Overheard at work

White woman in her mid-30s, to co-worker: "For reals?"

October is breast cancer awareness month

My mom is a 6-plus-year survivor of breast cancer. Because of her fight to overcome cancer, I feel I owe it to her to keep myself healthy, do self exams and get mammograms. We all have our personal causes. No soapbox here. I just want you to know that October is breast cancer awareness month. So, take a few minutes to know the facts (www.breastcancer.org) and, if you know a survivor, give her a hug.

Overheard

While having blood drawn: "I won’t believe (evolution) is true until a monkey walks out of the jungle and asks for a job."

Doc, it hurts … an update

The doctor diagnosed me as having Patellofemoral Syndrome – which isn’t nearly as sexy as it sounds. It means my knee cap is out of alignment. If you look it up on the internet, you’ll find it is sometimes known as “secretary’s knee” or “housemaid’s knee.” Nice. But, it turns out that it’s not an old-person’s disease but rather something that happens to active people. So, eat right, exercise, die anyway.

There is also medial collateral and lateral laxity, which means my knee ligaments are too stretchy side to side. Knees apparently are only supposed to bend one way.

The good news for me was that the doctor didn’t use the words “surgery” or “MRI.” I really don’t want to be stuck in a tube or have to “go under the knife.” Instead, I’ll be seeing a physical therapist. And, she recommended putting orthotics in my shoes. I can do that.

So, I’ll live to ski again – in case you were worried about me.

It hurts when I do this

Remember the old joke about the guy who goes to his doctor? “Doc,” he says, “It hurts when I do this.” The doctor replies, “Well, don’t do that.”

It’s a lousy joke but I’m thinking about it because I’m seeing the doctor today for my sore knee. It hurts when I squat or kneel or wear high heels for an extended period of time or if I put weight on it the wrong way. So, “don’t do that” isn’t really an option. And, because I bought skis this year, not being able to squat or twist is also not an option.

I don’t know what I did to my knee. It’s an old injury – from when I was about 12. I don’t know what I did to it then either. I was running around outside with my cousin all day and I was fine. The next day, I stepped down off a stool and my knee went POP. Ick. I spent a day in the ER with the doctor finally saying he thought I tore a cartilage and putting me in a cast for four weeks … in the middle of summer … in central Illinois. It was an awful summer. Years later while playing sports in high school I went to a sports medicine doctor who told me my chart said I may have cracked my kneecap. Ick.

Since then I have kept up with exercise and weight lifting and have only had minor aches in that knee. But recently it has been giving me trouble. Blame age but it started quite suddenly and has been getting better and worse with no real connection to my activity level. So, with ski season approaching, I’m going to see the doctor. I expect X-rays and possibly an MRI. Let’s hope she doesn’t just say, “Don’t do that.”