Aug
24
2008

Progress Update: August 24, 2008

Posted by Double Eagle in My Progress

Stack and Tilt Golf Swing Videos by Medicus Golf

Progress?  What progress?

Last Saturday I went to the driving range for a morning practice session.  I was feeling pretty good and was hitting the ball as well as any time in the last year.

For 15 shots anyway.

After a routine 7-iron, I suddenly couldn’t put any weight on my right leg because of pain in the knee.  It was awful.  There was no pop or snap or anything that would have signaled me that something went wrong during the swing.  It was just intense pain as I tried to put weight on it.

I hobbled over to a bench and sat down for a few minutes.  It felt fine while I was sitting, but any weight on it and the pain was probably a seven on a scale from zero to ten.

I limped about 300 yards to my car and drove home.  I took some Aleve and iced the knee.  As long as I didn’t put any weight on it, the pain was very low but walking was an adventure.

After a couple of days, the pain while walking was no trouble, but there’s a slight amount of swelling and a general unstable feeling.  First thing Monday morning, I called my usual sports medicine place and was disheartened to learn that the closest opening they had was almost two weeks.  Since the pain was very manageable, I took it.

The past week has been a psychological nightmare.  I had my ACL repaired in that knee about 15 years ago, but haven’t really had any problems since then, other than a slight loss in range of motion.  When that injury happened, there was absolutely no question that a catastrophic injury had occurred.  This time, I never saw it coming.

It’s depressing to not be able to play golf in general, but much more so since I was doing so well.  Not only that, but the last surgery I had on that knee was a very unpleasant experience that’s still burned into my brain after fifteen years.  I don’t even know if I did something that will require surgery, but the anxiety of not knowing is killing me.

At first, I thought I might be on my way to recovery, but since the initial improvement, I’ve had two more high-pain episodes that have happened while doing nothing but walking around my apartment.  They both lasted around a day or so.

My appointment is coming up on Friday afternoon and I’m guessing there will be some tests ordered.  I’m betting on yet another MRI.  I hate those.

I’m obviously not a medical professional, but if I had to bet money, I’d guess that some of the knee cartilage might be causing some trouble.  I know from my last surgery that it was damaged when I originally tore my ACL so maybe it’s having some trouble.  Of course, it could be a sprain, strain, tear, rupture or anything in between.  I can say for sure that my knee doesn’t feel wobbly like it did then, so maybe it’s not anything too terrible.

This is the longest stretch that I haven’t been able to play golf since I started this journey and it’s a big downer.  To add insult to injury, the weather this August has been the best I can remember in my lifetime.

I’ll be hanging in until Friday, wishing for bad weather so I don’t feel like I’m missing out.  I’ll post an update when I find out what’s going on.  Since I’m not spending time on golf, I had hoped my posting frequency would increase, but I’m finding it difficult to put my heart in it right now.  Please bear with me while I sort that out.

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There are currently 11 responses to “Progress Update: August 24, 2008”

  1. 1

    bobby said:

    If you hadn’t had the previous knee problems, I would have suggested it might be a “bakers cyst” which was my personal pain in the ass a few months ago…anyway, good luck…

    b

    Posted on August 24th, 2008 at 11:12 pm

  2. 2

    Greg B. said:

    Sorry to hear of your troubles Mike. It sounds like you can’t even work on putting or chipping. While I have not had any knee problems, I know what it’s like to be on the sideline waiting for injury to heal (hernia and twice with intercostal strains). I don’t know if you’re a gamer or not, but I played a lot of Tiger Woods PGA Tour on xbox, and PC while I waited to heal. I also found a great free online game called “Shot Online” which is very addictive.

    Speedy recovery to you bud,
    -G

    Posted on August 25th, 2008 at 9:31 am

  3. 3

    Double Eagle said:

    Thanks, Guys.

    I’m definitely a gamer, Greg. Tiger Woods ‘09 comes out tomorrow, so I have a feeling I’m going to be playing it a lot.

    Posted on August 25th, 2008 at 10:58 am

  4. 4

    Suz said:

    Sorry to hear that you’re laid up Double Eagle! Hope that you get back into shape real quick- golf on computer just isn’t the same!

    Going to my first driving range meet-up this week with some other girlfriends who want to get better at golf. I’ll have to reccomend your blog to them!

    Posted on August 25th, 2008 at 5:44 pm

  5. 5

    TP Golf Online said:

    Sorry to hear that Mike. I am in the same boat myself right now. I had my gall bladder removed on Aug 8 and have not swung a club since. Waiting for the follow up appointment with my doctor before I try to swing. My fear is being too impatient and hurt my game for the long term.

    Have fun with TW 09. Heard it has a walk on water mode.

    Posted on August 26th, 2008 at 12:01 pm

  6. 6

    Double Eagle said:

    That’s no fun, TP. I had my gall bladder out last October. My doctor fully cleared me after two weeks, and I was back swinging within 3 weeks, but I was having a lot of pain around the incisions after driving range sessions, so I just took it easy for a couple more weeks (fewer shots, slower tempo), then I was fine.

    I saw the TW walk on water mode circulating the internet this week. The video that Tiger and EA did in response was awesome!

    Posted on August 26th, 2008 at 12:08 pm

  7. 7

    Double Eagle said:

    Actually, that reminds me that my gall bladder surgery was the longest stretch I went without playing. But by then it was getting into late fall, so it wasn’t as depressing because the weather was turning cold anyway.

    Posted on August 26th, 2008 at 12:13 pm

  8. 8

    TP Golf Online said:

    I have tried a few swings at a slow speed but without a ball. I still get a couple reminders during the day that my abs are still healing and wishing I was in my 20’s so I could recover faster.

    This year I have played the most since our youngest child was born. But it is not enough to remain competitive. The scores are still respectable though.

    Posted on August 26th, 2008 at 11:21 pm

  9. 9

    Double Eagle said:

    Yeah, those abs were trouble for a little while. A couple of times, I thought I ripped something back open internally, but after a day or two I was back to normal. Looking back, I probably should have eased in just a little more, maybe waiting 4 weeks, but my doctor cleared me, so what the heck.

    I kind of liken it to my ACL replacement way back when. Even after I was cleared to play hockey again, it was a long time before I could do anything without pain and fear of re-injury. I figure the ab pain was just natural and I probably wasn’t in danger of tearing anything.

    Posted on August 27th, 2008 at 12:39 pm

  10. 10

    Kelley said:

    Hi Mike-

    I just came across your blog for the 1st time…great site! This is my first season playing and I’m fully addicted- I can only imagine how hard it must be to get through an injury. I’ll keep checking back for updates and wish you all the best.

    Posted on August 28th, 2008 at 8:07 pm

  11. 11

    Double Eagle said:

    Thanks for coming by, Kelley. I hope you stay addicted to golf. There are worse things, right? ;)

    Posted on August 28th, 2008 at 8:35 pm

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