Thursday, April 25, 2013

April 24th - Gi (New Home)

Last night was the grand opening of the Lincoln Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Center and I was happy to be a part of it.  I went back and forth all day trying to decide if I should throw my gi on and train with everyone.  I even brought my bag in case I decided to train.  I ended up not training, I didn't want to risk it although I'm feeling decent but I still have some pain when I'm kneeling due to swelling.

The first class was an advanced class which was reserved for any student that was a colored belt or had been around for a while at Roseberry's.  I got to help distribute the waver and personal information forms to everyone that came in.  Greg's dad was there and took some pictures of class and the group picture below. 

Greg started off class with answering some questions which I was very happy with the answers to.  Some of the highlights: New students get a week free trial, there is a discount for if we refer anyone that signs up, future classes possibly include kids and morning or day classes, and the tuition information. 

They went through a warm-up of hip escapes and then started working on Shawn Williams' guard to triangle and omma plata.  At that point I was glad I didn't participate because neither of those techniques would have worked for my knee.  I left shortly after that.  I can't wait to get back to training. 


Monday, April 15, 2013

Recovery and Other Good News

I had hopes of staying up and watching the surgery take place.  Unfortunately or fortunately the meds they put in my IV and the oxygen knocked me out pretty well through most of the procedure.  I came to and the doc held up a quarter sized piece of my meniscus. The rest of the afternoon is a little fuzzy.  I went home spent most of the weekend on the couch.  I got around okay on crutches but did have some issues with stairs.  On Sunday I started testing out how much weight I could put on my leg and quit the meds.  I was able to stagger into work on Monday and I feel like it's been progressively getting better since then.

I went to my first physical therapy session today which was a little later than I was supposed to.  The therapist (Claire) was impressed with my range of motion for just having surgery, while I thought it was one of my problems.  Through some exercises and stretches she determined that my quad is not firing as well as it could be.  We went through several exercises from just tensing the muscle to squats and some balancing.  Probably the most difficult was when I had to walk over a step and then easing my heal down and kind of doing a one legged squat.  I'm happy I went, as I was considering skipping it.  I have 2 other appointments scheduled for Wednesday and Friday.

Finally Greg, Conan, and Jerad have announced that they are opening their Jiu-Jitsu school soon.  I've been excited for this for a long time but unable to talk about it. The new school will be located around 40th and O st.  I am hoping the grand opening will coincide with my recovery. I'm looking at it as a new beginning.

In light of this I visited Roseberry's dojo Thursday to return his key and I watched the end of class.  As I watched them drill side control, I really wanted to get out there but obviously couldn't.  It felt a little awkward there, like everyone was on edge.  That just may be a false perception as I felt awkward there sitting next to Mr. Roseberry.  I tried to thank him for allowing me to train at his school but I'm not sure if I got my message across.  It may be the last time I set foot in that dojo for a long time.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

April 2nd - Injury Report (Surgery Scheduled)

Saw the doctor this morning and I got what some good news.  We talked for a bit and the doc moved my leg around and asked if it hurt certain places.  He said that it wasn't severe and that I haven't caused any permanent damage to my knee.  I tried to look up what he told me, but I should have had him write it down because I can't remember for the life of me.  He made it clear that it wasn't anything major and I could live with it, but would probably continue to experience the swelling if I took it too far.  It will be an outpatient arthroscopic surgery where they will go in and snip off the torn piece.  Then I'll be on crutches for a couple of days and then around a month to recover. 

I can't help but feel a little excited and relieved.  Never thought I'd say that about having surgery.  I'll post again post surgery and hopefully be back on the mats in a month or so.