I've been into home espresso for about a year and always used the stock double spout portafilter on my Gaggiuino. Decided to try a bottomless for more cup clearance and a little vanity - I admit, I'm looking for the sexy ASMR type of extraction. Does this look right? Where is the crema, why doesn't it merge into the middle? The espresso does taste good, tho!
Thoughts please!
For those who went through with MACI. How debilitating and bad was the knee pain before you opted into MACI? I'll be honest, mine isn't terrible but I'm not living the active life I want.
I have ~2x2.5cm grade 3/4 avulsion in my left trochlea that had been limiting my physical activities with swelling. The effusion was worse than the pain itself. I used to trail run, ski, tennis, lift, HIIT, golf, etc. and I'd love to get back to those sports. I've been strength training for ~2 years and have made major improvements with how my knee responds under load. My left knee still feels "different" and is not symmetrical in strength but does not swell like it used to. I used to drain ~35ml of liquid from my knee every week.
I live my day to day life without any real issues. I can walk around, take care of the kids, lift things up when I need to, go up stairs, etc. And I strength train with a modified routined. Most days I'm not really thinking about my knee. But my physical activity has changed dramatically, and I'm not back to the sports I listed above. If I push too hard (e.g. heavy sled push), it will swell.
I'm 42 y/o male. I have already done the debridement and biopsy but am hesitating to proceed with the graft. How realistic or unrealistic am I being about this procedure? How painful of a recovery am I willing to endure to get back to my active lifestyle? Do I just need to accept that I'm getting older and need to moderate my activities? Am I being greedy and trying to turn back the clock? Is the (uncertain) upside worth the downside (we've all seen the less successful stories on this forum)? These are the questions I wrestle with. Would love to hear others' perspectives.