11 days post op from arthroscopy: The recovery from this is probably good learning practice for the ACI surgery. I have had to work quite a bit to get the quadricep to "engage" reliably. Sometimes walking, it suddenly gives out.The quadricep takes awhile to come back and the PT exercise (leg lifts) hurt a bit and were not so easy. I am not talking about bad pain, but the pain that is there impedes the exercise I realized, so I took Advil an hour before my last session and it helped alot. It was a very fruitful session. I had a "break through" that made things alot easier. I was doing exercises for the quad-straight leg lifts, with electrodes on and suddenly it felt like the muscle jumped. When I walked afterwards, it was much easier to ambulate smoothly. After that I could straighten my leg better and my range of motion (heel to the hamstring) was measured at 125, much improved from two days before. I walked with crutches for about a week and then 1 crutch for few days. At home, I don't use any crutch now, but I keep the crutch with me to go out of the house-I am much quicker with it. i am still walking slowly, but feel better doing so.
I do not yet have a date for the ACI surgery. I am awaiting approval now for the surgery. The doctor's office insurance person told me that it should be easily approved, since the first surgery was related to the second. I hope she is correct. She was supposed to contact me Friday about it, but has not. So, I have my fingers crossed. I want to know the date, so my husband can plan time off and I can arrange some help.
One month post op from arthroscopy harvesting-By this point, I should be back to normal, but my knee does not bend when walking as it should, although I can bend it completely back (heel to butt) when not walking. I put on a knee brace that I have used in the past to prevent pain when walking and it does seem to help. So, I think the knee may be "loose" and moving down in a way that prevents me from bending easily when standing up.
April 4, 2013-My ACI surgery has been approved by my insurance (United) and my surgery is scheduled for April 30th. I have been very lucky that my insurance has been cooperative so far. They allowed me to have Dr. Gillogly do the surgery as an in network doc, with in network deductible for me, although he is out of network! This is because he is the only one in town who has done more than one or two of these surgeries. I was very grateful for that and for this approval.
I will now plan for the surgery date and the weeks to follow by arranging some help at home and driving help for my kids. I am going to interview a caregiver to come for a week so that I won't be alone in the beginning of my recovery and so that I will have someone to drive me. My friends have offered to help, but I know they have busy schedules and so I would not be able to count on someone here as much as I might need. My mother will come stay with us for a few days when my husband is off from work, the day of the surgery and a few days after. She can't drive or help me around (or catch me if I stumble!) because she is getting older and has post polio syndrome.
I have been trying to get all my household errands and projects finished. I brought a comfortable chair into my bedroom and got an ottoman for it. I already had purchased all the health stuff like toilet riser, leg lifter, shower chair, comfortable slip on shoes (Merrill's) which have already been helpful after the arthroscopy. I am trying to plan some fun social stuff with various friends in the next two weeks as well as getting organized. I hope to use my forced inactivity during recovery from the knee surgery to take a professional workshop or two online-I need to take several courses in order to reinstate my professional license (clinical social worker) that I accidentally allowed to lapse. Hopefully, I can be somewhat productive post op and catch up on things I have been to busy to do in the past.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Introduction-March 12, 2013 (originally published elsewhere)
I am creating this blog/diary in hopes that it will be helpful to others who are planning ACI surgery. I found reading the experiences of others to be very helpful to prepare for the surgery and to understand the range of outcomes. This surgery is being developed and he outcomes are increasingly more successful. So, the experiences of people who had the surgery even a couple years ago may be less relevant than he most current ones-since the techniques for surgery and the rehab protocol are changing based on research and outcome studies. I also published this diary on the website: kneegeeks, so it is possible that some things I wrote might briefer to that website and seem out of context. I will try to edit to avoid that confusion....
I am planning to have ACI surgery on both knees-one at a time. I don't know how spaced apart the surgeries will be. I know that people have done two ACI surgeries and survived, but it is difficult.
I will also have a Fulkerson procedure which is when the patella is moved forward and up because of misalignment. Misaligned patellas are the reason why the cartilage on my knees has worn away severely in a few places down to the bone.
I am having an arthroscopy March !2 (6 days from now) to "harvest" cartilage for ACI surgeries. I have had knee pain for 10 years and was told by 4 orthopedic surgeons that it was chondromalacia and there was nothing they could do. My understanding is that my patellas are in the "wrong" place (outside the center) and have worn away the cartilage completely in some areas (probably would have been less damage if I could have had the patellas moved 10 years ago-not sure why that did not happen). I live in Atlanta which I am now especially happy about because one of the top surgeons for ACI knee surgery, Dr. Gillogly, is here and he will perform the surgery.
I have very much appreciated the blogs that i have read online and on kneegeeks.com. I know that everyone progresses at a different pace, but it is very helpful to have some info from others who have had the same surgery. The ACI surgery is for "younger people", ie not for those in their senior years who would have a knee replacement. I am on the older end of the age spectrum for this surgery-It is done on people up to about 55 years old and I am 49. Hopefully, I will be able to move along in rehab as well as the younger folks!
I have purchased some of the items recommended on a some of the blogs I have read! I am trying to lose the weight I have gained being inactive prior to surgery and also to strengthen my quadriceps, which seems like it would be helpful for rehab... I know many people have their injuries as result of "trauma"-I have not seen any blogs/posts with a history like mine, ie, wearing away of the cartilage over time.
I am planning to have ACI surgery on both knees-one at a time. I don't know how spaced apart the surgeries will be. I know that people have done two ACI surgeries and survived, but it is difficult.
I will also have a Fulkerson procedure which is when the patella is moved forward and up because of misalignment. Misaligned patellas are the reason why the cartilage on my knees has worn away severely in a few places down to the bone.
I am having an arthroscopy March !2 (6 days from now) to "harvest" cartilage for ACI surgeries. I have had knee pain for 10 years and was told by 4 orthopedic surgeons that it was chondromalacia and there was nothing they could do. My understanding is that my patellas are in the "wrong" place (outside the center) and have worn away the cartilage completely in some areas (probably would have been less damage if I could have had the patellas moved 10 years ago-not sure why that did not happen). I live in Atlanta which I am now especially happy about because one of the top surgeons for ACI knee surgery, Dr. Gillogly, is here and he will perform the surgery.
I have very much appreciated the blogs that i have read online and on kneegeeks.com. I know that everyone progresses at a different pace, but it is very helpful to have some info from others who have had the same surgery. The ACI surgery is for "younger people", ie not for those in their senior years who would have a knee replacement. I am on the older end of the age spectrum for this surgery-It is done on people up to about 55 years old and I am 49. Hopefully, I will be able to move along in rehab as well as the younger folks!
I have purchased some of the items recommended on a some of the blogs I have read! I am trying to lose the weight I have gained being inactive prior to surgery and also to strengthen my quadriceps, which seems like it would be helpful for rehab... I know many people have their injuries as result of "trauma"-I have not seen any blogs/posts with a history like mine, ie, wearing away of the cartilage over time.
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