Taken Down By A Sunflower

Well, dear reader, of all the absurd things that can happen, being taken down by a sunflower has to be right up there on the list of strange happenings. A few weeks ago, I was alone in the sunflower maze, dismantling all the photo ops. The night before, it had rained heavily, so the field was wet and slippery, and sunflowers lay down all over the maze paths. You wouldn't think stepping over sunflowers would be a challenge, but let me tell you, dear reader, it was treacherous. I tripped over a sunflower stalk as thick and strong as a tree branch, couldn't get my footing in the slippery mud, and fell onto both knees. Now, dear reader, my knees are not what they should be. After a visit to my favorite ortho, I learned I am a good candidate for not one but two knee replacements. I've been gimping around for some time now. Falling onto both knees did something that I can only describe as bad. My right knee swelled, turned red, and was hot to the touch. It felt like a hot string ran from my knee to my thigh, and no matter how I positioned my leg, I couldn't get comfortable. 

After a visit to my favorite ortho, I'm considering knee replacements in January. I wanted to have both knees done at once, but my friend, the ortho, strongly advised me against it. Sigh. She told me a realistic recovery timeline is two days, two weeks, two months. Two days of hell. Two weeks later, I will feel like I can handle this, and two months later, I will be happy I made the decision. I wanted to do both knees at once and get it over with. Sigh. 

For a few weeks, I'm advised to refrain from going in with my goats since they push, shove, and usually press on the backs of my legs, and the ground is uneven. I'm going to wear a brace for a bit to keep it stabilized. I will be off my feet for about a month or so after the surgery. I'm not looking forward to this, but it is a good time of year to be out of commission. For the time being, I am going to try some physical therapy and gel shots in both knees. Hopefully, that will give me a bit of wiggle room to avoid surgery. We shall see. 

As she entered the examination room, my friend laughed and said, "So, you got taken out by the sunflowers?" Who knew sunflowers could be dangerous. Seriously, it would be way more interesting if I were taken down by a goat stampede, falling off a cliff, or even getting my foot stuck in a God-forsaken groundhog hole would be an interesting tale, but no, I got taken down by a downed sunflower. Sigh. 

On this overcast and chilly fall Wednesday, stay safe, be smart, don't get taken down by a plant, and keep washing your hands.