Doctor Says... [27 Days Pre-Surgery]

I had spent numerous hours online doing research, as well as talking to teammates and friends who’ve undergone ACL reconstruction. As I sent out emails I received overwhelming support (even if it did start out, “Man, that SUCKS!...”) and I also learned that many people I knew, who were athletic and active, had undergone a surgery for this very injury. All of this helped me put this all into perspective. I will get through this!! I am trying not to play it down as if it’s not a big deal, because it is! For this girl (who’s never had a broken bone or stitches, remember…) this is a major surgery on a major joint. That doesn’t mean I am going to let it own me.

So, today I met with Dr. Shapiro again, and my dad came along to hear the discussions on my options. (I must admit, bringing anyone, especially my dad, along seemed like a very 1st grade thing to do, but it was nice to have someone there to distract me while waiting, and chime in with questions I might not have thought of…)

Enter Dr. Shapiro, stage left: “[To me:] Hi Again. [to Papa John:] Nice to meet you. [To me:] Your ACL is completely torn. There doesn’t seem to be any damage to your meniscus or other tendons or ligaments, so that is good. There’s some bone bruising, but that will go away in a few weeks.” Dr. Shapiro sees a manila folder I brought with me and says, “So, what questions do you have for me?”

I was surprised, as I figured he’d dive right into my options, what he recommends and how to go about it. But he didn’t have to make any small talk because he remembered I said I was in any sport I could get my hands on, and knew I’d want to get right back to it. And so I began, “Well, from what I’ve found online….”

Dr. Shapiro and I agreed on the procedure Uncle Jimmy had mentioned to me- the patellar tendon graft. Since this was the surgery Dr. Shapiro does 110 out of his 150 yearly ACL reconstructions, I was confident that I would not need a second opinion or need to search for someone with more experience. He answered all of my questions (Yes, I’ll start rehab the next day… Yes, I can shower soon after… I can return to work in a week [Nah, let’s make it 2 to be safe, I said…]…) From there, he asked when I would like to do the surgery, and if I had anything coming up that I wanted to do before having surgery. I got a little smirk on my face and said, “Well, [Detroit] Tiger’s opening day is April 10… If I have surgery right away can I be well enough for that?” He immediately said no, because there’d be too much walking. That decided it for us- the surgery would be Tuesday, April 14, 2009…. “See you then!” he said.

We checked out and proceeded downstairs in the same building to set up some Physical Therapy prior to the surgery to (1) straighten out my leg all the way, (2) strengthen my leg/knee to help with recovery and (3) to get to know the trainer and the facility to be sure I like it! I ended up getting an appointment with Drew, who would become my physical trainer, to do a baseline and get some exercises from him to do at home. At first meeting I wasn’t sure what to think, but I figure it’ll take a few more sessions before I’ll understand his process and how he’ll be helping me through what’s going to be my biggest physical accomplishment to date. We set up a few upcoming appointments and I was on my way. With PT and Surgery scheduled, I still don’t think an understanding has completely sunk in of what I am going to be going though!