rumbler

I was encouraged by the nurses in the student health center to have my knee checked out by the sports doctor that comes in at 3:00 on Wednesday. It was still pretty swollen and immobile, but I was sure that it was fine. Well, on Wednesday the doc starts to check me out. He moves the leg in and out, moves the kneecap and I say "ouch". "Did it hurt?" he asks... It didnt, but it popped in a way that surprised me and I let him know about it. He has a concerned look on his face.

"Do you have an 18 gauge needle?" he asks the nurse. This shocks me, when I know that's not a small needle. She has the same look on her face, and the doctor goes back to find it himself. He looks for swabs, so the nurse pours some alcohol into a paper cup and gets a sterile bandage. I guess they arent equipped to drain synovial cavities at UTSA.

And drain it he did. He pulled 60ml of blood out of my joint, and then he was able to make a diagnosis. I've torn my cartilage from my femur, and it needs to be surgically removed. This is great for me since I won't be covered by health insurance for a few months. I ask the doctor if their is any way that I can wait until I'm covered by insurance. The only money I have is my grant, and I just got it, but it would about cover it. He found out about my age, and that I wasn't covered by my mom's insurance. Then I heard a doctor say something that I never thought I would hear.



"I'll donate it. Let me make a few calls and see if we can find someone to donate an MRI."

On Thursday I received an MRI on my knee. Next week I'll have surgery on my knee. I'll need another, but I'll wait until I'm covered by insurance. I'm going to have to re-evaluate my cynicism about the humanity.