I’ve been in school for a very long time. We’re talking 17 years of combined college and graduate school. There were occasional semesters off and breaks here and there for birthing kids and what not, but I never reached a firm stopping point. Spring 2013 is ostensibly my last semester for my graduate degree. I’ve been working on this two year degree for six years. My name is Dawn, and I am a procrastinator.

Who doesn’t procrastinate, right? Oh, right, really successful people who are doctors by the time they are twenty-five. I need some of those type-A personalities in my life to help undo my messes. My current mess is my knee issues and my failure to seek treatment in a timely manner. Can I just add here that having a body part that regularly “flares up” on you really makes you feel geriatric?

The condensed knee story: my kneecaps have dislocated on occasion since high school. No bigs. They pop back in their own and the swelling is minimal. After a few dislocations per year for several years, there is some damage. My knees crackle so loudly when I bend them that most people recoil in horror. I haven’t had ongoing pain, and I was even a regular runner in my twenties. Last summer, I started experiencing popping sensations when I walked, with some pain and swelling. I finally asked my doctor to refer me to a physical therapist, which he did…in September.

Evidence:

It is now mid-January. I am calling to make an appointment tomorrow because, after the symptoms went away last year, they returned this week. My husband was pretty incredulous about me waiting this long to call. My excuse involved the cinderblock walls of my office and poor cell reception. So lame. So jankity.

Tagged: Knee, physical therapy, procrastination