Day 170

Today I find myself in Landstuhl, Germany. Yet another stop on my journey. About Christmas-time, after walking on all of the rocks that populate COB Adder, my right knee began to ache, and then it started hurting. I went in to sick call shortly after New Years, was given 800 milligram Motrin, Ranger Candy, and told to take it easy, stay off the rocks(through levitation, apparently), and come back in three weeks. I did that. Things weren't getting any better. Two doctors appointments, with three weeks between visits and two physical therapist visits later, I finally got to see the orthepedic surgeon in Tallil. My visit with him was two days ago, Tuesday the 17th. He said that I have a messed up knee, torn miniscus something or other, and he wants me to get a MRI. There are only two MRI machines available; one in Kuwait and the other here in Germany. He won't send anybody to the MRI machine in Kuwait, a short one hour flight, because of the the stupid rule in Kuwait. Apparently the docs in Kuwait have to maintain an 85% return-to-work rate. So, everybody the docs from Iraq sent to Kuwat were sent back without having a MRI, just so the docs in Kuwait could keep their numbers up. So, Tuesday I have the appointment and get paperwork I have to fill out to get to Germany. I dropped the paperwork off with the unit and they got it back to the hospital around noon. By noon on the 18th I hadn't heard anything, and went to lunch. When I returned, at 1245, I was told that I had a flight at 1600(4 pm for you civilian types) that day. I went to my CHU and finished packing. I got on a C-130, prop plane, with other injured soldiers flying to Germany for medical treatment and spent the night in Balad, Iraq. They got us up at about 0300 in the morning to make our flight. We boarded a C17, this time a plane with jets, and 4-1/2 hours later arrived in Germany. We got to the hospital, got fed, got checked in, got our rooms, and got a shower. My appointment is scheduled for 0930 tomorrow and we'll go from there.