I landed on my knees during last night’s ice skating lesson. I landed hard. But after a while, I picked myself up and did another couple of laps then went home. I was sore but I could still walk.

Today is a slightly different story. I can walk but it is uncomfortable to do so, and feels like my left leg above the knee is filled with water, kind of like a water balloon. I made a few noises about how my leg hurts but that didn’t get much of a response from Glen.

We went to the gym, came back, and I sat at my desk for a couple of hours doing work, occasionally getting up and grumbling about how my leg hurts.

Finally, I convinced Glen to have a look.

“Um, you’ve got a knee effusion,” he says, in a way that makes me think I’ve done some serious damage.

After a bit more prodding and poking, and saying again that I’ve got a knee effusion, I ask, “And what is a knee effusion?”

Apparently it’s fluid caused by trauma (or something like that). Luckily it doesn’t look like anything is broken, just swollen, and I should RICE (rest-ice-compress-elevate) it.

Once he told me this, I quickly elevated my leg and then asked for a compression bandage and some ice, to which Glen said I could probably do without the compression.

“But that’s just RIE,” I cried. “And you haven’t brought me an ice pack so all I’m getting is RE!”

(Of course, I was resting so couldn’t possibly get up and walk the two metres to the freezer. Who knew what extra damage I’d do?)

Glen thinks I’m milking it, I’m just trying to make him an even better, more sympathetic and caring doctor.

He’s gone to the shops now to get lunch and perhaps buy a compression bandage. He did give me a bag of frozen berries before he left.

Amusement aside though, I’m hoping this has healed by Saturday because we’re going dog sledding on Sunday and there’s no way I’m going to miss that. To make sure, I’d better lie down for the next couple of days. I’m sure Glen won’t mind.

(And maybe I should buy some knee guards for ice skating. This is the second time I’ve had a bad fall on my knees.)