Nothing is more entertaining than a good wipe-out in front of all of your friends.  Especially when you land face first in the water of a pool.

After the shock of "I actually just fell into the freaking pool trying to catch a ball" wears off -- and the hysterical laughter from the deck subsides -- a smile from embarrassment can quickly turn into a very painful grimace.  Trust me.

In the course of that little poolside trip, I did a little damage to my left knee.  I must have pivoted wrong and, in the process of tripping, I twisted my knee in a way that isn't natural and definitely not recommended.  That night, and the following five or so, I was kept awake by the pain in my knee, from every little move I'd make.  It was swollen (though kept pretty normal from all of my regular anti-inflammatories) and very tender to the touch.  I could put weight on it, but didn't want to go near it because every time I'd touch it, it hurt so much that I'd get a stomach ache.

I hate that kind of pain!  When you get nauseated from another part of your body hurting so much -- that's a sign that something is wrong and/or you are paying the price for an accident.

After about a week now, the pain is slowly subsiding and my initial self-diagnosis (partial tear ... sounds official, doesn't it?) is probably right.  I don't think there is irreversible damage because I wouldn't have been able to walk to the bathroom just now if that were the case.

My travel schedule and work these past few weeks have been so rigorous that I didn't have the luxury to go to the doctor right away (although I promised myself that if it didn't start to get better in a week that I'd have to haul my butt there).  Which, in retrospect, was a pretty dumb thing to do.  My doctor isn't a last resort -- I shouldn't have treated him that way.

And trust me, it wouldn't be the first time -- and it ain't the last -- that I came to him after doing something stupid or by accident.