1 Year Post-Op (Surgery #2)

[..Also, 4+ years post-op from surgery #1!...]

It's hard to believe a year has gone by since my ACL reconstruction surgery on my right knee.  I had the pleasure of getting back to indoor/outdoor soccer, indoor volleyball, flag football and softball too! I feel confident on the field (er-well, as confident as I did before) once I got over the fear of the first few games of soccer, which was the worst on the knees out of all of my activities.

There were a few plays in flag football where I had to cut side-to-side to keep the other team's QB from getting around me, and I told my team I needed to move to another position, because I remember those exact same motions were how I tore my first ACL, and I just can't "turn it off" when I'm in the middle of a play!

Otherwise it's been back to normal, even though I wish I would have committed more effort to my rehab the second time around. Part lack of effort, part full of excuses, I found having to entertain a toddler during some of the critical rehab times would easily distract me from what I really needed to be doing.  Luckily I think I had a good enough start to the rehab, I did not lose range of motion (ROM), but perhaps just don't have the muscle I once had.

The good and bad of having 2 ACL reconstructions on opposite legs is that if one quad was smaller before, now they're pretty much back to even! I have not felt that whatever muscle I might be lacking from before has been a handicap in my activities, so I must have done something right to get back to a confident level.

That being said, I was happy to be a part of a championship volleyball team, a runner-up flag football team and currently on a softball team that is running away with the #1 spot with a landslide! (Thank goodness for athletic friends to support these endeavors!)

05.20.2013 Indoor Volleyball CHAMPS (with our camping chair prize!)

I'm hoping I won't have to frequent this blog again, but I encourage anyone who's followed it or found it (and has been or is going through an ACL reconstruction) to not be afraid to get back out there and do what you love!

Where Did the Time Go?! [1 yr post-op]

As 4/14/10 snuck up on me, I found myself plenty occupied with the current going-ons in my life, like my recent purchase of a new home and my 1-month away nuptials. It's funny how no matter what is going on in your life at any given time, it seems to consume you, as if that's the way it's always been!

I remember just 1 year ago when I had been consumed by preparing for surgery by cleaning the house, changing to a removable shower-head, having books and snacks handy right next to the couch where I knew I'd be spending numerous hours... Even so far as to drive by the hospital (which is about 1 mile from where I live) and do a 'dry run' to find out what entrance to go in, where my mom and Eric would park the car... I wanted to be an educated patient in every way!

No matter the googling, blog reading or 'dry runs', nothing quite prepares you for a surgery you've never had. Being that this was also the ONLY surgery / medical issue I've had beyond a sprained ankle, it was definitely a journey for me and I'm glad to have the blog (though my re-reads are sparse) to have tracked my ups and downs along the way.

And, the real reason of the post- A 1-year post-op update! I am happy to say that life is "back to normal" when it comes to activities. Indoor soccer is finishing up in the next few weeks and this was my major hurdle seeing as how there is so much contact, cutting, turning and leg-tangling in indoor soccer compared to outdoor. I used to get VERY nervous before the games and caught myself being 'careful' which to the untrained (and trained!) eye actually equated to 'awkward'! But I have gotten more confident and even in our game last night there was some cutting and a few knee-banging, leg-tangling plays that definitely make me think twice about how it could potentially put me back in Dr. Shapiro's hands. Luckily, beyond some bruising or soreness, indoor soccer hasn't given my knee any trouble.

And my other activities- ultimate frisbee last fall, snowboarding this winter, hitting the driving range, outdoor soccer starting up last weekend, softball pre-season practice... have all proven OK to play! I'm yet to get back onto a volleyball court, but that's more a combination of busy schedule and lack of opportunity than it is any fear/ protectiveness of my knee!

In day-to-day,

• I still get a popping noise sometimes when going from extended to bent leg.
• My surgical quad is still smaller than my non-surgical.
• I've noticed very faint 'grinding' noises in my knee as I go from a fully squatted position to standing--but I also hear something similar in my non-surgical knee, so I wonder if that is just use and age!!
• I'm no longer doing any re-hab or PT aimed at my knee- only participating in aforementioned sports! Now that weather is getting nicer I hope to get out and run and perhaps start thinking about a half marathon!
• Incision looks good. Still a white scarred line from the incision, but it blends pretty well into surrounding skin and moves freely on top of my knee
• I have spotty numbness to the outside of my incision area, but a relatively small area.

So, all is well here! I stopped into my re-hab spot yesterday, as it's close to my work, and just being there reminded me of the fears, tears and milestones that accompanied knee surgery... and as nice as it was to see some of the trainers and boast of how well the knee is holding up -- I hope I never have to return unless it's again by my own choice to visit!