibility/balance side of things if it means I can avoid the knife and hopefully make this my last serious injury.

It's nice to be able to make some decisions about my own body for once. After all, it is mine and when it comes to what happens to it I do have the power of veto.

In other news flights are booked and I am outta here.
- 5th November -> Perth
- 13th November - > Montreal (via London)
- 27th November - > London
- 3rd December - > Stockholm
- 6th December - > Are

Saturday, September 20, 2008

The Contender

Seems I have a doppelganger. Peter Thorpe has placed his flag in the cyber-sand with No, The Other Thorpedo. Like me, Peter is a traveler and has decided to document his antics. Hailing from Saskatoon he has set up shop in Sydney as a fire safety engineer. He uses abstract references like genuflection. I have to admit that one sent me to the dictionary. Apparently genuflection is the act of kneeling in passing the Blessed Sacrament as a sign of devotion. Using a term like that in everyday language? How abstract. Power to you Peter. Still, I am the orginal and... you guessed it, the best.

Back to the Drawing Board

Or thin this case? The operating table.

So turns out I don't have any significant cartilage damage but the bone fracture is causing me some issues and leaves me in a precarious position.
Of these three mine is the third case. It has left an angular edge on the joint which causes cartillage irritation and possible tearing/rupturing. My procedure is going to be focused on bone remodeling to ensure I have a smooth surface for the cartilage to sit on and reduce the friction. The good news is that the surgery is scheduled for next week; the 26th of September. A little better than the wait I had in Canada eh? Expected recovery time is 3-4 days off my feet. A week-10 days on crutches. 6 weeks before doing any impact.

In my position I can devote a lot of time to rehabilitation and muscle hypertrophy to I should be pretty strong by the time I start in Sweden.

My start date has been set quite a bit earlier than I expected. My birthday, the 8th of December, is the first day of the introduction week.

So it would seem that despite my best efforts, my body is far from perfect. Hopefully with a little help from my good friend scalpel we can take another step in the right direction so for now; back to the drawing board.

Friday, September 12, 2008

You Know What REALLY Grinds My Gears?

I now see the folly of my ways. Never again will I let my email address loose in cyberspace. I am now paying the price.

4-5 times a day... "Hey I would like to meet you ut I can not get msn to stay online. I am always online here ChirawanPisit-nazsyc.blogspot.com kelly :P"

What did I do to deserve a schizophrenic bot who can't spell harassing me constantly? What sins have I committed and what must I do to repent?

A look online shows I am not alone in my harassment hell but what is to be done about it?

Let us pray to the great internet god; Bless me Google for I have sinned. The sins of sinners are brought back upon me and yet they, who are not human (or rather computer programs designed to piss people off), know not what they do.

Wait, did I just resort to prayer? Now THAT really grinds my gears.

Tuesday, September 09, 2008

Still the King

The Up? It's been a long time in the making; but I finally got offered the job in Are. I had to pretty much harass poor Jonas; the director of the ski school in the north of Sweden, but I got there in the end. I got an email early last week saying that I made an excellent impression on the interviewers last time and now that I have my ski instructor's certification and a bit more Swedish under my belt? I am in. I am just waiting for a final email confirming my start date and then I am hitting up Singapore Airlines to sort out my ticket at the end of the year.

But what would good news be without a little dose of the bad to go along with it?

The Down. So I finally got an appointment with a highly coveted orthopedic surgeon here in Melbourne. It took me over 6 weeks to get in but I got to see him. About five minutes later, a quick look at my old MRI and a poke around and he could see that unlike my previous diagnosis of just a tibia fracture; I have some cartilage damage as well. Shit. I am booked in to have another MRI later this week to take a closer look at it and will most likely need surgery again in the next month or two.

The big questions are, will I make a full recovery in time? Will my insurance cover it? And will anybody ever insure me again? I did it before and I am going to do it again. I am fitter and healthier than I have ever been so I should be equipped to handle the recovery process with a vengeance.

Anyways, this is a travel blog and traveled I have. This weekend Mamma shot over to Sydney to pay my big sister a visit and nurse her through her hip surgery (what a grandma) So I decided last minute to jump on a plane and join them for the weekend. Coincidently Pappa was at Melbourne airport on his way to Sydney one hour before my flight... small world. I changed my flight over (resulting in a 4am wake up on Saturday morning for me) and met him at the airport for the first of 3 breakfasts. The weekend turned out to be a little family reunion of sorts; the first time we have all be in the same city for almost 4 years. I spent most of the weekend eating, but managed to squeeze in a quick personal training session with Amy and went out with Dad and his girlfriend of three years (who I have not had the pleasure of meeting until now) for lunch on Saturday. Mamma flew in Saturday night and we did a lot of eating and a little walking. The weather cleared up for a walk along Coogee beach before shooting back to the airport on Sunday for the flight back to Melbourne.

In the meantime. Sales sucks but it gets me money (hopefully hit my bonus and then some this month; so far so good!). Training is kick-ass but I am getting no sleep (5am wake ups and 13-14 hour days). Study is coming along very slowly, trying to squeeze in some progress but by the time I get home I am dead to the world. Ah well, I can take it. After all; I am the king of ups and downs.