Did you ever get back to skating as you had hoped?
I had a 15 year gap from being on ice due to a huge life change as well as living in a desert country. When I got the chance to get back on the ice I loved it and got back into the hang of it fast, and with what I wear it was a challenge hehe. Maybe it was because your injury that you were finding it hard even when physical wounds heal we can still subconsciously worry that we'll re injury ourselves. I really hope you got back on the ice. I'd love to know if you don't mind.
I was progressing quite nicely but then had a couple of long spells off the ice (owing to family illness and some international touring) which really didn't help. I'm back to feeling wobbly again and am now working to catch up to where I was. I will never be the standard I was when I had my accident, as my right leg will never be stable and I'm now 51. I'm also terrified of falling on that knee, not because I'm scared of injuring it again but because the pain is through the roof if I knee or land on it, as the screws that held the tendon in place are still there. Seriously considering having the screws removed, as they're no longer necessary, but it'll be quite an operation to remove them after 16 years and I'm not sure the NHS would even do it. But I'm thoroughly enjoying skating just for the sake of skating, and the social side is lovely, too. It's nice to have no pressure and just skate for the joy and fun. There is still some pressure to renew my coaching qualifications and start teaching properly again but so far I'm sticking to my decision not to do that. I love teaching and am always happy to help if people want me to help but I don't need to transform what is now my favourite hobby into something more pressured.
I'm intrigued by the "with what I wear" statement. What do you wear? (I'm just designing a range of skating wear for ladies who aren't the leggy teenagers that the current ranges fit so all information about what people like to wear to skate is fascinating to me.) Feel free to PM me if you'd like to chat more.