Day 13

Today I had another PT session. He had me stand up for the first time today with no brace or crutches. I did some basic standing exercises that will make my knee and quad muscles stronger. You don't realize how much you use your quad muscles for walking until they're gone! Astonishing!!  Also, he measured my knee and the swelling has gone down an inch, now only 2/5 inch left to go until my knee looks normal, minus the scars of course. Even though he didn't measure it, my range of motion seems to be at about 130ish degrees. I started at 145 degrees before surgery, so, almost there!

- Pain -
At almost 2 weeks post op, my pain is totally gone during the day. However at night I tend to wake up around 4 in the morning with pain on the scar site. It then becomes difficult to sleep again. I try to take Advil at night before the pain comes, but it doesn't usually work. When the pain is there, I elevate it with a pillow or the CPM machine and it tends to go away. I think the only way to ensure the pain doesn't come is to set an alarm before the pain comes. Don't be alarmed when you wake up with a REALLY stiff knee. Just try and stretch your hamstrings in the morning and that will help a lot. Also, when doing PT training at home, do one in the mid morning, to ensure comfortable walking during the day. I then do a second/third set at night right before I go to bed (it makes falling asleep a little easier).

I also just want to point it out that my recovery will not be the exact same for anyone else. For athletes, it might look similar, but for those who tore their ACL later in life, it may be harder to get your range of motion back so quickly. But, don't be discouraged and just keep working.

Pics of Leg Day 10

Swelling has gone down a lot, but is still there. Bruising on your shins is completely normal. It shows up 4 to 5 days after surgery. Steri strips are also beginning to come off!

Oh sleep, how I have missed you

Day 9 now. Pain has decreased a lot and my knee is beginning to show some shape to it, instead of just a balloon. Bu-bye swelling. As for sleep.. well it has returned! I no longer sleep with the brace on so I can roll over to my side and be comfortable. Also, I have enough strength to lift my leg and move around a little bit. Today I literally slept all day. I was only up from 8 to 12 in the morning. All of this pain really takes a toll on you. So, don't be afraid to just sleep it out! You deserve it!

Day 6 and 7

Monday - Day 6 - July 23. 2012

Today I had my post-op appointment with the surgeon. Nothing special happened. He changed my steri-strips and adjusted my brace to 80 degrees (before it was at 60 degrees)

Pain wise it's getting a little frustrating. I am so tired from not being able to sleep at night. I expected the pain to subside, but right now it's a pretty constant "5" (on a scale of 1 to 10), even when I take percocet or advil. Hopefully by the end of this week, it will fade...

Tuesday - Day 7 - July 24. 2012

2nd PT today. It was a lot of fun actually.. now that I can actually walk without extreme pain. For the past week I have had no quad strength. A couple days ago I started to work on getting some back. At PT he had me do over 60 leg raises that really worked my knee strength. I thought I wouldn't be able to do it at first, but low and behold, I did (took a lot of concentration). Hopefully I'll be able to lift my leg pain free soon.

My range of motion as also improve too!
4 degrees shy of full extension
112 degrees for flexion

Pictures of Leg!

Day 5 Sunday, July 22

Hello! It's been about 5 days since the surgery. Here are a few things I thought I'd share with you...

1. Swelling is back and bigger then ever. My knee is huge. Bruising has extended down my shin, and surprisingly, it is the most painful part (besides the knee/bone/graft/thingy itself)
2. My extension has improved I think, but my flexion is gonna take a lot of time still.
3. My appetite is coming back very slowly (I ate a whole bagel today :) ). It's the pills I swear, usually I'm a hog.
4. I am off oxycodone now but can still take Percocet. Advil helps with the swelling
5. I can bear a lot of weight on my feet, but am still really nervous about doing so
6. Sleeping is a pain in the butt. I wear the CPM machine while I fall asleep, and then I wake up and try and get out of it. So, then I have to put the brace on and its very uncomfortable to sleep in
7. Lack of sleep leads to me sleeping ALL day. But who cares..

So,  this is what you have to look forward too :)

Tip: Start icing your shin before it hurts. The pain will come a few days after surgery and mainly at night, when you are not as active.
Tip II: Pain will come, and come fast at night, so catch it before by taking pills at the same time everyday!
Tip III: do the PT exercises, it's helping me a lot.

First PT

Today marked a couple milestones. 

My first PT session and my first shower since the operation. 

At PT I met with my therapist, John. He first cleaned my incision spot and gave me a new ACE bandage. He measured my range of motion. I was 8 degrees shy of full extension and only at 82 degrees with flexion (normally at 124 degrees). Also, I would like to point out I have no, let me repeat, NO, quad muscles anymore. I can not lift my leg straight up in the air anymore. It's pathetic. But, oh well. I left with 4 beginner exercises. 

1. Squeeze quad muscles (will help me with my lack of muscle situation)

2. On a hardwood surface and while wearing a sock, slide my heel up towards my butt until I feel the stretch (I get to around 70 degrees and then struggle) 

3. Calf stretch 

4. Hip extension while lying on my left side

When  I came home, I was so surprised by what little muscle I have! I took a nice long nap and then repeated the exercises. With all my concentration, I was able to lift my leg up in the air about 5 inches (One I got passed the pain it took to flex bc of the swelling, I was able to lift it up). 

- Shower -

Shower, such as simple thing, that you miss SO much. I was a little scared because of these stitches, that aren't really stitches, just like stickers?!, but they didn't hurt in the water, so all was good. 

My pain is tolerable now, still some sharp pain here and there, but manageable. 

To all of those who are wondering how long it takes for the major pain to subside, I would say 4 days, with minor, controllable pain residing. 

Thursday July 19th

- Night -

Wow.. so I thought the pain would subside a little bit.. but no. The pain is still there and now, to make matter worse, the nerve block is gone, gone, gone. So, I'm taking Percocet as often as I am allowed to counteract the pain, however, it comes with a downside. Queasiness. Nausea. Dizziness. Loss of appetite. Someone save me from this nightmare...

First night and full day

There is no sugar coating it guys... you will be in major pain the first night and full day as the nerve block begins to wear off and the healing process begins.


TIP - Get a constant pill routine set in place the minute you get home from the hospital. Don't wait until you are in serious pain in the middle of the night. Make sure to take a couple Percocet (or whatever is prescribed)  right of the bat, and the take it every 4 to 6 hours (even if it means waking up in the middle of the night). Trust me, you'll feel much better (maybe just a little dizzy from the drugs)

My pill schedule is -
every 12 hours take one Oxycodone
every 4 hours take one to two Percocet

For my first full day, I have not left my bed at all. My leg was starting to lose the nerve block sometime around 10 am. That's when the serious pain started. Finally the drugs kicked in, and I got really loopy. At night it was impossible for me to find a good position so during the day, when my leg was in the CPM, it was actually much more comfortable. Keep in mind, you'll be in this machine for 6 to 8 hours a day, so try and rest a little bit in it!

My appetite is close to zero, and this is coming from someone who loves food. However pudding cups and yogurts are good, and bagels work too. You just need something to help keep down the drugs.

Background and the Surgery

Hi everyone! This blog is to help anyone who is about to have ACL surgery. So, a little background about me. I'm 17 year old female, and I play field hockey year round.  I tore my right ACL on Tuesday, June 26, 2012, in the very very beginning of the season, at a field hockey game. I had my first appointment with an orthopedic doctor that Wednesday, and then an MRI that same Friday! My appointment with the surgeon was then scheduled for July 9. The doctors like to wait a little while for the swelling to go down because they like to poke and prod you. After the appointment with the surgeon, my surgery was scheduled for July 17th, 2012 (which just happens to be my birthday).

As you all have heard, if you are reading this blog, the recovery period the doctors say is 6 months. However, wouldn't you want it to be shorter? With this blog, I will post almost daily about my recovery and what I am doing with physical therapy. Feel free to ask questions or leave comments!

Day of Surgery: 

6:30 am: at the hospital, all checked in

7:30 am: all changed and given an IV 

by 8 am: I was given a nerve block. This is where they block the nerve all the way from the top of your leg to just about your shin. It should last up to 30 hours after the surgery. The doctors then give you something else, to block the rest of your leg. They give you drugs for this, so afterwards you won't be able to remember things too clearly :) 

8:30 am: in the operating room and conked out 

12 pm: I am awake and out of surgery in recovery. my leg is completely numb, no pain at all. 

by 1:30 pm: I am out of the hospital and back at home resting

Drugs and Machines: 

I was prescribed Percocet and Oxycodone to relieve the pain. 

I have a CPM (continuous passive motion machine) that bends and extends your knee. I wear it for 6 to 8 hours a day (delivered the day of surgery) 

An Empi machine that gives shocks to my muscles to help the pain and regain some strength (delivered day before surgery) 

Polar Ice Machine which continuously gives ice to my knee (although with the nerve block I can't feel a thing). (deleviered day of surgery) 

A big clunky brace: fitted Thursday before surgery