Roller derby is what keeps me going. When the stress of life, work, family, whatever, gets to me, I know that in a few days, I’m going to be able to go to practice and beat the crap out of someone, and they will thank me for it when I’m done. We have a saying in derby- You hit the ones you love harder. It’s true! Whenever my close friends hit me, they don’t just hit me. They try to take me out so I catch air on the way down. I would lose respect for them if they tried to take it easy. However, all that “love” adds up.

About a week ago, I was playing an intense game of derby, and I did what we call an accidental sexy fall. It involved doing a split, and my foot went one direction and my knee went the other. I got up, walked it off (or skated it off, as the case may be) and got back in the game. I couldn’t walk the next day.

So, I went to the doctor. As far as doctors go, I love mine. His office only smells a little bit like death and antiseptic, and he never yells at me for doing stupid stuff. He is sending me for an MRI tomorrow, and it makes me very nervous. He is worried that I might have a torn meniscus. All these things are running through my mind- What if I have to have surgery? What if it doesn’t heal right? What if I can’t skate for six months? Or longer?

Sounds bad, right? It gets worse: I found out I gained sixteen pounds since February. SIXTEEN POUNDS! And I’m supposed to lose sixteen pounds with a torn meniscus? I won’t be able to exercise until it gets better, so I guess I’ll just sit here and… eat?

Anyone have any cardio exercises I can do without straightening my leg or really using my knee at all?

-Babs