This past frigid cold and snowy weekend I completed my last 3 day OCS (Officer Candidate School) drill here in Utah. We complete three of these drills once a month prior to shipping off to a full time duty training station. For Guard OCs around the country it will be in Ft. McClellan, AL. Here's a very cool video not made by me that shows a bit of what it's like.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tDeP_snKUI
As you can see the first portion is not very fun. It includes alot of yelling, pushups and other exhausting excercises while they yell in your face for not making the correct decision after they taught you what it was or if you fail to make a decision at all. Believe me, failing to make a decision is worse than making the wrong one! The phase we just completed here in Utah totals 1 week long and it's called Phase-0. In Alabama we complete Phase 1-3 in steps, assuming we graduate to the higher step. This will be my second time around starting Phase-1. If you'll recall I shipped out for Phase-I this past June but had to drop due to a painfully nagging knee injury. I came back to Utah and limped through Phase-0 all over again (yep you have to start from the very beginning if you drop! BUMMER.).
KNEE SURGERY
And so Monday morning after my last OCS drill in Utah I was in the Tooele hospital to have my knee scoped by my orthopedic doctor. This surgery was my last resort as x-rays, physical therapy and MRIs have proved to show nothing of what is bothering my knee. I can walk just fine most of the time but once the knee is stressed or pushed beyong normal people limits: running long distances, carrying heavy loads or going up and down hills or stairs, it starts to really hurt. And since in OCS you RUN EVERYWHERE, there was just no way I could complete the course with my knee the way it is. Or should I say was, at least I hope. We'll see in a week when the swelling goes down and I can take my bandage off and the stitches are out and it heals up.
So there I was in a gown and a huge IV in my arm and getting briefed on the gurney they had me on. The anesthesiologist briefed us on how he'd put me under and monitor me. Needless to say LaShawn was freaking out. Didn't help we had watched a show the night before about people waking up during an operation still under paralysis of the drugs but though not able to move can feel everything. I wasn't worried.
The next thing I remember is the anthesiologist saying I'll give you some feel good medicine and then we'll put you under with some gas and other stuff. Well I remember him injecting the feel good/relaxer med into me and I'm awake feeling groggy. 15mins later I can see straight and LaShawn is there. My knee starts pounding a little bit; you know, the feeling you start to get right before flaring pain comes. So they asked if I wanted some pain med. I said yes thinking I'd get an ibuprofin. Nope, they gave me a Lortab. That was a mistake. That combined with coming out of surgery made my whole day a gross nightmare.
As soon as I got home I felt sick to my stomache and head. I hate the whole naseau thing but even worse when your head feels worse than your stomache. Maybe they're hand in hand? Anyhow, I tried to drink water to quell my stomache but it didn't work. I eventually vomited up the crackers, cranberry juice and water they gave me with the Lortab. I felt better but not well so I laid down. Later in the day I decided to get up and hobble to Wal-Mart. Big mistake. My head starts to spin as soon as I get out of the car and I'm feeling queasy. I wait in line for 5 mins hoping to get out and to the bathroom. It wasn't too be as such because I told the lady I had to go to the bathroom and she said she was almost done. When I told her I had to throw up she didn't say anything else. I made it into the bathroom but not before upchucking into my hand and trying to hold it in my mouth and hand. Finally I got to a stall and let loose. I barfed until I was dry heaving. At least I felt better and I cleaned up, returned to the counter and then left for home where LaShawn cared for me with chicken soup broth and ramen noodles the rest of the night.
One good bonus of this is my insomnia has taken a vacation and I've been able to sleep very well and deeply. Is it the 4-5 hours of sleep while at OCS or the amnesia or whole experience? Who knows, who cares? I'm sleeping and I'm feeling well. Oh and what was found in my knee? Doc found a bunch of loose tissue and cartilage which he cleaned up. Unfortunately it revealed a crack in my cartilage of the knee. This can only be cured through not running, lots of chondritin and glucosamine and luck. So I'm trying to do just that. OCS full time is coming up which I will have to get through and I think I can. After that I think regular running for fun is out of the question for at least six months as I try to get my cartilage to heal up, a hefty task.
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