“Oh My Knee!” | Self-employment and Health Insurance

my knee

For those of you who know me, you know that I have been trying to get healthy and have been moderately successful at losing weight this year.

I started the year at 251 lbs and as of today am 225.4 lbs. YAY! I started running and ran my first (and so far only) 5k in April. I also decided to play some basketball again. Bad idea!

Back in August, while doing my darndest to disprove the thesis proposed by the 1992 film “White Men Can’t Jump,” I felt my knee buckle. It didn’t “pop” as people always say but I knew that something wasn’t right. For the next few weeks, it felt very unstable so I kept it wrapped and would ice it occasionally. Over time, it felt better but it has been clicking and making this cool crunching noise any time I squat. I have been putting off going to the doctor because it doesn’t hurt and doesn’t limit me from doing every day tasks.

Last night I reinjured it again, and this time it hurt. It felt like hitting my funny bone throughout my whole body. I even got a little light-headed. Weird right? The strange thing is that I had no problem putting weight on it. And within about 30 minutes it felt totally fine again. I know I should go to the doctor but I also know that he will probably recommend an MRI, which with my current healthcare will cost a pretty penny.

From what I read online, surgery is typically a last resort, and is only recommended when the injury is severe. What I constantly wrestle with is if I get an MRI, what if the only solution is just allowing it to heal over time? Then I will have spent a lot of money to be told something I kind of already know.

Thus is the realistic plight of the self-employed. As much as I love doing what I do, there are certain sacrifices that come with being an entrepreneur. I am thankful to the Lord that so far the injury has not prevented me from doing the things that I need to do. I continue to pray that I will not cause more damage as I try to figure out what to do about it long term.