So on Sunday I was minding my own business, walking down the street (actually walking with my mother to her birthday dinner), when I suddenly trip and fall.  When I was unable to get back up again, I was a bit concerned, but we thought, oh, maybe it's just a deep bruise . We went to dinner, and I wasn't any better, so I had to let my father drive my car to the hospital.  Today I visited the orthopedist, and he showed me the x-ray film: one of the bones in my knee is broken in at least three pieces, possibly more.  Prognosis: three months on crutches (no easy feat for a single guy who lives alone in a two-floor townhouse condo), and oh, by the way, the leg won't be weight-bearing in all that time.  Tomorrow I go back to the hospital for reconstructive surgery.  (And it's likely that I will need to have this knee replaced when I get older.) This is quite possibly the scariest thing that has ever happened to me in my life.  Thankfully, my parents live nearby and are able to help care for an transport me, but losing my independence, potentially for a long time, is deeply disturbing to me. -GAWollman

<Snipped tale of woe Well....shit. It's no consolation, but ever since my knee reconstruction[1] I have been able to tell that it was going to rain within the hour. Seriously though, you should give thought to moving to a ground level abode. Bad knees[2] and stairs don't go together. [1] 24 years ago [2] And I'm sorry to say that your knees will never be the same again

(actually walking with my mother to her birthday dinner), when I suddenly trip and fall.  When I was unable to get back up again, I was a bit concerned, but we thought, oh, maybe it's just a deep bruise . We went to dinner, and I wasn't any better, so I had to let my father drive my car to the hospital.  Today I visited the orthopedist, and he showed me the x-ray film: one of the bones in my knee is broken in at least three pieces, possibly more.  Prognosis: three months on crutches (no easy feat for a single guy who lives alone in a two-floor townhouse condo), and oh, by the way, the leg won't be weight-bearing in all that time.  Tomorrow I go back to the hospital for reconstructive surgery.  (And it's likely that I will need to have this knee replaced when I get older.) This is quite possibly the scariest thing that has ever happened to me in my life.  Thankfully, my parents live nearby and are able to help care for an transport me, but losing my independence, potentially for a long time, is deeply disturbing to me. And so it should be. That's really bad news. Garrett. I'm glad you shared it with us; it's the sort of thing we need to hear if we're to remain a community. Even so, it really, really sucks hard. Did you go straight down onto the knee on concrete pavement or some such? It sure sounds like it, and if so, then you're lucky you didn't damage the hip joint as well. Melody tripped on a rug protector under a chair at work, went down on one knee, and tore the fsck out of the acetabulum on that hip. Very best wishes for your speedy and *complete* recovery. Make that speedy, complete, and *pain-free* recovery. Expect some rehab time for this, and it's going to be a real bore. Get Well Soon! Oh, and Merry Christmas.

[2] And I'm sorry to say that your knees will never be the same again Yeah. You don't realise just how useful knees are until they start bitching at you. I've had problems such that I got orthotics, followed a couple of years later by playing around with weights work, and they're still not right - I can't trust them to hold up under loads like, for example, carrying a twelve-year-old girl down some stairs. They were fine on the flats, I just felt them saying things weren't entirely happy on the stairs. (No, I didn't collapse, or drop her, but still ...) Here's hoping you beat the odds and make a complete recovery.

So on Sunday I was minding my own business, walking down the street (actually walking with my mother to her birthday dinner), when I suddenly trip and fall.  When I was unable to get back up again, I was a bit concerned, but we thought, oh, maybe it's just a deep bruise . <Snip: It wasn't a deep bruise. That sucks. My father smashed his patella into little bits a few years back, tripping over a chain slung across what appeared to be a path (at least, to people with normal night vision at 23:00 it did), and landed with his full ~18st weight on his kneecap on the lip of the gutter. That was nasty. He was overweight to begin with, and thus had greater stresses to put on that knee. He was a teacher, and spent quite a lot of time standing and walking, and we lived in Frankston.vic.au and he worked at RMIT, in Carlton. That's about 40km as the crow flies, longer on the road. Easily a 1.5 hour commute, each way. Luckily, not only was I on hand when he had the fall to get the car and drive him to hospital, but I was a student in the same department in which he was teaching, making commuting a little more convenient: I could drive, and he with his full leg cast could sprawl on the back seat. But still, not good. Not pleasant to witness, even. Good luck with that recovery.

Today I visited the orthopedist, and he showed me the x-ray film: one of the bones in my knee is broken in at least three pieces, possibly more. That sucks. At least you get to deal with it in a semi-controlled manner, rather than having to deal with an ambulance and a random emergency room. In early March, I fell and broke my left leg (tibia/fibula, below the knee).  Some tips: You can probably get some good drugs out of the deal. Nobody wants to get hooked on them, but they sure do help on the first few days.  If they are putting any _meta_l inside your knee, find out if the _meta_l comes in a kit with the (shiny!) installation tools.  Sometimes they treat the tools as single-use items and they might be willing to give them to you if you ask. Dealing with reduced mobility was a moderate PITA, but I got used to it. For long distances I got good at using the crutches and for short distances I got good at driving an office chair with rollers.  The first few times at the grocery store I used the little electric cart, and then later I could use a regular cart as a crutch.  I did luck out in that my house is one story and my daily driver is an automatic.  The crutch tips were rubber and did OK on dry surfaces but not very well on wet surfaces; I _think_ you can get spiky tips which may work better at this time of year.  By mid-June I was off of the crutches. Having given the above words of encouragement (?), I must also give some words of warning: The healthcare billing system [0] in the United States is utterly, totally, and completely fscked.  I am not talking about the cost of the care or the fact that many people don't have health insurance.  I am talking about the complete inability of anyone in the medical business to send out an accurate bill to the correct address in a reasonable time _frame_, and to properly credit payments to the account. Even if you have health insurance that pays for everything, at least one of the bills will be sent to you personally, marked 120 days past due and threatening collections.  Certified mail, return receipt requested is your friend.  On the bright side, your experience in dealing with lusers without going postal will be very helpful to you; don't hesitate to rant early and often here or elsewhere. Matt Roberds [0] I know, s/ billing// .  That's a discussion on strategy and I am     talking about tactics.