ACL RECONSTRUCTION
What a way to come back! like they say everything happens for the good... (unless it happens to you!) probably the only good thing happening right now is me writing this blog. I need to pour out my feelings somewhere. I thought if I could help a few people by documenting my experiences dealing with the whole situation, that it would be well worth my time.
Well i think i forgot to mention the situation that i am in. I have torn my ACL (anterior cruciate ligament for the uninitiated... like me till i tore mine.).
A number of people with ACL injuries might want to know what to expect for their surgery and recovery. This is for them. I also wanted to know what was wrong and what was needed to be done. Because it scares me if i dont know whats going on. But the others in the family are of the opinion that i should just let the doc do what he needs to do. Probably they think i will be less scared then.
So here is the story.... it begins on the 21st of october 2006. I was returning home from a dance program. While getting down from the bus i missed a step and fell on my knee.I do keep falling like this always...but this time it was really bad,my knee buckled,and I collapsed. The pain was unbearable. After several attempts to get up, I was carried off to the hospital.I couldn’t seem to put any weight on the knee.
The xray showed that there was nothing wrong, but my doctor suspected ligament damage in the knee. He kept me in the hospital for a few days and then recommended a MRI. The report read as predicted.He then recommended an orthopedic specialist. The visit was scheduled for about a week later.After asking me what happened, the doctor grabbed my knee, twisted it into some contortions, pushed, probed, and looked for expressions of pain on my face. He saw many, I’m sure. After the exam the verdict was a torn ACL (as if i didnt know).
The ACL is a ligament inside your knee that holds the two halves of your leg together. Without it, your leg moves like a broken hinge. It bends in strange ways. There’s nothing to keep it from bending slightly sideways or from shearing front to back. Your knee shifts and dislocates as you walk.each of those abnormal movements hurt—a lot...
At first my leg was placed in a full leg brace that immobilized the knee. The contraption reached from my ankle to mid-thigh.It needed daily application of ice packs. After a couple of weeks the swelling went down and I was able to take the brace off. Now I can walk without the brace, but if I’m going to be doing any real activity I need to wear a smaller brace that just covers the knee called a hinge cap. It has hinges and straps.
The ACL is like a tight rubber band and when it tears, the two halves separate completely and can not be reattached. in order to repair the damage, they replace the ligament, either with a donor ligament from a cadaver or with a portion of one of your other ligaments (in my case a hamstring).The surgery is on friday and I’m getting a bit nervous. Infact, i saw the whole procedure on a demo video and am scared (thats the word) now like never before.Its not that i have never had had operations and have point of reference for what goes on in a surgical environment. Actually the list a long and i think this is my third major surgery.The surgery will take about three hours.That seems like a long time to be under.
I will keep the rest to be posted later maybe after friday now as i am too busy preparing myself... hope to see everyone soon. bye for now. Will be back with more details.........
Well i think i forgot to mention the situation that i am in. I have torn my ACL (anterior cruciate ligament for the uninitiated... like me till i tore mine.).
A number of people with ACL injuries might want to know what to expect for their surgery and recovery. This is for them. I also wanted to know what was wrong and what was needed to be done. Because it scares me if i dont know whats going on. But the others in the family are of the opinion that i should just let the doc do what he needs to do. Probably they think i will be less scared then.
So here is the story.... it begins on the 21st of october 2006. I was returning home from a dance program. While getting down from the bus i missed a step and fell on my knee.I do keep falling like this always...but this time it was really bad,my knee buckled,and I collapsed. The pain was unbearable. After several attempts to get up, I was carried off to the hospital.I couldn’t seem to put any weight on the knee.
The xray showed that there was nothing wrong, but my doctor suspected ligament damage in the knee. He kept me in the hospital for a few days and then recommended a MRI. The report read as predicted.He then recommended an orthopedic specialist. The visit was scheduled for about a week later.After asking me what happened, the doctor grabbed my knee, twisted it into some contortions, pushed, probed, and looked for expressions of pain on my face. He saw many, I’m sure. After the exam the verdict was a torn ACL (as if i didnt know).
The ACL is a ligament inside your knee that holds the two halves of your leg together. Without it, your leg moves like a broken hinge. It bends in strange ways. There’s nothing to keep it from bending slightly sideways or from shearing front to back. Your knee shifts and dislocates as you walk.each of those abnormal movements hurt—a lot...
At first my leg was placed in a full leg brace that immobilized the knee. The contraption reached from my ankle to mid-thigh.It needed daily application of ice packs. After a couple of weeks the swelling went down and I was able to take the brace off. Now I can walk without the brace, but if I’m going to be doing any real activity I need to wear a smaller brace that just covers the knee called a hinge cap. It has hinges and straps.
The ACL is like a tight rubber band and when it tears, the two halves separate completely and can not be reattached. in order to repair the damage, they replace the ligament, either with a donor ligament from a cadaver or with a portion of one of your other ligaments (in my case a hamstring).The surgery is on friday and I’m getting a bit nervous. Infact, i saw the whole procedure on a demo video and am scared (thats the word) now like never before.Its not that i have never had had operations and have point of reference for what goes on in a surgical environment. Actually the list a long and i think this is my third major surgery.The surgery will take about three hours.That seems like a long time to be under.
I will keep the rest to be posted later maybe after friday now as i am too busy preparing myself... hope to see everyone soon. bye for now. Will be back with more details.........
posted by Cina John Diby @ 8:46 AM
1 comments
