Cardiogirl 19 percent body fat 100 percent fun

2006-11-20

who needs med school?

|

I am currently playing physician at home and attempting to heal myself. My left knee seems to be struggling with a chronic case of Runner's Knee, technically referred to as Chondromalacia patella. Grrr.

Of course the main recommendation is to rest the knee, which interferes with working out each day. I might have to suck it up and go swimming for a while. I am sort of prissy when it comes to swimming--I don't like getting my hair wet (I'm not wearing a bathing cap) and I hate wearing a bathing suit.

Second suggestion is to ice the knee for 15 minutes at a time for the first 48 hours after the injury. I have a fozen bag of Stouffer's Skillets Chicken & Pasta resting on my knee as I type.

Third suggestion is to take some Motrin. Allow me to go off on a tangent for a moment regarding me and taking medication.

I don't like taking medicine. It doesn't matter if it's taking cough medicine or swallowing pills. I don't want to take aspirin; I don't want to take Tylenol or Pepto Bismal. I actively hate on Nyquil due to a bad childhood experience with that particular elixir.

So the source of this aversion is my mother. She never took any medication. Ever. I assumed, incorrectly, that she just had something against medication. And since I am a tough chick, just like my mother, I decided I could suck it up and deal with pain myself.

Turns out my mother has nothing against the pharmaceutical manufacturers, she just never felt pain. This, according to a conversation I had with her about five years ago. Hence, she never had any need to take over-the-counter medication and so she never did.

So now that I know that, it hasn't changed anything for me. When I am in pain I just deal with it and occasionally tell my husband, "My back is screaming like a bitch today." To which he replies, "Did you take any Motrin?"

As you may have guessed, the answer is always, "No."

Taking Motrin is not even on the radar for me. It's not the last thing that crosses my mind. It doesn't *even* cross my mind. It's like I live in the 1800s and pain medication has not been invented yet. I already take two types of "maintenance" medication daily. I just hate the idea of taking more, even if it's only temporary.

So back to my "healing" regimen: I feel like my options are to swim, ice my knee and learn how to stretch before exercise. No more meds.

My husband, on the other hand, pops pills like they're candy. He has no problem taking medication and does so regularly. His mother and family are the same way. Their cure-all tends to be ibuprofen.

My parent's cure-all was rubbing alcohol--the isopropyl kind. The one that stings like a bitch and then makes your skin feel really cold. I was in my 20s when I learned that a bleeding cut can be cleaned with 3% hydrogen peroxide and your skin won't scream in protest like it's been set on fire.

Thanks Mom and Dad. Hmm, do you think this is why I thought I had to quietly chew on a piece of bark in the corner when I felt pain?

Anyway, I'm going to give the ice-thing a whirl and decide if I can deal with my bathing suit tomorrow morning. I might try the recumbent bike instead, although it seems like a wussy kind of exercise machine to me.

|

2006-11-20 at 1:03 p.m.

last post | next post