Lucky number 18!

    I say lucky number 18 because it sounds like I'm going from just having my 17th surgery and now I might be going on to lucky number 18. We will see what the doctors and I decide. Surgery has become routine for me, like brushing my teeth, as I've said in the past.  In October I had a major surgery where they broke my femur and straightened it up so that it wasn't bone rubbing on bone.  They put in a plate and 8 screws! I'm a crazy metal women you could say.  Since they straightened it all out it was doing great until this past month. I tried ignoring it. It first started getting really painful to walk up and down the stairs. Then my knee cap (patella and patella tendon) started popping and really weird feeling. I've had popping knees before but this is definitely a different, not normal, pop. Its been really painful.  Then I woke up with bad circulation in my leg, it started bruising in areas and turning a greenish color.  I would say its just me to turning into the mighty Hulk OBVIOUSLY but that's not so much the case.  My doctor at the University of Utah said months back since we fixed the alignment of my leg it was definitely a possibility of something like this happening. 
 This morning I woke up really discouraged and in tears because sometimes it just really sucks. I know I will make the best of it.  I always find a way to have fun but it doesn't make it easy. Pain is pain and pain is part of the game. Tomorrow I have a doctors appointment with one of my Provo doctors and then Monday I have a appointment with my U of U doctor . So I guess all I gotta say is bring it on my friends :)

" Happiness is not absence of a load."

- David Bendar

Happiness is understanding that the load is worth it because blessings and learning can come from pain. I've learned that even though it can really stink sometimes, the load is well worth it. I'll continue to walk. If walking comes with the cost of having more surgeries, then so be it!  Happiness is being grateful for the things you do have and for the things that you have to work at to get. 

A few cool pics of my surgery in October.  

(This is a X-Ray of both legs. You can slightly see the dotted line going up and down both legs.  You can see on the left that it is alright straight but the right one, with the screws from a past surgery, you can see is very off.  That is why they went in and broke the femur and aligned it.)

(Here is the femur from after the surgery. As you can see, they went through the bone, straightened it, and put a plate and 8 screws)  p.s don't worry I can still get through airport security without being locked up;)