Fix you

You can fix something that's broken. But then is it really ever as good as it once was?

Something feels off and it's hard to tell if the injury was meant to tell us that we should be moving on to other sports and things in life. Or is it just that we just aren't as fast or athletic as we once were? Not that we were ever really that good to begin with but it's really hard to accept being not good.

You work so hard to overcome something. You dedicate. Sacrifice. Endure. Then, when you get there and it's not quite how you envisioned it or remembered it, that really sucks.

A few more Ultimate games left this season. Will continue to work on getting better.

After that, hopefully it'll all be clearer.

First point

That's pretty much all there is to say. Scored our first point post-surgery at Ultimate frisbee last night. Didn't do much else...

Discovered our big weakness, too. Got strength back... Got endurance back....

But we have a very slow reaction time.

Time to work on agility!

That was embarrassing...

We hadn't been wearing the knee brace at all in the last few years. Not a big fan of that chunky thing...

It never even occurred to us that ignoring the brace all this time would be a problem. The straps are numbered. How hard could it be to put it on? 1, 2, 3 ...

So we strapped it on how we thought it should be strapped on during our first game of Ultimate. Right away, the large gaps on each side of me where noticeable. Was the brace too small? Had I shrunk? How could that be??

Mireille played anyways but vowed to get the brace checked out right away. We can't play like this all season...

Called the store where the brace was purchased and we went in right away. The guy asked me to put on the brace.

I secured the first strap and the guy fixed it. Secured the second strap and the guy fixed it again... And so on! Mireille could see where this was going. In the end, the brace fit like a glove.

"It happens all the time."

Of course...

"Nervous a bit? I couldn't tell..."

Finally it stopped raining for a bit... Ultimate frisbee season kicked off!

Last night was our first time back on the field for a game and it was quite strange. It almost felt like we had never stopped. Except the heavy brace was a reminder... Mireille probably should have practiced a bit with it beforehand. It ain't easy lugging that thing around.

We were very cautious out there. Had to test what we could do. The first half of the game, we didn't do too much... Just tried to keep up with our opponent!

The second half was much better. Caught and made a few passes. Ran a bit harder.

The highlight of the game was when the guy from the other team was plowing towards Mireille. She reacted the way someone would when you see a mouse in your kitchen. She lost all her cred in that moment...

Mireille would like to think the highlight was when she made the pass that won us the game. Hopefully, that overshadows the incident...

Today we are going to get our brace adjusted. The leg has changed quite a bit since it was originally sized. The leg workouts are paying off.

My turn

My fellow ACL bloggers have been churning out 2 year post-op updates so I'm feeling the pressure to follow suit.

Here's a quick summary:

1. Occasional cracking during some yoga poses.
2. No more numbness.
3. Still got some scar tissue. Probably because Mireille was too squeamish to massage the wound. I've made peace with the fact I might be dented forever...
4. Still can't bend quite as much as good knee but the difference is barely noticeable. Only a problem for certain yoga poses.
5. Experience some pain when kneeling on hard surfaces. Not sure it will ever go away because the padding was shaved down during surgery.
6. "Bad" leg is same size as "good leg".

Ouch

Lately, our workouts have shifted to include stuff that will whip us back into shape for Ultimate frisbee. That means jogging and some good leg exercises. But there's a problem...

Mr. Right Knee is hurting.

I'm fine, of course. Heck, I got fixed and I'm new and improved. I can handle the workouts... But buddy over here is sore all over!

Must be all that over-compensation coming back to haunt us.

If it's not one, it's the other. *sigh*

Back in action

It is official.

We've signed up to play Ultimate frisbee again. This is going to be interesting... Haven't played in 2.5 years. However, Mireille still practiced her throws. So that shouldn't be an issue. It's going for the disc that is scary... Hope no one throws it to us in the end zone. The pressure!

For anyone reading this with an injured ACL, don't worry. It's not that it took that long to recover. I also had a baby during that time. Caused further delay...

Of course, I'll be suited up in a knee brace for insurance.

Despite some fear, we are looking forward to it!!