Frankenstein

The sticky strips that they put on you after stitches come out have finally come off.  They just kinda lose their tacky quality and come off over time.  In doing so, they slowly reveal the scarring from surgery and let you see what your permanent reminder is going to look like.  Mine are very similar to the scars that Frankenstein's monster had on his forehead.  Of course, mine are on my knee and leg, but they look the same.  A line about two inches long runs straight down and on each side are 4 smaller horizontal lines.  They are evenly spaced and all the same size.  The symmetry is nice.  I won't have to look at a lopsided mess on my leg skin for the rest of my life.  The scope holes are also healed up, and they are smaller versions of the large incision scar.  Apparently rubbing vitamin E on the scars will make them less obvious, but they aren't that huge to begin with, and most of the year I wear pants.  I live in New England and the only time that shorts are useful as a clothing option are the summer and when you have a big ass brace that pants have trouble overcoming in a comfortable way. 

I don't mind the scars, I knew they were going to be there and I knew they were going to be drastic.  I am happy that they are even and normal looking.  Now, it seems as though NBA players are trying to be like me and get ACL surgery.  NBA Most Valuable Player Derrick Rose blew out his knee, and Knicks guard Iman Shumpert did the same thing.  Shumpert's injury looked a lot like mine.  It was a cutting/stopping injury accident, where Rose's was a landing awkward type injury.  That sucks for both players and their teams, especially for the Bulls, as Rose was their best player.  On the bright side for da Bulls, he has been suffering from lingering injuries and knicks for a part of the season, and so the team is used to playing without him.  Pundits are talking about conditioning and the style of play for Rose, but conditioning and strength has nothing to do with it.  The injury is usually the result of an accident, and unless you have cinder blocks for quads, you are going to injure the ACL if you bend the knee incorrectly.  The only real protection is a stability brace, but no NBA player is going to want to have the same apparatus that an NFL lineman wears.  Basketball has a different athletic skill set than a lot of sports, and quick cutting, stopping and agility is a major part of that.  ACL and ankle injuries are going to happen.  A lot.  The nature of the game and the speed at which it is played almost provokes knees and ankles to break down and fall apart.  But those are the inherent risks of the game.  Trust me.  I found out the hard way.

SD