Fulkerson TTT and MPFL R 9/18/09

[slmac]

"ughhh" is all I have to say at this point and "what was I thinking?"

Definitely not my brightest idea ever to go under the knife for even a simple screw removal not even three weeks after a c-section...I was feeling so good and thought it would be a piece of cake. Definitely the pain is nothing like with the Fulkerson, but holy cow it still is painful! The doc didn't like what the screws were doing to my scar tissue so he also took some of that off to help it heal better. Apparently the screws were having a happy time irritating me. The pain I'm experiencing is more of a nervey pain with a hint of burning when I first stand to straighten my leg or bend from standing. It's very awkward to move around if I don't take the pain pills, which was a surprise to me. I didn't expect to need more than tylenol or advil for this (silly girl, I know now). I've had to break down and bust out the crutches just to keep myself steady and walking with proper form. I don't want to limp around (which I had a nice limping drag going) and mess anything up. It's amazing how using just one crutch improves gait. I am not supposed to take the wrap off of my leg at all until my visit ten days post op to have the stitches removed. I'm wrapped from midthigh down to my ankle. I didn't expect that either. Ice and elevation feel even better than the pain pills.  I do think if I'd been healthy and whole going into this procedure that it'd probably be a little less of a shock on my body (and maybe less painful) than it has been so far.

I'm doing SLR's per the discharge sheet. My doc had me not bending past 90 degrees for the first 24 hours. Weight bearing as tolerated...you know the deal.

I asked how long it will take for the screw holes to close and my OS said one year. I was rather amazed by that. Who knew it would take so long? Really it's kind of interesting to think that the bones are so structurally sound that two holes won't even impact things. The human body and the healing process are amazing things.

Just to be clear though, I am able to do a lot right now. I probably over did it which is why it's been more painful.  I was walking around the same day on the leg. I've been cooking and caring for my family, so I'm fairly functional. Only problem is I can't lift my toddler (c-section) and I can't get on the floor (removal) to change her...very frustrating when she won't cooperate and climb up on a bed for me to reach her :-). All things considered for just a few days post-op I'm not doing too shabby. Just gotta keep perspective.

[slmac]

mermaids, what you're describing with your pregnancy of the 24 hour a day morning sickness the whole nine months is probably HG. I was told I had "severe morning sickness" with my first and I just accepted it and thought okay I guess it's normal to puke for nine months and weigh less at the end of the pregnancy than I did at the start. I was miserable and my baby was really small. This time around I was even sicker and finally was diagnosed with HG and actually received treatments that made it survivable. I don't know if you plan on having more or not (sadly we are done because of HG), but if you are check out HelpHer.org. Thanks to the info on their site and all of the ladies that I met on the boards I was able to advocate for myself and not just suffer from being so sick without trying things to make it better for me and the baby. It kills me that so many of us are told it's just morning sickness and it's not!

Happy New Year!

[mermaids]

Sorry you are having a tough time w/ the screw removal... but, yeah, so soon after a C section would definitely be more challenging.  When I have mine done, I will plan for it to be a challenge, then, hopefully, be pleasantly surprised when it is no big deal. 

Thanks for the info on HG.  No more babies here.  I am 46, my boys are teens.... and I had a hysterectomy shortly after my 2nd was born.    The morning sickness was rough.  Ironically, I managed to gain weight, lots of weight, because eating was the only thing that kept me from puking all day.  I nibbled all day (and night).  But, it worked out because I have two fantastic young men. 

I can't imagine going through a TTT with little ones bouncing around the house. 

[slmac]

So, five days post hardware removal and feeling much better. Finally got a day where I could rest more and sleep and it helped tremendously. Totally screwed up though because I got the bandages wet yesterday. I just had to take a shower and was my hair yesterday so I wrapped everything up really well with the press and seal. Well, somewhere it didn't seal and everything got soaked. I had to remove everything and put new bandages on. It was no fun though because the last layer had attached itself in dried blood to the incision site. I had to use counter pressure and pull to get the darn thing off. Took some scab from between the cut out and caused bleeding. Had to change the bandages again last night because of the ickiness from the bleeding. I was so upset because the one thing I was told not to do was remove the bandages or get the wound wet. Sounds pretty simple 'til you just can't hang without a shower any longer. Oh well. I go in to get the sutures removed on Friday. Hopefully  I didn't screw things up too badly by removing part of the scab. The site is glued in addition to the sutures, so hopefully all is well. Seriously, anything will look better than what was going on where the screws were because they was making mounds of scar tissue at each location...so uncomfortable.

Am now able to just take ibuprofen and tylenol (alternating) for the discomfort. I'm able to sit cross legged (with some discomfort...probably from the bandage and blood sticking problem). When I get tired I still mildly limp, but movement and control are much better than just a few days ago. I'm convinced that if I weren't insane (like the doc said I had to be --or very ambitious) to have the surgery so soon after my c-section and had actually slept in the weeks before it that this would be a very easy experience.

[mermaids]

Glad to hear it is getting better.  Sometimes a girl just *has* to shower. 

[slmac]

So, 2 years and 51 weeks after my surgery for the Fulkerson and the MPFL repair I'm going back under the knife for an MPFL reconstruction. The Fulkerson has been a total success, but thanks to being a woman and hormones and the fact they repaired my own stretched out tissue, my MPFL has stretched out again and I've subluxed three times in the past few weeks. I've cashed in my frequent flyer miles at the OS and they fast-tracked me to surgery this Tuesday. Allograft is supposed to save the day. I can do this. I know I can. I did not go through everything I went through three years ago to get to the point where I'm dislocating again. Fingers crossed this is it!!!

[slmac]

Last time, we nicknamed my surgery Sandy Gets Her Groove Back....This time I'm trying to think of a good name for my surgery...Sandy Rediscovers the Right Groove? I don't know...doesn't quite have the ring to it. Visualizing Success!

[crankerchick]

Visualize success! Wow, tuesday, that's fast. Gitrdone!

[slmac]

Well, surgery was this morning. My block actually worked this time!!! I was so stoked. The experience was light years different than my initial sugery three years ago. I'm supposed to use the cpm 6 to 8 hours a day. I posted a picture for anyone curious what they look like.  So far I love this thing, but we'll see what I think when the block where's off. The immobilizer goes from thigh to ankle. I remember pics helped me conceptualize all of this better when I was a total knee newbie. My goal is to get to 90 degrees ROM by about four weeks from now. The doc said take it easy and to not push since the mpfl recon is not like what you gothrough with the acl. The guy who fit me to the cpm had told me two weeks and my doc said a resounding no to that. I start PT on Monday. The doc told my husband the after surgery stuff...which sucks because he forgot. He remembers *something* about arthritis being mentioned but can't remember what! Eek!  Next surgery I'm making the man write stuff down. Lol

The ice man feels awesome. Such a great little machine. The anesthesia doc said the block would only control 80% of my pain...ummm...so far it's controlled 100% of my pain. Wooohoo. I'm non weight baring for the first 24 hours. Then I can touch with crutches.

They gave me three different things for nausea and vomiting, so I know I need to take stool softener (I know tmi, but seriously, they never warn you that zofran stops you up like nothing else and add to that the fact narcotics stop things up...coalace is a post surgery friend.

I have scopalmine patch behind my ear. Helps a lot, too...but serious dry mouth is the side effect. Throat is sore and it's hard to swallow...seriously the discomfort swallowing is the only pain I have.

Happily, I *do not* have an OnQ pump this time. I was really worried about having one with two small children...especially since it did nothing for me last time.

Today's procedure included arthroscopy and the mpfl reconstruction using allograft. I'm visuallizing succes. I've got this!!!!

[slmac]

Pictures attempt two

[crankerchick]

Great spirits! Visualize success! Glad every thing is going we so far.

[slmac]

Well, the femoral nerve block has worn off. Now I can feel all the pain. Still nothing like what I felt before after the Fulkerson. My knee just feels really stiff. I am so stoked that I got almost 36 hours out of the block. The cpm is a little frustrating. I just don't like being trapped. I'm able to do 45 degrees. It's stiff, but it doesn't hurt. My wheelchair was delivered yesterday. It will definitely be handy tonight when I go to work. Tomorrow I get to remove the bandages and apply a new clean gauze over the incisions. I'll be able to shower, but I have to wrap my leg in plastic wrap to keep the surgical site dry. Considering brushing my teeth and changing my shirt and shorts were an ordeal this mroning, I might hold off on showering. Looking forward to PT on Monday

[Awood5843]

how are things going for ya?

[slmac]

I'm hanging in there. Today is day seven and is the first day of PT.

When I took the bandages off I discovered I had had a lot more bleeding than last time and I discovered that I have an extra incision on rright smack in the middle of my knee that was a surprise to. Me. My surgery notes weren't at pt today, so I'll find out Friday when I got for staple and suture removal what the one scar is for. I have three small incisions and two that are about one inch long. The doc had thought he'd maybe need to do a second incision for the mpfl recon and drew where it would be, but the mystery one is four inches away from that one.

I quit taking pain meds three days after surgery. I started puking from the percocets and they ekpt me barely conscious. No fun. Pain is manageable. Not nearly as bad as I was worried.

I'm touch down weight bearing. The quad is completely asleep. We spent time in pt today stiming the quad with the tens machine. I have a love hate relationship with that thing. I don't like the feel off the electricity at all. Lol. I'm to do my six to eiight hours a day still in the cpm plus do some heel slides on my own to try to keep my muscles happy. Also have to stretch my hamstring and do gentle massage of thee quad and hamstrings while doing gravity assisted bends with a partner while sitting in a chair or on the bed.

At pt I was at 45 degrees. I'm supposed to hit 100 degrees in four weeks.

Fingers crossed it keeps going well.

[slmac]

Surgery was 9/11 for the MPFL reconstruction.

First PT was Monday, 9/18

Second PT was today, 9/20

Second PT went well and was very encouraging. Yesterday I had managed to get to 70 degrees in the cpm machine. Thought that was wonderful. Anyway, today at PT we did the electrodes on my thigh again to wake up the quad and then I did ten minutes of straight leg raises every time the tens pulsed the electricity. That went really well. Then, while seated in a chair, I was able to do 15 SLRs all by myself! I was so stoked. Yesterday at home I had only been able to do ONE straight leg raise. Compared to what I went through rehabing last time, I am so stoked about my progress. This mpfl recon has so far been nothing like the agony of the fulkerson and mpfl repair that I had three years ago. On my own today I was able to bend to 55 degrees. That was sooooo cool! I look forward to screw removal tomorrow and my next PT. I sure hope that they give me a new brace. I'm sick of the imobilizer.