The year that Tiger and I combined for 2 ACL surgeries and 1 US Open Championship

Blog #2

Well at least I know that I am good company: http://sports.yahoo.com/golf/pga/news?slug=ap-woodsfuture&prov=ap&type=lgns

Yes, el Tigre tore his ACL last year and then finished second in the Masters and won the US Open in arguably his best victory.

Here are the questions that I need to ponder as I decide which surgery to have:

1. Which surgery – using my own patellar tendon (autograft) or a cadaver (something-else-graft) will be the best long term solution? Specifically, which will be better as an ACL in the future? The second part of this question is how will be knee react to having 2/3 of a patellar tendon?

2. Taking away the risk of infection, what are the risks of using my patellar tendon vs. the risks of a cadaver? Are they both strong? Is one stronger than the other? How does this compare to my old ACL, i.e. will a reconstructed ACL be stronger than it was before?

3. What is the recovery time on each surgery? How much time will it take to return to “normal” activity? What’s the return time to sports activity?

4. How will my patellar tendon fare with just 2/3 remaining? Does this re-grow?

5. What supplements should I be taking before and after surgery?

6. What is Tiger Woods doing? He’s the best in the world! I want to see his doctor!

I am scheduled to see 2 other doctors on Monday – the one that did Eric’s ACL (cadaver) and the one that did Alison’s ACL (her own patellar). I am also going to see Dr. D again to go over these concerns that I have. Andy, Alison’s dad and with whom I’ve been playing basketball for 4 years, put it bluntly – both options suck!

So now I will get into the psychological part that I am dealing with. As I mentioned, last Friday morning was D-Day for the ACL – getting the news only confirmed what I knew since I couldn’t move my leg and the swelling wasn’t receding. I cancelled my noon client and then went to the pool – I had to wrap my head around the idea of surgery, rehab, being immobilized for weeks, and losing both my fitness level now and long-term. The goals I had this summer: rock climbing, dunking, and getting down to 8% body fat are out the window. It just sucks not being able to do the things that I am used to, especially in the summer, which is my favorite season (hey, I’m from Maryland – heat and humidity are welcome; you can have the cold). It has taken this injury to make me realize how important fitness and health is to me. I know that generally speaking, it’s better to be healthy than not, but for me, being active is both my hobby and my career. It’s been a struggle this past week training as I can’t demonstrate, participate, and, mainly, motivate as well, or at all, as I typically do.

Next, I will catalog the exercises that I have been doing and the diet that I am going on to minimize weight gain and muscle loss.