Personal Narrative: Patellofemoral Ligament

In the past few years I have been able to push through being diagnosed with a chronic syndrome and undergoing a major surgery. My sophomore year of high school I was faced with the struggle of having medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) reconstruction. As I was trying to recover from this surgery, I was diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). It has been a difficult journey; however, my unwavering determination has helped me continue to move forward. It was my second day of soccer practice, as I ran down the field as fast as I could, I felt a sharp pain in my knee. Little did I know I had just torn my medial patellofemoral ligament. The recovery following this was a long and harsh experience. When I was finally able to return to school, I had plenty of work to catch up on. I spent many hours in the math …show more content…
POTS is an unusual condition in which your heart rate speeds up by 30 or more beats per minute with little or no change in blood pressure. This caused me to easily become lightheaded, feel faint, and very fatigued throughout the school day. It became very difficult for me to make it through an entire school day without wanting to go home and lay down. After trying multiple different treatments, I was able to find the best way to lessen my symptoms and get through a school day. It turns out that the symptoms lessen for me when I make sure I get enough water, exercise, and sodium everyday. The process of figuring out which treatment worked best for my body was frustrating and exhausting, but I was adamant that I could live my everyday life without struggling with this syndrome. Everyday I made it a priority to take care of my body in order to complete my goal of ending the year with good grades and being healthy again. When I’m committed to doing something I will stop at nothing until I fulfill my