More surgery: Just what I needed (really)

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Kelly VanderBeek was loathe to undergo another knee operation last week, but the decision paid off. (Armando Trovati/Associated Press)

I've written a lot about dealing with life's curveballs, bumps in the road, detours, or whatever you want to call them, over the last year. Whatever metaphor I've chosen to use, the reality is still the same: life doesn't always go as planned.

However, that isn't always a bad thing.

I flew to Calgary at the beginning of January with my ski equipment, hoping to start training and to see if we could continue moving forward on my road to recovery from knee surgery a year ago. But, after Christmas, I was feeling defeated with the progress of my knee and wondering if, being realistic, I was still "on track" to make a full recovery.

I had to be honest - my answer was no.

Looking at my knee's symptoms and the progression over the last few months, the consensus was to go into my knee again and tighten it up. The surgeons had a few procedures planned, and everyone was in agreement that this would get me back on track.

I was a bit nervous about it, never wanting to jump into surgery, but knew it was my best chance.

Cheating on my surgeon

Last Monday, I went into Banff and Dr. Heard worked on me. I have to admit, this felt like cheating on my beloved surgeon Dr. Litchfield, who is the only doc I've trusted in the past to open me up. But I knew I was in extremely capable, experienced hands.

Once inside my knee, there was about double the work to do than anticipated. This was actually a relief in a sense because, had we chosen against the surgery route, we never would have realized the extent of the problems and I would have continued to beat my head against a wall rehabbing. I can't believe I could lift, ski and bike with the condition of my knee joint!

Surgery wasn't the plan, but it ended up being exactly what I needed. I now feel stronger and mentally rejuvenated.

I'm back on track.

To see cell-phone pictures of the four days surrounding my surgery, check out my blog.

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