Hi. I'm Frances Danger (unless you're the government; then my name is Frances Herrod) and that's my knee (but not for long).
I'm a Mvskoke Semvnole Native Rights Advocate who also commits random acts of journalism. You may know me from my words in The Oklahoma Gazette & Mvskoke Media, my 4 appearances as a black amorphous blob in the background of Reservation Dogs, or from a 5 year old picture of me holding up a pie that really makes colonizers mad every Indigenous Feast Day/Thankstaking. I also have a top fans badge for kevin stitt on Facebook because I troll him so much.
I live with anxiety, panic attacks, and a case of agoraphobia that I'd successfully been keeping at bay until a few months ago. Despite this, and the fact that I had a big old panic attack in the airport a couple of years ago, I was accepted to The Giniw Collective Fellowship and got on a plane, flew to almost Canada, CAMPED (I'm an indoor girl), and then did it all in reverse to get home ALL BY MYSELF. To say I was feeling confident and accomplished is an understatement.
Until I tried to get off a couch a few days after I got home.
I fell on June 24 and landed on my right knee on a hardwood floor. I went to the ER where I had x-rays that confirmed I had no breaks or fractures. I was told to rest and take ibuprofen.
What I wasn't told was that I had severe degenerative tricompartmental osteoarthritis.
I continued to rest and had very limited mobility using a cane (it's got a sword in it). It seemed like it was trying to get better but 3 weeks later I felt a pop in my knee and it buckled.
On July 20, with pronounced weakness and worsening pain, I went to a different ER where I had x-rays done again. It was at this point that I was informed of the osteoarthritis. I was referred to an orthopedist and given an Rx for Norco.
I saw the orthopedist on 7/24. He tested mobility for both knees. More x-rays and a CT scan. My doctor showed me my bone Glamour Shots and asked me if my knee hadn't already been painful because I had no cartilage left and it was literally bone on bone action and probably had been for awhile. I also have a bunch of calcifications floating around, especially in back of my knee.
The osteoarthritis was so advanced that he was unable to determine what my injury from the fall was. I mean I was clearly injured but he couldn't see past the osteoarthritis to be able to say where. He also informed me that I have advanced degeneration in my left knee as well. As much as I'm a fan of sacred balance this was one matching set I really could have done without.
We discussed options for rehab: physical therapy, bracing, steroid injections. When it came down to it I was going to have to have total knee replacement surgery on both knees. There just wasn't enough of my original ones that were worth trying to save.
As most know I have been dealing with housing insecurity for a very long time. I finally got my housing assistance voucher and was intending on using funds previously raised to get my apartment, turn on utilities, and grab some basic furnishings. I've already had to dip into those funds for ER/Specialist copays, Rx (the NDN Clinic Pharmacy doesn't fill outside Rx), and Lyfts to appointments, to get my voucher extended, and to start my apartment search all over again because I'm going to have to have one on the first floor for the foreseeable future.
I'm not having surgery until I get my apartment because hustling to cover hotel every day isn't really something I'm going to be able to do while recovering.
The $2,500 ask will hopefully cover both surgeries, follow up appointments, physical therapy appointments, and any needed mobility devices (do they make black tennis balls because I'll need some for my walker). I also hope to be able to afford a bed.
You know I joked for years after my ACL replacement that since I now have a cadaver ACL I would easily survive the upcoming zombie apocalypse because, as part zombie, I could walk among them. Turns out that they remove the ACL for a total knee replacement because I'll be bionic now I guess. All I know is that if I become a zombie because of this the rage I will take out on everyone will make 28 Days Later zombies tremble.
