Tell me about your knee surgery

[taffy]

I tested the theory of gravity while skiing and completely ruptured my ACL and MCL and my miniscus.  I'm having surgery tomorrow to repair everything.  The doctor is transferring a cadaver ligament so I guess I don't have to worry about harvesting one  and the extram trauma of that.  I'm a wuss of course and am terrified of the pain.  I don't particularly like pain pills but I know I'll take them if needed.  DH is taking the day after off because my main worry is not being able to get to the bathroom on my own.  

[mrsukyankee]

Mine is cadaver tissue. Best choice I ever made. I took the pain pills for 2 days and then Tylenol. The hardest bit is the first few days - wearing the brace and the rehab. It hurts but it's doable. Good to have someone around post hospital.

[orangello]

Use the little recirculating ice thing! It was my best friend. And honestly, I needed help with a lot of stuff for longer than a day.

On the bright side - I didn’t find the pain overwhelming, and I only took the pills for a couple days.

Finally - do as much physical therapy as possible. It truly helps!

[taffy]

Ok both of you have made me feel a better. I would much rather a glass of wine over the pain pills, I am smart enough not to do both. But the idea I could wean off in a couple of days makes me happy.
I already started physical therapy because I couldn't straighten my knee and its helped quite a bit. The dr was impresseed with how much it had improved. I'll for sure do whatever they ask because I want to get better and because I'll be bored. I work on my feet so I'll be off for a few months.

[meanie]

My dad just went through this and is a big wimp (sorry, dad). He did well and was up and moving not too long after. PT was a little tough because they push you, but he had other hip related stuff going on so that was part of it.

[CrazyLucky]

DH has torn both his ACLs. The first one the repaired by taking apiece of his hamstring and using it for his ACL. The second one was a cadaver ligament. Even though he was about 10 years older with the second one, he said the recovery was much easier with the cadaver ligament. The PT was tough though! Take some pain medicine before you go. DH was able to get to the bathroom, but had trouble with stairs. Our only shower was on the second floor at the time, so I brought him meals and he basically lived up there for a few days.

Good luck!

[lilac05]

Please don’t try to limit the pills in the first few days! I don’t recall my pain lasting more than several days, but I did have to call and have them change my meds because I was in a lot of pain in the first 48-72 hours. (I also hate taking pain medication, but this was even taking them as prescribed.) I felt great when I got home, but it hit me about 10 hours later.

Get into PT as soon as you can and follow through with all of the exercises. It might feel like they could make that big of a difference, but they do!

Take it one day at a time, and accept all offers to help. Even if it’s something you can do. Everything will take a lot more energy at first, so letting someone help you with one thing (even if you technically can do it) preserves some energy so you can do something else.

[CloudBee]

I had the same injury minus the meniscus.

- I went with my own hamstring graft
- gently massage, massage, massage the area around your incision ASAP to reduce swelling
- elevate like it's your job
- ice like it's your 2nd job
- take all of your pain meds
- if PT tells you to move that joint, MOVE IT (will help decrease inflammation and pain)
- PT may last up to a year, but eventually it will be behind you

My surgeon told me that "legs are life" going forward. Work hard to gain back your range of motion and do your best not to lose it. Eventually I wanted to regain the flexibility of being able to pull the button of my foot back against my butt, and I got that back. I also wanted to sit on the floor cross legged without issue, and to kneel on the floor while playing with my son. I worked hard and can successfully do all of those 4.5 yrs out.

Once fully healed, spend a few minute each day balancing on your bad leg. (While brushing your teeth, watching TV, etc.) If you do anything once your rehab is complete, stand on that leg to work on balance/strength, and keep it stretched.

[thebreakfastclub]

My mom had a knee replacement last week and is living with us right now.
You can get a shower seat & the elevated toilet seats at Wal-mart near the pharmacy. They are helping her tremendously.

[ellipses84]

I didn’t have one but I helped my mom recover from knee replacement surgery. Recovery was more challenging than either of us expected, as a patient and as a ceretaker. I think you will definitely need pain meds and suggest someone else be responsible 24/7 for the first few days to make sure you are taking meds on time, icing/elevating, not trying to do too much, etc.

[mrshandy]

I had ACL and MCL reconstruction almost 8 years ago. Recovery for me was not very fun and was rough. I didn't really expect that considering I was running marathons prior to tearing my ACL and MCL. I thought I would be out of work for a day or two but it was more like a week. One thing I didn't expect was how hard it was to navigate crutches after surgery. I was so woozy, my husband and a friend had to carry me into the house and bed because I couldn't balance properly. I didn't do cadaver. I forget the reasoning for doing my own. But there was some reason why I chose my own. I don't really like pain pills either and limited them as much as I could. I ended up taking them regularly in the middle of the night when my knee would stiffen up.

I did my PT exercises 3 x a day since I didn't seem to recover as quickly as my PT wanted me too. It was a long hard road to get back to running, but I eventually got there and have never looked back. My knee still stiffens up occasionally and I still can't bend it the same as my right knee. But I'm way further than I was 7 years ago.

Good luck!

[sagelily]

I tore my ACL skiing too. I did not have the meniscus tear. I opted for the cadaver ligament and the pain level for recovery was manageable. I think I only took the prescription pain meds for about 4 days. I definitely agree with the recommendation for the recirculating ice machine to limit swelling. The brace is heavy and was awkward to use with crutches but I could manage much better once I was cleared to unlock the knee hinge of the brace after a few weeks. My first PT place was through the ortho practice and it felt very impersonal and focused only on basic mobility. I did a lot of research and found a small place that was a much better fit with more tailored programs dependent on each patient’s goals. If possible take advantage of all the PT appointments your insurance will approve. I was skiing again 9 months after surgery and just did a much more extensive ski trip 12 months after surgery. My confidence is still low and I am slower but in a lot of ways all of the PT exercises focused on single leg strength/hip and quad strength have made me overall stronger and I can recognize I should have been doing similar exercises all along. Good luck!

[sadlebred]

Take the pain pills on schedule to stay ahead of the pain!

[underwaterrhymes]

Back in 2001 I had chrondoplasty, a lateral release, and anterior tibial medialization. I had quite a lot of physical therapy I needed to do because the muscle had atrophied. (I was in the Peace Corps, injured my knee, and had been prescribed over a month’s bed rest, which was the wrong course of action.) Post-surgery, recovery went well.

Stay on top of the pain and make sure you get into PT and OT promptly! You will feel so much better after they fix the issue.

[taffy]

Well the surgery was about 11 hours ago and holy crap it hurt immediately after. I don’t think I’ve ever said 10 on the pain scale but I also think was yelling it. It’s still hurting pretty good I’m trying to stay ahead of the pain. There is zero chance I could go with just Tylenol. Hoping it just continues to hurt less

[orangello]

Ugh, good luck! It will start to feel better. I’m about to head to the ortho for a consult on a torn ligament in my foot, so I feel you 😁 Ortho stuff is rough!

[underwaterrhymes]

I’m sorry you’re hurting. My ortho surgeries have been more painful than my soft tissue surgeries by far.

I always set a timer to take my pain meds. Make sure you’re taking colace too.

[dancingirl21]

I tore my ACL and meniscus in college. I’m sorry you are going through this - it’s tough.

Take your pain meds. Even if you don’t think you need them, take them at least the first few days.

Ice like it’s your job and keep that leg elevated. I slept in a recliner for the first week or so.

PT can be tough and painful in the beginning. Go with what your therapist says but let them know if you are in a lot of pain. My therapy included electrical muscle stimulation, where a machine would activate my muscle by tightening and loosening it. That was rough and I would cry through most of it. I don’t know if this is common, though.

After the first month of therapy, things got much easier. Just keep up with your exercises and icing.

Good luck!

[Nonny]

Apr 3, 2024 8:27:07 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

Back in 2001 I had chrondoplasty, a lateral release, and anterior tibial medialization. I had quite a lot of physical therapy I needed to do because the muscle had atrophied. (I was in the Peace Corps, injured my knee, and had been prescribed over a month’s bed rest, which was the wrong course of action.) Post-surgery, recovery went well.

Stay on top of the pain and make sure you get into PT and OT promptly! You will feel so much better after they fix the issue.

I've had that. Whenever I mention that surgery most people look at me in horror when I describe it because they've never heard of it. It was shocking how much my muscle atrophied basically overnight. It took years before my thighs were the same size again.


taffy , everyone else has already given wonderful advice, so I just wanted to wish you a speedy recovery and encouragement to stay on top of your PT. I always find that home knee PT exercises take me a good hour to do properly, so I started finding a show to watch as my "PT TV" and I could only watch it when doing my exercises as a way to keep me motivated.

[underwaterrhymes]

Apr 4, 2024 12:29:00 GMT -5 Nonny said:

Apr 3, 2024 8:27:07 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

Back in 2001 I had chrondoplasty, a lateral release, and anterior tibial medialization. I had quite a lot of physical therapy I needed to do because the muscle had atrophied. (I was in the Peace Corps, injured my knee, and had been prescribed over a month’s bed rest, which was the wrong course of action.) Post-surgery, recovery went well.

Stay on top of the pain and make sure you get into PT and OT promptly! You will feel so much better after they fix the issue.

I've had that. Whenever I mention that surgery most people look at me in horror when I describe it because they've never heard of it. It was shocking how much my muscle atrophied basically overnight. It took years before my thighs were the same size again.


taffy , everyone else has already given wonderful advice, so I just wanted to wish you a speedy recovery and encouragement to stay on top of your PT. I always find that home knee PT exercises take me a good hour to do properly, so I started finding a show to watch as my "PT TV" and I could only watch it when doing my exercises as a way to keep me motivated.

I don’t think they do it anymore. (At least not that often.) My muscle was atrophied anyway and they had to do that electrical shock thing someone mentioned above to get the muscle functioning again. That thigh is still a half inch smaller over 20 years later.

[Aloe Vera]

Wow, this is a lot! I just had a meniscus repair and it was the easiest surgery ever. I didn't even need pain meds.

[sagelily]

Apr 4, 2024 0:23:48 GMT -5 taffy said:

Well the surgery was about 11 hours ago and holy crap it hurt immediately after. I don’t think I’ve ever said 10 on the pain scale but I also think was yelling it. It’s still hurting pretty good I’m trying to stay ahead of the pain. There is zero chance I could go with just Tylenol. Hoping it just continues to hurt less

Wishing you a quick recovery! There is a lot of great advice in here so just take it a day at a time, keep taking your meds on time and ice as often as your doctor instructed. Be patient with yourself now and also once PT starts. As someone said upthread, the PT exercises are slow and take time but stay patient with the process and you will see progress.

[mrshandy]

Apr 4, 2024 14:05:56 GMT -5 Aloe Vera said:

Wow, this is a lot! I just had a meniscus repair and it was the easiest surgery ever. I didn't even need pain meds.

Meniscus is much easier than ACL repair. I had both done when I did my ACL surgery. 

It was definitely a lot harder than I expected and a long road back with a lot of pain, the post surgery pain was much worse than the injury and I have a high pain tolerance. 

Thinking of you. There is a road back to health and mobility and you'll get there and give yourself grace. Find something to distract or motivate yourself once you get into PT. When I had to get up early to do PT exercises before work I would binge GOT and that was my motivate myself to do them. Come up with some fun activities that you plan down the road after you recover. 

[taffy]

Thanks all. I had the surgery on Wednesday. The pain now is very manageable. Will probably start cutting the pain meds in half. My main complaint is, you know that feeling you get when you're about to fall asleep and you dream you are falling so you jerk your body awake? That really hurts and I keep doing it. I've been doing the exercises they sent me home with and I'm able to get up to the bathroom without help so my dh went back to work. I'm still really groggy and this paragraph forever to type.

[dancingirl21]

Apr 5, 2024 9:53:18 GMT -5 taffy said:

Thanks all. I had the surgery on Wednesday. The pain now is very manageable. Will probably start cutting the pain meds in half. My main complaint is, you know that feeling you get when you're about to fall asleep and you dream you are falling so you jerk your body awake? That really hurts and I keep doing it. I've been doing the exercises they sent me home with and I'm able to get up to the bathroom without help so my dh went back to work. I'm still really groggy and this paragraph forever to type.

I'm glad your pain is manageable. I definitely remember being groggy for awhile after. Take the time to rest! Your body needs it. I watched lots of movies, took naps, read books. Basically only moved to go to the bathroom. After about a week I was much better and could move around more.

[mrsukyankee]

Hope you are feeling a bit better today taffy. I know it took me a week to feel semi normal.