Nikki's ACL Surgery

by Nikki M. Ortiz
(Conroe,Texas)

Hello, my name is Nikki. This coming Thursday (01-11-09) I will have my ACl and my Meniscus repaired. I’m scared... They gave me 2 choices that I could pick from. They all have ups and downs, one take longer to recover. The other stretches over time. I’m a pretty active person. I don’t want to have complications down the road because of the type of surgery I chose. So! It all began 4 years ago, I decided to ride a stupid horse.( No offence to horse lovers, I love horses too.....while I’m looking up at them...on the GROUND ha-ha) My friend had her horse over and she seemed pretty friendly. We both jumped on her back. Bare-foot and bare-back. We live out in Conroe, Texas so there is allot of trees. We rode in and out of trails; it was really fun I have to admit. My friend and I decided it was time to go home and rest. We were in the middle of the street riding home. The horse saw green grass on the side of the road and headed straight for it. While she got close to the dirt a twig flicked the side of her ear and that’s when all hell broke loose. She took off with both of us still on her running as fast as she could. Luckily she was still on the dirt (Thank God). My friend and I started slipping sideways and finally we fell. When I was falling my leg was extended to I try to catch the ground as I fell. Bad idea. My leg hit the ground and that was the end of it. My friend fell with me and landed on my butt and the back of my legs. She was not injured. (She landed on a big pillow) There was no pain at that second. Then out of nowhere it hurt so bad I couldn’t breathe. It got so swollen it got stuck and I couldn’t move it. My now ex-friend jumped of me and ran after the horse. She left me to die. (That how the pain felt...ha-ha) Luckily before the horse got spooked we passed an old man’s farm, All the horses from his pens were running to the fence because they knew something was wrong. The old man came down the road in his truck. He seen me and immediately pulled over and helped me in his truck and drove me home. That man was a life saver. To this day I have never seen this man again to thank him. And the rest well u knows what happens.... I will think twice before I go riding on a horse. And Ill choose my friends more wisely. I don’t know how the surgery is going to affect the rest of my life but I hope it turns out for the best.