44 - when you feel you're still young, but...

I meant to post something on my 44th birthday which fell on 14th May, 2012 that day, but, somehow I didn't get the chance to do so.

44. Somehow, I feel that this is the age where you can safely say that you are neither young nor old. I don't know. It just feels that way.

One thing for sure, the last one year running to my 44th birthday, I certainly could feel that I was becoming older.

Riddled with a few health issues, I realized that all this while, the mind was saying, "Ok", but, the body was saying, "Hold on!" And because of that, I had been on MC for nearly 6 months (in the last 10 months!) and have become a regular at Dr. Soong's (my Orto surgeon) clinic at TMC.

In a nutshell -

An MRI scan done in July last year showed a tear on my right knee meniscus, after I injured myself while playing badminton. Sangka terror, kan? Didn't do proper stretching, kan? Anyway, for that I was given 2-months MC, and was on crutches for 8 weeks.

As if that wasn't bad enough, I then managed to slip in the shower in November (did a semi-split in the shower I did!) and had to go for another MRI which showed a tear on the ligament on my right hip, and was given a 3-month MC pulak. The MRI also showed that I also had a mild slipped disc between my C5-C6. I was off work since 26 December 2011 until 31 March 2012, and was advised to minimize my movement during those 3 months. Now, tell me, how laaarr to minimize your movement?!

I reported back for duty early April, but, was given a Certificate for Light Duties for 6 weeks, whereby I was told not to carry, push or pull heavy loads, and not to go up and down the stairs. Again, how laaaarrr?!

And because of the "How laaaarrr?!" I started having the EXACT same symptoms I had on my right hip on my left hip pulak beginning the month of May, and I had to go for a third MRI last week, and lo and behold, Dr Soong found that I had another tear on my left hip ligament lah pulak.

Olympics gymnast pun tak suffer injuries macam ni, kan? LOL!! :)

I REALLY don't know what actually happened which may have caused this latest injury as I had been extra cautious in the last 6 months.

The only explanation is that I may have had the injury at the same time when I slipped in the shower in November, but, as I didn't have any pain there then, no MRI was done on that side. And somehow, when I reported for duty in April, the injury might have exacerbated.

And Dr. Soong has given me another 2 weeks of MC, and I am to see him again end of next week.

He has ruled out Avascular necrosis (AVN), syukur alhamdulillah. But, he will be running some tests next week to rule out any autoimmune disease. And I pray hard that it's not that, insya Allah.

And what I'm scared to tell him next week is that, in the last few days, I've started having quite severe referred pain down my spine to the back of my right knee. An indication that my mild slipped disc may have been aggravated in the last 3 months, too...

I pray to Allah SWT semoga dipermudahkan segala urusan, and semoga disembuhkan segala kesakitan dan penyakit, and to give me strength to go through this small dugaan in life.

I see my injuries and pain as being very mild compared to others who suffer bigger health challenges than me, and I panjatkan kesyukuran to HIM. Alhamdulillah.

And I make do'a for better health from now on, insya Allah...