Melissa i
Strong

All summer long I waved goodbye to Adam.  Some days these goodbyes were filled with acceptance others were filled with bitter lament that I was not going climbing.

 

Working 5 nights a week, 8-10 hour shifts, was not helping the healing process of my knee (after completely tearing my ACL and partially tearing my meniscus, MCL and fracturing my tibia in February).  It was swollen every night after work and I knew if I pushed it by hiking up to climb it would get worse—I knew because of course I tried.  These were challenging days.  I turned to my sanctuary in Little Valley, our home, our climbing wall and my elliptical machine.  This is what kept me sane.  Our 60 degree wall allowed me to try with out fear of landing taking comfy back falls onto mattresses.  Even this was limited as I only climbed a few days a week because my elbow tendinitis was still and issue.

 

I tried to push my self here and there and could feel just how week and unstable that left leg was.  I started to ease back into running in August – six months after surgery which was with pain and setbacks like most of the journey but filled my being with joy getting back to things I loved.

 

SO that is what I did all summer.  Limited climbing on our wall and a few jogs here and there and worked a lot.

 

One last set back happened at the end of September one of our busiest weekends of the year.  I slipped at work, bending bad knee in and almost touching the floor with it.  Customers who had no idea I had knee surgery recently exclaimed “oh your knee” when it happened.  I was shaken up by the fall--it was more violent twisting of the knee than my actual injury.  Dr. McCarty told me that after the ACL heals it will be stronger than your other one and it was.  The ACL held and my back and hip yielded over the knee. I really did not feel like I needed any more challenges and this just sucked.  The following weekend was my birthday and I tried to make the best of it.  We hiked to Chasm Lake—8 miles round trip, my longest journey post surgery.  It was beautiful and I was happy to be able to do it but I was in more pain and limping more than I had in a while.  The next day I tried to have my first day of climbing outside since Australia (which was half-assed climbing at best) and my back completely went out.  We packed up, did the hike down and drove straight to the chiropractor.

 

So the fall was a bust.  My knee was feeling better but hip and back were messed up and are still but today not as bad and hopefully on the mend.

 

We headed to Hueco after Thanksgiving.  Adam was feeling great and ready for a vacation.  I needed to stop working so much and lay off my knee and back.  I was happy to go even with elbow tendinitis going on a year and a half, a not so completely healed knee and a jacked back—I know refer to it as the chossy* port side bing all of the ailments on the left side of my body.

 

Afraid was how I started the trip. Every warm up top out I asked Adam to spot me and even if I was three feet off the ground I was scared.

 

The good news—I was able to do some boulder problems!  I wasn’t as week as I thought and once I started moving I was actually climbing all right much to my and Adam’s surprise. I repeated some things I have done and sent a new boulder problem that was challenging Wooden Mushroom, v9/10.   The trip is not over yet so hoping for a few more before I leave.  I have found a guy in El Paso that does active muscle release and is a chiropractor who is helping me out, Dr. Ponce at Aktiv in El Paso.  I am climbing in pain some days but not making things worse--it is manageable and I am healing what I can.

 

Adam on the other hand is out of pain!  He has managed his battle with tendinitis is climbing STRONG!  I am so happy for him!  I am also so happy that I just get to be out there enjoying the time with him and friends and getting to climb around.  It feels great to become me again!