New York Doctor

I had forgotten I've seen a doctor in New York, in 1994.

At first I thought it was NJ but it wasn't, that's just where I was living, in Livingston, NJ. But we drove into New York and I saw a doctor there, about my knee. I filled out a medical history with him I think, but I just remember he said if it bothered me, not to run on it. In Oregon they'd said a surgery was possible but sometimes it heals on it's own over time. Then I saw the NY doctor to get another opinion and he just said I couldn't run cross-country anymore. I saw him about my knee but nothing else. I don't really remember if he gave me any prescriptions but I don't think so...I just remembered seeing him.

He was the second set of doctors I'd seen since I was 8 years old, because I never saw a doctor as I never got sick. I broke my arm at 8, but aside from that, I never had to see a doctor for anything. Then in 1992-93 I fractured my knee while running cross-country and saw some doctors at OHSU who were good enough. They never asked me about anything though. They said I had an option of surgery but it was up to my mom and she opted not to or was pressured to opt not to. Aside from the knee doctor at OHSU, I never saw a doctor until 1994 and it was the NY doctor, about my knee. I was 18 or 19 years old.

Then the next time I saw a doctor after that, it was an eye doctor, who said I had an astigmatism in one eye. That was in 1994 or 1995 and then it was the neck injury doctors in 1995, and physical therapy docs, and then after that nothing after 1995 until 1997 when I went to a woman doctor to make sure I was developed okay or didn't have any problems, just thinking that women do that. Most people told me no, you don't need to because you're a virgin, but then others said, "there are other things that can happen that don't have anything to do with that." So she was the one who ruined my virginity (on a technical basis) with the speculum. That was 1997 and I was running about 15 miles again. My knee had healed enough to allow me to run in a short marathon and I started training for a full marathan and ran about 10-15 miles every day. Then, while running my 15 miles a day, I did something to my hip, pulled a muscle or something, and I gave it rest, and then would try again, but every time I got up to about 15 or so miles, my body came up with an excuse. So I wondered if I was really built to be a runner for that great of distances. My best times were with middle distance, in the 800 especially. I was a very good 800 meter runner. I hated it, because it was too long to be over with and too short to be slow. You just had to press through the entire thing, at a solid speed.

Anyway, then I had a variety of injuries and saw many doctors and physical therapists for things again. But I remember the NY doctor. I can't remember his name but I think it was Michael.