Diary of an ACL Surgery
Patient
I
Hope this diary helps someone out there. If you have any questions or
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DECEMBER 2, 1998 - I left home for the
surgical center at about 6:00 A.M. this morning. My mom went with me to
drive me home. It is about an hour drive and I'm scheduled for surgery
at 7:30 A.M. When we reached the surgery center, we checked in and
waited for my turn to be taken back to the pre-op room at about 7:10
A.M. I didn't know it at the time, but my surgery was rescheduled for
9:00 A.M. So after waiting in pre-op for an hour I asked when the
surgery was and they said 9:00. What a start to an already
nervewracking day. No one informed my mom either. She was expecting a
one hour surgery and at 10:30 (3 hours from the scheduled time) no one
had said a word to her yet and she was a bit nervous to say the least.
Anyway, when I got back the the pre-op room, I was told to strip down
and put the infamous hospital gown on. I still don't understand why we
can't wear underwear, but oh well. After a short time, the nurse took
me through what was going to take place. She also put in an IV. Soon
afterward, the anesthesiologist came in and gave me my options and I
decided on general anesthesia. I didn't want to know anything about the
operation. At 9:00 they wheeled me into the Operating Room (Geez is
that place cold!), and they gave me an injection of anesthesia and I
was out in about 4 seconds. The next thing I knew, they were waking me
up in the recovery room. It was tough trying to open my eyes. I just
wanted to lay there and sleep.
10:45
A.M. - they brought my Mom back to see me in recovery. I remember being
extremely cold and shaking uncontollably. The nurse said she would get
more blankets and something about giving me some morphine for the pain
and as soon as she gave me that, I got sick. I threw up 4 times in
about 8 seconds. Then a little while later, I dry heaved 4 times and
they gave me an injection to help me feel better. I'm not really sure
why they had to give me morphine, the doctor gave me a nerve block in
my leg that was supposed to last 12-24 hours. I think they just did it
to make me miserable. About an hour later, they released me to go home.
On
the hour trip home, I didn't have many problems. I only felt sick one
time and as soon as we rolled down the window, I felt better. I went
right into bed and layed there. I couldn't sleep, but I couldn't keep
my eyes open either. It's a weird feeling. I was back and forth between
the bed and a reclining chair about 10 times through the night. (my
poor Mother had to put up with taking me back and forth)
DECEMBER 3, 1998
(1 day post) - I'm supposed to take
a pain pill every 4 hours, the nurse made it very clear that I should
set an alarm clock and follow it... if I miss a pill, she says it's
impossible to make up for it and I'll never quite catch up to the pain.
I did sleep for an hour or two during the night, but it was impossible
to get comfortable. I'm hooked up the an ice machine thing that pumps
cold water around my knee all the time. It's pretty cool. It's supposed
to help the swelling and pain stay in check.
I
can stay focused on something longer than 5 seconds finally. Of course,
every time I take a pain pill, I lose focus for a couple hours.
Nothing
too much is going on. Athough I'm taking pain meds, I can still feel
pain in my knee. It's not severe, but it's there. Kind of annoying. I
have the drain tube taken out of my knee today sometime... If the nurse
doesn't get here soon, I'll do it myself. They said it would be ok.
5:00
PM - The nurse stopped and took out the drain tube. It hurt a little
more than I expected it to. But it still wasn't too bad.
DECEMBER 4, 1998
(2 days post) - I woke up today
extremely sick to my stomach. If I made any attempt to move, I threw
up. That is such a helpless feeling. I was supposed to have my first PT
at 10:30 AM, but I was still throwing up then. My mom called the clinic
and asked what she should do and they said to take the anti-nausea
pill. So I did. Five minutes later, I puked it up. I almost wanted to
cry... one, single, tiny pill cost $50. We called back and they said to
stop taking the codeine pain pills. I stopped taking them and felt
better. So, as of today (2 days after surgery) I'm off the pain
medication. I can still take Ibuprofen though.
PT
went well. The straight leg raise exercises hurt some, but the others
were ok. I'm supposed to do the exercises 5 times a day. It seems like
a lot, but if it helps me get better faster, I'm all for it.
DECEMBER 5, 1998
(3 days post) - Things are much
better today. I'm not sick to my stomach and I can eat finally. It's
been a long time since I've had a full meal. The PT is getting easier
each time. What took me an hour and a half to do the first time, now
takes me 30 - 45 minutes instead. Not much else going on. I'm not
really having any pain so that's good. Just playing some super nintendo
and watching Starship Troopers. I walked around the house a little bit.
I can put full weight on my leg already and there is no pain. I still
have to use crutches and the immobilizer though, I don't want to hurt
it.
DECEMBER 6, 1998
(4 days post) - I got quite a bit of
sleep last night and could lay on my side for a while if I got situated
just right. It felt really good. I don't like sleeping on my back all
the time. Still doing PT 5 times/day. I've got NFL Sunday Ticket on
DirecTV, so I'll watch a ton of football today. The Packers are my
favorite, they play on Monday.
A
big bruise showed up on my shin and goes to the inside of my leg. It's
huge but doesn't really hurt. It's not anywhere close to the incision
site, I'm not sure what caused it. I'll ask the doctor when I see him
on Thursday the 10th.
DECEMBER 7, 1998
(5 days post) - The bruise is killing
me. It doesn't hurt when I sit here with my leg up, but when I have to
get up and the blood rushes to it, I almost can't stand it. No pain in
the knee, but the bruise makes up for it. I can't believe how much it
hurts. I have PT today at the hospital, I'm going to see if he knows
what the bruise is from.
Just
got back from PT. He gave me about 5 new exercises to do. So, my PT
takes over an hour again each time. Still doing it 5 times/day. He was
happy with my progress so far. I can get just about full extension and
my flexion is about 89 degrees. He didn't have any idea what the bruise
was from and told me to ask the doctor when I see him. He also said I
would probably be down to one crutch after this week. YEE HAA!
DECEMBER 8, 1998
(6 days post) - I slept pretty well
last night. Still can't go upstairs to my bedroom because there is no
bathroom up there. There is no way I want to be going down the stairs,
half asleep, in the dark, on crutches. The bruise is continuing to get
more painful. It doesn't hurt to sit here, but when I get up, BOOM! It
looks like it's getting better... It's not so dark purple and black
anymore. I hope it's getting better. I hate this. I go through surgery
with no problem and a stupid bruise is holding me back. I go back to
the hospital for PT tomorrow. I hope I continue to progress. Still
doing my home PT.
DECEMBER 9, 1998
(7 days post) - A new thing has
popped up. I've got one sore spot just above the knee toward the
inside. It's really sore. It makes the quad sets and heel slides really
hard to do. I have to admit, I had a small accident last night. I was
wearing my brace though. I was going from the chair to the bed and I
sort of missed my armpit with one of the crutches. Of course the first
reaction was to put the foot down to stop me from falling over (that
would have been quite a sight). So I jammed my foot down pretty hard on
the bad leg. There wasn't any pain or anything, it just scared me. Now
my knee is a little sore. I'm not sure if it's from that or the new
exercises though. I have PT at 12:15 today, I might ask him. Or else
I'll ask the doctor when I see him tomorrow.
Just
got back from PT, he said everything should be ok and not to worry
about it. I got 0 degrees extension and 95 degrees flexion today. He
said that was good for a week after surgery. I was happy. I can put
full weight on it still too, but it hurts the bruise to do that. I'll
be much happier as soon as it heals and I can walk without the severe
pain. I've got 3 more rounds of PT today, other than that, nothing is
going on. I'll probably watch a movie and read.
DECEMBER 10, 1998
(8 days post) - Got some pretty good
sleep last night. I figured out a way to postion pillows between my
legs to be able to lay on my side. It was really nice. I see the doctor
today at 12:15. We'll see what he says about the bruise and maybe I'll
be able to take a shower (finally). Right now for PT I'm doing the
hamstring stretch 5 times/day, Straight leg raises 5 times/day, heel
slides 3 times/day, quad sets 3 times/day, adb/add slides 3 times/day,
knee bend on stomach 3 times/day, leg dangle off side of bed as
much/day as possible. Then I ice for 15 minutes after each workout.
I
just got back from the doctor and he said I can ditch the crutches. I
told him about the pain in the bruise and he said it would go away
pretty soon, he wasn't concerned in the least. He then said to use
crutches until I was comfortable enough from the bruise. So, I guess
that is good news. I can also take a shower now. YEE HAA! I don't have
to go back and see him for two weeks. One other thing I forgot to ask
him though... I didn't notice before today, but it doesn't seem like
they even used stiches on my incision. Just some huge steri-strips.
Since I don't go back to see him for two more weeks, I don't think
there are any... that seems like an awful long time to have stiches in.
DECEMBER 11, 1998
(9 days post) - I slept better again
last night. That is a good thing. I also ditched my crutches after my
PT session at the hospital today. I reached 0 degrees extension and 108
degrees flexion. I should be able to use the stationary bike next week.
That will be nice. I'm tired of doing the same old PT all the time. The
bruise still hurts when I get up, but it's nothing like it was. I'm
going to go out tomorrow (finally) and visit the YMCA. I work there
part time and I haven't been able to go there since the surgery. I'm
usually there everyday, so it's been tough not to go. Oh, the PT guy
did have me carefully do a few mini squats today. It felt really weird,
I'm not sure how to describe it.
I
took my first shower tonight. What a fiasco! I ended up having to use a
lawn chair in there to sit on. It took a while to get situated, but
once I did, it sure felt good. I feel so much better. The knee isn't
swollen much... I think a lot of it has to do with the ice machine. The
doctor sent me home with an ice machine that you hook to a pad that you
put on your knee. Then it continuously pumps cold water into the pad.
It's really nice. He said to run it non-stop for the first 48 hours.
Now, I just use it after workouts and when I start to feel some pain. I
would definitely ask your doctor about using one if you are going to
have surgery. My PT couldn't believe how good the knee looked so soon.
Guess I'll sign off for tonight. I have to get up early so I can go to
the YMCA in the morning.
DECEMBER 12, 1998
(10 days post) - I just got back from
the "Y". Boy was it ever great to get out and see people! I was there
from 9 AM to Noon. I left at noon because I was hungry and I was afraid
if I had my leg down much longer it would start to get sore. No real
problems. I did get a sharp pain on the outside of my knee at one point
while I was standing without my crutches. I went to reach for something
and boom. I didn't have any weight on it or anything, I was standing
fully on my good leg, with my hand on the counter. I had the foot of my
bad leg on the ground. I was reaching opposite from the bad leg when I
felt the sharp pain. I stopped immediately and sat down. No other
problems. Once in while I will feel that pain. It almost like the pain
you feel when it needs to pop. I don't mean pop out of place, more like
when you pop your knuckles. I don't know how else to explain it. Just
wanted to write it down as I'm sure others will feel the similar pain
and wonder if it's normal.
DECEMBER 13, 1998
(11 days post) - I seem to be sleeping
a little better each night. I can only remember waking up 3 or 4 times
in 8 hours last night. So that was nice. I'm still doing my home PT...
the flexion seems to be getting better each time I do the exercises. I
was at 108 degrees friday... It feels like I'm getting that pretty
easily. It almost looks like a normal knee again. There has been very
little pain. When I do have pain, it is just an ache type sensation.
While I'm sitting down or laying down, I like to do circles with my
feet to stretch them... it feels good. The doctor told me to do it
whenever I thought about it. It's good for stretching the calf. Anyway,
when I do those counterclockwise, it feels normal, but when I do them
clockwise, there is a certain point where it feels really weird and
makes my toes tingle. It's a weird sensation. It just opposite with my
other foot. I'm not sure what causes it, I'll have to ask the PT or my
doctor and see what he says. It probably has something to do with
sitting around a lot and not being up and moving. Other than that, it's
been a pretty boring day so far.
DECEMBER 14, 1998
(12 days post) - Hey.. I had some good
news today. I went to PT and got to 118 degrees flexion, so he let me
on the stationary bike. That felt sooooo good!! I worked hard on my
home PT all weekend so I could get on that thing. Funny how little
things make me so happy now. You just have to take everything one step
at a time. I go back to PT on wednesday and since that will be the
start of the third week post op, I would get to do some new exercises.
That will be good. I'm getting tired of the old ones. I still have to
do PT at home 5 times/day.
I'm
going to sleep upstairs in my normal bed tonight. Today was the first
day I was comfortable going up and down steps without crutches. I
probably could have slept up there last night, but I still wasn't
totally off the crutches and comfortable yet. I didn't want to try and
go up and down the stairs in the middle of the night until I was sure I
could do it.
DECEMBER 15, 1998
(13 days post) - Boy was it nice to
sleep in my own bed. I didn't have any trouble going up and down the
steps without crutches. I went to work at YMCA for a few hours today.
It was nice to be back for a while. I also took some time to ride the
stationary bike there. That makes my knee feel good when I get done.
It's my aunt's birthday today, I think we are supposed to go out and
eat supper tonight. I don't know for sure yet if I'm going to go or
not. I would like to, but I'm not sure my knee can take an hour in the
car, a couple hours to eat, and another hour in the car without some
rest. There hasn't been much pain at all in the knee yet today. I think
doing a lot of PT helps out. Whenever it starts to ache a little, I do
some PT. When I get done it usually feels better.
The
birthday plans were scratched, so we didn't go out to eat. I took an
hour and went back to the YMCA for a while so I could get a chance to
visit some of the kids. I work there as the pool coordinator and
assistant sports coordinator. It's been a tough couple of weeks not
being able to get out and see them. I love working with the kids. I
probably shouldn't have, but I played a little catch with the football
while I was there. I didn't run or anything... that's impossible with
the stinkin' immobilizer... I just threw the football for a while. I
couldn't help myself.
I've
been working pretty hard on the quad sets to try and get my muscles
back. My doctor wasn't concerned at all about ROM, he said that would
come in time... He said he was more concerned that I get the quad
muscles into shape so I could lose the brace. Tomorrow will be 2 weeks
post-op... I should get some new exercises to do.
DECEMBER 16, 1998
(2 weeks post) - I did get some new
stuff in PT today. I got to do mini-squats with most of my weight on
the bad knee, and some calf raises. Those were tough. I also get to put
some 5 lb. leg weights on my ankle when I do the old exercises, so that
makes them a little better. I rode the stationary bike today for 10
minutes and went 3.6 miles. That was way better than the first time.
There is some pain when I do the bike and mini-squats... I think that
is because I had a majority of my meniscus removed though. That's the
only thing that really causes any pain. The holes where they did the
orthoscopic surgery seem to be healing pretty good. I was worried about
it for a while, they didn't put a stitch in them or anything, but they
have never given me a problem. My knee is feeling stronger each day and
I'm not as scared to take the brace off as I was before. When the
doctor said I could probably take the brace off on December 22, I was a
little worried because my knee was so weak and I didn't have a lot of
control over it. The strength increases all the time though and I think
that I'll be able to ditch the brace then.
DECEMBER 17, 1998
(2 weeks & 1 day
post)
- Today went pretty good. I spent some time at the YMCA playing air
hockey and foosball, it was nice to be out. I didn't have much of a
problem. My knee isn't sore or anything. I also walked around the room
a little bit with the brace off. I know I'm not supposed to do it yet,
but I had to get from one side of the room to the other and it was way
to much of a hassle to put the brace on for that. Everything went
fine... I was careful. It feels a little stronger each day. I did have
a little bit more joint pain doing certain exercises... It was a sharp,
bone on bone type pain, so I know it has to do with the meniscus that
was taken out.
DECEMBER 18, 1998
(2 weeks & 2
days post)
- Not a whole lot going on today. Pretty boring really. I got another
new exercise to do at PT. I get to do a 3 inch step up. Doesn't sound
like a lot, but it's nice to have something different. If I go more
than 3 inches, I get some pain, so he keeps it at that for now. I was
also out and walking/standing for about 3 hours straight today and I
don't seem to have any problems from it. No pain. I'll have to see if
I'm sore tomorrow, but I don't think I will be.
DECEMBER 19, 1998
(2 weeks & 3
days post)
- Nothing much going on at all today. The knee isnt sore from walking
on it, so that's good. I have also stopped taking the Ibuprofen as of
today. So, I'm not taking any pain medications at all. We'll see how it
goes.
DECEMBER 20, 1998
(2 weeks & 4
days post)
- I have started walking around more and more with my brace off... I
was real nervous about it at first, but it's not really that big of a
deal now. I'm real careful about it though. I don't have the doctor's
permission to not use the brace yet, so I have to watch myself. I've
had it off for about 3/4 of the day so far with no problems. I do have
a little bit more pain when doing the exercises, but I'm sure that's
because I've stopped taking the pills. I'll just have to get used to
it. It's not a whole lot of pain, just a little more than before.
DECEMBER 21, 1998
(2 weeks & 5
days post)
- Slow day. Nothing much to report. I did get the step-up moved up a
little higher at PT today. I think it was 2-3 inches the first time,
now it's about 5. He also put more weight on the straight leg raises. I
don't really know how much it was this time, but it was 5 pounds
before. The bruise I had looks much better now. There is no pain in it
at all. I pretty much don't use the brace at all when I'm at home. I
see the doctor tomorrow and he will say wether I have to keep wearing
it or not. Since I haven't been wearing it much, I sure hope he says I
can go without it.
DECEMBER 22, 1998
(2 weeks & 6
days post)
- I just got back from the doctor and he said I could take the brace
off whenever I was comfortable with it. I just smiled and said "Today?"
He laughed and replied, "sure." YYYEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!
He
did some tests on my knee to see how loose it was and said it looked
good. He showed me more pictures from the surgery... I saw the torn
meniscus and bone damage... He said that I would have problems with
arthritis down the road about 20 years, that's when I asked him again
if I would be recovered in 6 months. He said, "Yeah, you should be able
to return to full sports in 6 months with no problems." So, today has
been a really good day!
Oh,
I almost forgot to write about it... I can drive again!! Finally. I'm
free. It was really nice to be able to go out on my own and not have
someone take me there and pick me up. It feels so nice to not be
wearing the brace when I walk. It's much easier to walk than I
expected. I don't have much of a limp, I just have to go kinda slow.
DECEMBER 23, 1998
(3 weeks post) - I was out all day
today shopping for christmas presents. I walked around the mall without
the brace and didn't have any problems at all. It wasn't sore when I
got home or anything. It was a little swollen, but that's to be
expected. I put some ice on it and that took care of it.
DECEMBER 24, 1998
(3 weeks & 1 day
post)
- No soreness from yesterday, so that's good. I was a little worried
that I would wake up and not be able to move it much after being on it
all day yesterday. Anyway, it was fine.
I
did see something on the message board that I should write here. Some
people have had their knee pop sometimes while doing exercises or
walking and were worried that they reinjured their knee. Let me say
that most of the popping noises are normal. I've had that happen quite
a few times and it also happens in my "good" knee. It's sort of like
popping your knuckles... It feels good after it pops... or at least it
doesn't hurt after it pops. Now, if you have severe pain after it pops,
this is not good. You might want to get it checked out if it swells or
stays painful. Otherwise, the pops are normal.
It
sure is nice to sleep without the brace on! I can pretty much sleep on
both sides now, I'm just careful when my reconstructed knee is on the
bottom. I haven't tired sleeping on my stomach yet, but I'm sure I
could... my kneecap is still a little sore though, so I just don't do
it.
DECEMBER 26, 1998
(3 weeks & 3
days post)
- I skipped writing on Christmas... Had too many family things to do. I
could only get in about half my exercises for the past couple of days
and I really notice it. The exercises are MUCH more painful when you
don't do them all the time. Especially the flexion ones. That seems to
suffer the most from missing workouts. So, do everything you can to not
miss too many sessions. It's definitely not fun to try and catch up
where you left off. I can't wait until the rest of the swelling finally
goes away and I can get the last part of full flexion. I've had full
extension almost from the beginning, so that's good.
DECEMBER 30, 1998
(4 weeks post) - I've hit the point
where I'm getting busier again so I haven't been writing as often. Bad
boy, I know. Most of my life is getting back to normal (except for
playing sports). Since I've been busier again, it's also hard to fit in
all the PT I'm supposed to do. I try to do it all, but honestly, I
don't have that much time. I usually get in 3 sessions/day. I was up to
134 degrees flexion the other day. My good leg is 146, so that's going
good. The flexion exersices are still the most painful though.
Yesterday was the first day I could walk up our stairs almost normal. I
can't do all stairs, but the ones in my house aren't that high, so I
can do them. Can't go down them though,... just up. The muscles around
my knee are much stronger this past week... it feels pretty stable. It
snowed here for the first time, so I made sure to be careful outside
today. Didn't have any problems.
JANUARY 11, 1999
(5 weeks & 5
days post)
- I've been a bad boy... I should update this more often, but once you
start getting the knee to feel better, it gets tougher to find time.
Everything is pretty much back to normal... everything but having the
knee 100% that is. PT seems to be going a little slow. I do all the
exercises I'm supposed to and everything, but my trainer seems to be
taking things SLOOOOOOW! I've seen my doctor's protocol and I'm only
doing about half the things on it and I'm not sure why. If I don't
start getting to do the rest of the stuff, I'm going to check out
another clinic. I know it's not because I'm behind or anything, I can
do all the current exercises easily. We'll see what happens.
Everything
with the knee seems to be going well... I don't have much pain and I
can go up and down stairs without help. Up is much easier than down,
but I started going down the steps yesterday.
FEBRUARY 1, 1999
(8 weeks & 5
days post)
- I did end up switching PT's about a week and a half ago. They work me
way harder than the other PT ever did and they weren't sure why he
didn't have me doing more. The new PT has me doing Stairmaster, BAPS,
Squats, jogging on the trampoline, and a ton of other things... I feel
like I'm making some progress now.
My
only concern at this point is how much my knee pops. It pops all the
time. It's not painful at all, it just worries me a little. It's not a
cracking type things, it's like when you pop your knuckles. I mentioned
it to the doc and he wasn't concerned in the least. I guess we'll just
see how it goes.
JANUARY 20, 2000 -
This entry is WAY overdue. I've just been busy with
everything else... including putting up this website and the message
board.
I
am past the 13 month post-op point and everything is going extremely
well. The bad leg is still not as strong as the good leg, but
I haven't been doing the gym work for quite a while. I have
been playing sports (touch football, and basketball) with no problems
at all. I'm not wearing a brace of any kind. I did
just notice for the first time last week that I went through a game of
basketball without thinking about my knee at all. Actually, I
noticed halfway through the game that I hadn't been thinking about it
while cutting and jumping... it was a great feeling.
I
do still have weird pains show up every once in a while. But
I can handle that. I can kneel without any problems on
carpet. I can kneel on hardwood floors, but it does hurt a
little bit... then again, it hurts my good knee too. :) I'm
definitely happy that I had the surgery. I probably will
never get to the same level of playing sports as I did before, but I'm
already playing about 75% better than I was without the surgery.
April 22, 2005 - I know it's been about
5 years, but I thought I would put up a quick entry and let everyone
know that everything is still going fine and I've never had another
problem with my knee. So if anyone out there has any doubts about
having ACL surgery, don't worry about it too much, I think it's worth
it.
If you have any questions
or comments, please e-mail
me by clicking here.
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