THANK YOU REDDIT!

My first Reddit post went very well! Actually, it went a hundred times better than I could have ever imagined (I know everyone says that, but I'm being serious here!) Thanks so much Redditors! You know who you are!
In case you missed out, my AMAA (Ask Me Almost Anything) can be found here. I have 15 upvotes as of now, and most people that make it to the front page of Reddit have about two thousand or more. So, I still need your help to make my lifelong dream come true (I know this sounds corny, but it's VERY true.) I would greatly appreciate it if you could log in (or create an account) and upvote me.  In the above image is what an upvote (red) looks like. An upvote is pretty much like a "like" on FaceBook. Anyways, if you could do this, I would BE EXTREMELY GRATEFUL. :D

Decisions, Decisions....

My Cirque du Soleil shirt.

POST SURGERY

Hey guys! It's been forever since I've posted, and my brilliant brain told me that since I had so much homework today, it would be a great time to make a new post! Did you miss me? No? No? Anyone??!

KNEE UPDATE: The surgery went well, and the cavity where the cartilage fell from grew back BY ITSELF because I am so magical!!!! Turns out, there wasn't just one loose body, but 2! One was the size of a pea, and the other the size of 2 peas. I know that doesn't sound like a lot but when you're talking about the knee, it is! (Trust me I did a lot of research). ANYWAYS, my surgeon (let's call him Surgeon Bob since my brain is being SO creative right now) had to make 3 incisions before he could find the little rascal(s). There's a big one on the side of my knee; I think it'll become a scar, but I don't really mind (I think of it as my battle wound). Before the surgery, a doctor was asking me what I was doing when I felt the cartilage pop out, and I told her I was tossing the apparatus (I was referring to the ball). She thought I was an artistic gymnast (the ones with the beams and bars; the more popular gymnastics), and was super confused. If it wasn't such a serious situation, I probably would've laughed! I probably should say that my condition is called KNEE OCD, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osteochondritis_dissecans

The entire diagnosis thing was pure HELL! Doctor #1 tells me its a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meniscal_cyst, Doctor #2 tells me its nothing and that I should rest my knee and do INTENSIVE PHYSICAL THERAPY!!! (can you imagine how much that would've messed up my knee?) I am so thankful my parents didn't trust this doctor!!!!

And, finally, Doctor #3, Surgeon Bob gave me the right diagnosis. The whole process was a roller coaster ride of emotions, from panic to relief, to stress, to panic again....it was awful. (no drama intended)

ANYWAYS, right now I'm going to physical therapy and SHOULD DEFINITELY GO BACK TO GYMNASTICS (*Cough, cough, "Mom!!!!") However, I have a strong gut feeling that I won't (and trust me, I'm big on gut feelings; I had a gut feeling something was wrong with my knee, after all) Of course, I hope I'm wrong.
I have learned a huge lesson, though. IF YOUR GUT TELLS YOU SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH YOUR KNEE, OR ANY PART OF YOUR BODY, LISTEN TO IT!!! I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH!!!
TL;DR: My surgery went well, and I will hopefully get back to gymnastics soon. I'm sorry this was a rant, but it felt really good to get that off my chest :)

Knee Update

So as it turns out, I don't have a ball of fluid in my knee. Worse. Apparently, part of my knee cartilage broke off and is just floating around there. I have to get surgery, which means I don't compete this year. No gymnastics for me for at least three months. The surgery is Jan. 21. The only thing that comforts me is that my surgeon looks a lot like Mitchell from the show Modern Family.

New nails, though!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!!