ACL Surgery - Take 2! [Surgery Day Re-Cap]

It's been just over 6 weeks since my right knee ACL tear/MCL sprain playing outdoor soccer. In this time I was able to celebrate my 30th with some great friends and family, as well as attend a beautiful and super-fun wedding up north this past weekend (Congrats Schindlers!!).  Once the fun was over, it was time to get my game face on for surgery.

I tried to prep for surgery by doing the expected the day before- clean up, prepare the couch where I'll be sleeping the first few nights, do some grocery shopping to have snacks on hand... And luckily I also got to meet the brand-spankin'-new addition to the Schwartz family, Mr. Ashton Reid who was born on Friday the 13th! (I forget how small babies are in those first few days-- he is an absolute CUTIE!). It was a great distraction, and Congrats again to Jordan and Katy!

I had my reservations going into today's surgery.  This injury was a lot worse, with the sprain of the MCL and just general muscle tone already fading pre-op.  I also had pain when bending my right leg or putting weight on that leg while standing with it completely straight. I thought to myself that feeling "injured" pre-op (as opposed to feeling fabulous like I did prior to my other knee surgery) might mean that recovery would be more difficult. I can't say if this is true or not (seeing as how I'm not even a half day post-op as I type this) but Dr. Shapiro assured me that the two things were not necessarily linear, and that the pain I was feeling when standing was likely still from bone bruising.  This was good to learn, that apparently it can take 3-6 months for some bone bruising to completely heal, because I had started to convince myself that it was a mental thing. Going into post-op with a mental hurdle already in place would have made for a rough start, since learning to use your knee and surrounding muscles again is very much a mental challenge!

In the last few weeks I'd popped in to talk to Drew, the physical therapist I'll be seeing again. There were no Doctor's orders to do pre-op rehabilitation ("prehab" as I call it), so Drew gave me some at-home exercises with the goal being to fire my quad muscles. In the same visits he mentioned he's "got a plan" for me this time around, to hopefully avoid the oh-so-frustrating hiccup I had last time around 22 days post-op.

When this morning rolled around, the nerves really started to hit me. Which, in my defense, I think my way of being anxious or nervous is relatively laid-back... But still I felt my heart rate rise at times, or had a mental flicker reminding me that I'd soon have drilling done to my bones! :/  Luckily I was sent a ridiculous amount of texts and facebook messages of support from friends and family who knew I was going under the knife today, wishing me luck and a speedy recovery. Have I mentioned how absolutely lucky I am to be surrounded by such great people?! My nervousness must not have showed much, since the nurse anesthetist asked if my husband and I "were in the medical field" since we seemed so calm about the whole thing just minutes before surgery!

The schedule was very much like last time, just 2 hours earlier.  Today we had a 10:30a arrival, 12:30p scheduled surgery (which started closer to 1pm, I think), 3p-ish awakening from anesthesia, and by about 5p we'd already gotten home, got our daughter from a friend and were chillin' on the couch with the thermocompression unit (similar to THIS, but with a sleeve for the leg) wrapped around my knee!

Post-op at the hospital, Dr. Shapiro informed my hubby that they had to remove about 5% of my meniscus. This isn't much to speak of, but according to MRI they were not expecting meniscus damage.  Otherwise it sounds like surgery went as planned.

At home I focused on getting some water in my system, a little food, and using the thermocompression unit to keep me comfortable. For fun I decided to try to flex my quad of my surgical leg, expecting it wouldn't be possible since it normally "shuts off" due to the trauma of knee surgery. To my delight, it DID flex without having to focus too strongly on it, and it doesn't cause any additional pain to do so.  Granted I am not flexing with all my might, but firing at all is the goal, and I was excited to see I could do this (and, continue to do it) as a nice prep for upcoming physical therapy!

I also remember last time I had this surgery that standing up and taking my leg out of an elevated position was very VERY painful as the blood rushed to the knee. Today I've been up and around just a few times since I've been home from surgery, and either the pain meds are better this time around or I'm just having a more positive experience! I am hoping for the latter, and this is giving me a glimmer of hope that post-op will indeed be easier the second time around.

This does not mean that I expect to "get away" with taking it easier in physical therapy (PT). I still fully expect to have to feel the burn as I get back range of motion (ROM) and fire the muscles. I am grateful that I know what I'm in for (even if I'm not looking forward to it) and am ready to commit to the physical therapy to ensure a full recovery!

Let's just hope this positive attitude and committed demeanor don't get too shaken as the reality of it all comes upon me! Meanwhile I'm looking forward to my visitors/helpers and spending a little extra time with my 11-month old daughter, Ellie... Even if it does mean we'll be learning to walk at the same time!!

I'm Baaaaaaaaaaaaack! And Not in a Good Way... [36 days pre-op]

When I went down with this injury, I knew it was bad. I expected the worst, hoped for the best and... Well... Ended up somewhere in between.

In my much-anticipated reunion with Dr. Shapiro I told him I was afraid for the "jiggle test" he'd do on my newly injured knee... I remember from last time that it was none-to-pleasant and the Doc promised he'd "be gentle" this time, though I assumed you can't exactly be gentle when you have to check for torn ligaments inside the knee.

To my surprise, he was more gentle. But unfortunately, this gentleness was a result of my knee being so loose that it didn't require much effort for him to know that both my ACL and MCL were torn. In hindsight, I wish the jiggle would have hurt just to prove the tendons were intact!!

The expected occurred... The tears came and I stammered about how I had a 9.5 mo old baby girl at home that I need to chase around and there wasn't a good time to be laid up due to surgery. Dr. Shapiro kindly handed me the generic box of tissues as I collected myself and tried to reassure me that I've been through this before and did very well -- so I can do it again. He encouraged me to schedule the surgery sooner-than-later because there was nothing to gain in putting it off.

Due to the MCL injury, surgery could not be scheduled for at least 4 weeks to give it time to heal (because apparently it's not a completely torn MCL, but a stretched or partially torn tendon that will, over the next 4 weeks, regain it's tightness/elasticity). We put July 17 on the books and in the meantime, scheduled my MRI for the next day to determine if there was additional damage.

Still, I was outfitted with a fancy leg brace that goes mid-shin to mid-thigh that will support my leg (keep it from the lateral slip that caused this in the first place) so that the MCL heals correctly and I don't do any further damage between now and surgery. I've never been one for accessories but am getting used to the brace now, after only 4 days of wearing it.

This morning I went over the MRI results with Dr. Shapiro and luckily we learned that there is no damage to the meniscus (which, actually is rare to not have damage, so this is good news) and aside from some bone bruising, the injury is exactly what Dr. Shapiro had expected.

Between now and surgery I will do some exercises at home to strengthen the muscles around the knee and maintain maximum range of motion (ROM) as the swelling subsides from the initial injury. I spoke with my good man, Drew (who was my best friend/worst enemy as my physical therapist last time) and told him to expect me back in mid-July.  After the initial, "What did you DO?!"  and exchange of pleasantries, I realized I'm still uneasy with my leg in his hands and that's going to be one disadvantage to the therapy after surgery this time -- I know what to expect, and I know at times it's going to hurt like hell.  Luckily I documented my previous recovery with this blog so I can follow along and try to keep pace with myself!

I also know in the end it will be worth it, because I have a baby girl I plan on chasing around for many years to come, and hopefully I won't have to hang up my own cleats / turf shoes / tennies just yet...!

The Moment We've All Been Waiting For... [Surgery Re-cap]

Well, it's done! I am the proud owner of a reconstructed ACL, not to mention having conquered my first (and hopefully ONLY) surgery! Here is how the day of events unfolded to bring me to blogging for you on my couch w/ a fully wrapped leg!

4/14/09 - 12:15p

We were a little early for our 12:30 arrival, but prior to this we were just standing around in the kitchen, eager to go anyhow. Once E parked the car and met us in the South Entrance lobby, we headed up to the second floor. There we found the 'waiting room' for the surgical area, which was really a lobby in itself. It was here that I gave them my name, got an ID bracelet, and waited to be 'called back'. Eric and my mom had to wait there when they did come get me a few minutes later.

12:40p

Once I was taken back, they took my blood pressure, my heart rate, my temperature... Then I was asked to put on 'the gown'. It's true what I'd read in another person's ACL blog - they don't let you wear your unders! (What the?!?) In addition to the gown, I was given a stunning thigh-high stocking to wear on my non-surgical leg, and hospital issued brown socks.

1:00p

After I was all dressed down, I was then given the IV and told to sign my surgical knee. There were about 50 checks and balances to be sure we didn't accidentally cut into the wrong leg, but that was more comforting than annoying... Also, at this point Eric and my Mom were allowed to come keep me company until I was taken into surgery. Soon, Dr. Shapiro came in and signed my knee as well...

(nice stocking, eh? hehe) It was in between 1p and 230p that I met all kinds of people... Two nurses (Laura and Susan) had hooked up the IV and done some paperwork. Then came Tracy, the nurse that would be helping during surgery. I also met Randy, the anesthesiologist, and the nurse anesthetist, Shelly. And, of course, Dr. Shapiro. Throughout the introductions everyone was so kind and helpful, happy to answer any questions and I felt like they were really giving me their attention. I've had some poor experiences in the medical field before, and the way things went, I was confident my surgery would be fine. The procedure itself should take ~45 minutes, but they have the room blocked for 2 hours to include set-up, surgery, clean-up, and prepping for the next surgery.

2:35p

After one last trip to the bathroom (dragging along my IV, my Mom teased that I reminded her of a cartoon, but was just missing having my butt exposed by the gown! hehe), I was then given some substance via IV, where Shelly told me it would just feel like I'd 'had a few drinks'. It did hit pretty quickly, but I was still aware enough to answer questions and talk to people. They then rolled me into the surgery room and I saw Randy, who would be giving me general anesthesia, as we had discussed earlier. [I was comforted by his MSU bandana!] I was told to take a few deep breaths.....

5:00p (?I think?)

All of a sudden I'd lost a few hours of my life! I was groggy and looking around; not in the surgical room anymore. I think this was a recovery room of sorts, but I was still on the bed and a few people were milling about, and another post-surgical patient was on the other side of the room The hospital staff asked me a few questions, but I don't remember what. I do recall trying to be funny in my responses, but I wish I could recall what I'd said! I drifted in and out once or twice, and recall them taking the sticky pads off my chest and ribs. Finally I became more permanently aware, and then they rolled me into a personal recovery room. After being sat in a recliner, I was given some graham crackers and apple juice, and finally, some vicodin! By now it was closer to 6:15p and between the local anesthesia that was injected in my knee at the end of the surgery, the fentanyl and vicodin, I was actually pretty comfortable. Once it was clear that I wasn't going to be sick from the drugs with no food in my stomach, I was taken to the car in a wheelchair, and the three of us headed back home to Thomas Ave.

So... There you have it! I was a little groggy, but for the most part felt aware. I was able to answer some text messages and carry on conversations. For some reason I thought I'd be so drugged up that everything I'd say would be nonsensical, but that was not the case. And, once the script for vicodin was filled, I was able to remain pretty comfortable as the other drugs wore off.

I ended up staying on the couch all night (no point in trying to make it up a flight of stairs to bed!) and was able to sleep well enough. I even had some great dreams about my knee healing, recovery, and being back out on the soccer field! All of this has to be a good sign, right?

So, now it is 1:00p, the day after the surgery, and while there is more pain now than there was at all yesterday, it's mostly manageable. Getting up to the bathroom is the hard part, but can be done. I have a PT visit at 4pm today, and believe all we'll do is undress my knee and take a look at where I am to start.

Again, THANK YOU everyone. I feel so loved and have gotten so much support, I truly am blessed!!