  So here is the update of the year. Saturday morning I went to test for my blue belt. When my turn to test came I was really excited and pumped. Ready to really show how hard I had studied and practiced. I was gonna look friggin' awesome. I started out strong and was looking pretty good. Then it happened. I tried a spinning back kick and I screwed up BIG TIME.
I made the biggest mistake you could make. I was focusing on the kick itself so it would look perfect and did not give my foot positions enough attention. I planted my left foot. When I spun, everything above my left knee spun, everything below it did not. I spun right into the floor and screamed like a little girl. It was the most instantaneous and unbelievable pain I have ever felt. Mostly I was just damn scared. When it happened there was a VERY loud pop. Several people heard it.
Then it felt like something was tried to shoot out the side of my knee. I a panicked a little. After about a minute or two I got the pain was gone and I got a grip on myself. My first thought was "I don't want to drive a car". Then all I could really feel was disappointed. I was really looking forward to showing Sifu and Sihing how well they had taught me.
I had studied and praticed so hard. I was also feeling bad about scaring everyone. I was picked up off the floor and discovered that even the slightest weight on my left leg and my knee would buckle. I can't walk. I can hop on one foot though! Hopped off the floor, got myself together, and hopped to my bike. It took a bit of effort to get on the bike, but once there I was fine. Rode the bike home, changed clothes, then Mark took me to the ER in the truck. Spent 30 or 40 minutes in the ER waiting room, then another hour in an ER bed until a doc came to see me.
Well, not a doc. I was treated by a physicians assistant. An abrupt, condescending, PA who really annoyed me. She really did not listen to a thing I said. The PA left, and 20 minutes later I met the ortho. I got a good feeling from him and have decided to let him handle my treatment. They consensus from the docs is that I tore my ACL (anterior cruciate ligament). Just so you know this is not horrible, but it is bad. Some websites for info: http://www.sportsinjurybulletin.com/archive/0281a-acl-knee-injury.htm http://www.aclsolutions.com/ I have to call the doc's office on Tuesday to get my MRI scheduled.
This will confirm the tear and see if it is complete. It will also determine if anything else in my knee is damaged. I am pretty much looking at surgery. It will be arthroscopic surgery so I won't have any big scars. They will take a dead guys donated ACL and replace mine. Kinda cool. In the mean time Mark has rigged up a way for me to carry my crutches and such on my bike.
I did the first test of the system this morning. I made it to work on my motorcycle all by myself! Thank goodness, riding is like breathing to me. I would lose my mind if I couldn't ride. Dealing with my leg being stuck straight out and these damn crutches has not gone to well though. Seems like every five minutes I am presented with yet something else I can't do. The simplest things are now a huge production.
Just getting up and going down the hall takes a great effort. Forget negotiating the stairs in and out of garage. On top of this there is a lot of muscle pain associated with learning the cructhes. My upper body hurts more than my knee. You would be amazed at how many muscles you use for crutches. The arms aren't even half of it. When this is over I am gonna have rock hard abs and serious right cross punch. This all has led to a great deal of frustration. Of course with me, frustration leads to cranky, bitchy, angry, demanding, and all around hell to be with. I will owe Mark a LOT of serious pampering when I get better. 
