ACL revision (6/7/2010)

[clarky_vl]

Hi,

Missblossom I read and commented on your diary, and I really hope things continue to look up for you after your latest surgery and you can begin to get your head around everything!

Snowy, lol thanks for finding my diary, definitely a bit confusing for me to find after the great rearrangement of the diaries  Knee is pretty much the same, and had my appointment today. Would have settled for ANY kind of positive advice/suggestions but was incredibly scared he'd have the same attitude as my previous surgeon and i'd be left with no help and needing to find another surgeon! Luckily not...

Sorry if there are bad spelling or grammar mistakes in here, just don't have much time but wanted to update with the plan. Appt went really well, truro man is lovely! Bit hard explaining everything that has happened in the last year and to not be too bitchy about previous surgeon lol! But I think he got it, and I think he was surprised that he hadn't done the thing he recommended.

He tested my knee properly, the first time (other than physio) that it has had it for ages, it was really loose and failed all the tests, I told him it was as unstable as it has ever been, the truro man was like 'oh god, yes it is isn't it!' and went to look at my xrays. Can't help but feel incredibly annoyed at old surgeon. He then came back in and said 'well, I would like to do what I wanted to do last year' which I am kind of glad about, I liked last years plan.

The bad news however is that because of the bloody huge tunnels and hardware I need to have it as a 2 stage again, the first stage will be arthroscopy, removal of screw,and bone grafts from hip again, but he says he will have to take the grafts from my good hip, can't use the other side again. Ah I hated that surgery ALOT so am a bit bummed but suspected I would need it. The second stage will be the Macintosh extra articular repair and the revision as normal.

He says he thinks he won't be able to do the first stage for around three months, but he put it down as urgent and I will of course accept cancellations so we shall see. The reason I need this to be no longer than three months and preferrably sooner is that he isn't happy doing the second stage for around 6-9 months after the bonegrafts (only waited 4 months last time, guess he is just ensuring they are properly healed up). Worse case I am looking at a year from now just to have the surgeries done! Hoping I can get the first op sooner, and hold him to the 6 months for the second one because otherwise I am a bit screwed for uni, as a best case I will only get a month at home before moving away, assuming I have a late starting uni in around october. We shall see how that works out. He says if we can't fit it in he'll have to do it in holidays, but that would be such a pain.

He wants to use BPTB allograft again for the revision which I found interesting as he was dead against that last year and wanted to use BPTB auto. This year he said he wouldn't really want to take any more 'things' from my leg as I have had a lot done as it is

Letter from my physio didn't arrive and I forgot to ask about that but physio wasnt even mentioned so assuming he isn't bothered about me carrying on with it or not atm, so will ring my physio tomorrow as he asked me to and tell him whats happening. My physio has told me with the physio, he expects at best I can expect only minimal improvement, i'll ask tomorrow what he would like me to do.

Pleased I have finally made the switch and that it has worked out. Annoyed about the two surgeries and the huge timespan they will involve and therefore the huge timespan between a potential improvement. Lots of waiting around.

Also I forgot to say my hand surgery got cancelled less than 24hrs before I was due in, so now i go into 2011 expecting 3 surgeries. Not quite sure how i feel about all this, I guess I have a chance of some improvement and I will take that.

Vicky

[Kaputt_Knee]

Hi Vicky,

I'll reply more fully tomorrow but just wanted to say - AT LAST a definite strategy. You just need to have your GP pushing to get you started ASAP.

Sounds like you came away from today's discussions feeling better than the last lot.

Head up - we Knee Geeks are not easily fooled and are real hard core when it comes to getting what we know we should have. I hope your new surgeon is aware of this steel interior 

Sue

[tez27]

Vicky it sounds like at last you have a surgeon with a plan to get you sorted at last, even though its going to take some time for the 2 proceedures it means in the long run you can get back to living a full life with no worries about instability and a knee that dosn't feel right, I am so pleased for you and only hope he can get the first op done sooner rather than later.
Take care and have a great christmas Tez 

[clarky_vl]

Hi again,

Thanks Sue and Tez, I am very pleased with the results of this meaning I am finally getting somewhere, just feel so much more confident about it with a good plan and a new surgeon.

Forgot to say, he also (kind of jokingly, laughing it off) said yesterday that he though he had better tell me that i'd be the first extra-articular one he has done, but again I got told that it is just something that really hasn't been done in this country for a while and therefore there is noone that can be considered to have had 'experience' in it. He said he knew of one man, the Bristol man he spoke of last time, who was the only person he was aware of who had 'done a couple' and that he had looked into it and asked him about it after he saw me last year. apparently even though the procedure is a big one, it isn't technically difficult to do, he said it was 'fairly easy', and if he doesn't see it as a problem, neither do I. It's like he said, no one is an expert in that kind of thing.

Rang my physio this morning, he seemed not at all surprised by the whole 2 stage thing again, he asked how I felt about it, and asked what the Truro man said about physio. As he didn't really mention it, I left that down to him, and he will see me in 6 weeks then probably discharge me as he would have to before surgery anyway. He told me to make sure I nag truro man into giving me a referral for physio again after the first op, my previous surgeon didn't send me for any physio when I had this last year and my physio wants me to maintain my condition going into the second op to give me the best chance. Will talk to him more about that when I see him next.

Vicky

[Snowy]

Just catching up now - so very very glad that you finally have some hope of a permanent solution! And as always, very impressed by your positive attitude even in the face of two more surgeries.

This sounds like a really solid, positive plan for the future. It's a little bit concerning that he hasn't done this procedure before, but if he's confident that it's a technically easy procedure then that's the main thing. Most importantly, someone's finally giving you a proper option for fixing this knee. I'm not surprised you're mad at your old surgeon - I'd be mad as hell at this point - he was advised a year ago that this procedure was necessary, and instead put you through another surgery and a spell in a cast without doing anything differently than the three procedures that failed previously! If you were the suing type, you'd probably have a fair case against him for the last surgery.

I'm so sorry that you've lost a year, but glad you finally have a solid plan for the future. Will keep my fingers crossed that you get in as soon as possible for the first op.

K xxx

[vinnic]

Hey Vicky, glad to hear you got in to see the new surgeon.  The plan sounds terribly involved but solid.  I think Sue said it best - steel interior!  Keep your head up and know we're right beside you all the way.  Hang in there and try to enjoy the holidays with family and friends!     

[clarky_vl]

Hey,
Thanks for your opinions and thoughts about it, big help and support as always.

Kay, that's completely it, I had the hardest year with it all last year- fitting in those two surgeries and recoveries and school and everything, and it was all for nothing, and he topped it all off with his bad attitude. I am exactly where I was last year. He wasted my year, AND my hip which is gonna make it harder this time around. And for no good reason, it was completely illogical to assume there would be a different result. I will just be silently angry (well, not so much silently on here ), thankful for the Truro man, and move on from him.

Hey Nikki, how are things going with you these days? Look forward to hearing what you have been up to!

Well, has been snowing here for the last couple of days, probably not all that impressive by the standards of other countries but certainly more than enough to cause problems! Pretty much confined to home since the roads are sooooo slippy, even my mums land rover was having problems! Can't say I am a big fan, too slippy and scary (and cold!) for me, but it does look very pretty to look out at. My "puppy" (7 months old now, but he has been up to my hip for a couple of months now!) has also been enjoying his first snowfall, though I think it confuses him, and he isn't sure whether to eat it or not (though he tries....)

Vicky

[clarky_vl]

Hey,

Got a letter from Truro on friday saying I had a pre-op assessment appointment 17th feb (8.30am), which even though I hadn't had a date for the actual op, was promising! Anyway, this morning at 8.45 I got a phonecall from the hospital I was supposed to have the pre-op assessment at saying that I had missed the appointment this morning! I explained that my letter said 17th February not January. They rang back later after looking into it, it seems they had me booked in a month ahead of when I was sent a date for, and she said to ring the surgeons secretary to sort things out and rebook it!

Rang the secretary who was very apologetic, but she rebooked it for 1st February, and changed it to the main hospital rather than the other one, at a later time also so I don't have to get up ridiculously early just to get there on time 

She was also able to tell me that the actual surgery date with either be on the 14th or the 15th March, definitely no later, and she will also give me any cancellations that come up before then, so thats pretty good!

Bit of panic this morning, but it's worked out ok!

Also had my hand surgery two weeks ago which has gone ok, and got the stitches out this morning which has made it feel much better 

Vicky

[Snowy]

I completely missed your latest updates! So glad that the appointment has come through (though too bad about the mixup) and that you know when the surgery is going to be. I wish you didn't have to go through the bone grafting again - it sounds like a horrible procedure - but at least this time there's real hope that the outcome will be better. Honestly, I think your original surgeon is lucky that you're not the suing type - it seems unfathomable that he thought a procedure that had already failed repeatedly would work this time, especially as even the LARS grafts didn't hold. I'm so glad that you made the switch to the new guy.

What was it that you were having done to your hand? How does it feel now? Hope it's healing well.

Your puppy is adorable! He looks so handsome now he's bigger. How much growing does he still have to go?

Our kittens are doing well - they were fixed on Thursday, and have been super affectionate since they came home. I think they missed us while they were at the vet. They're not being very good about following the vet's instructions to stay calm and still and not run and jump, but I don't think there's much we can do about that...

Take care and good luck for your next appointment.

[clarky_vl]

Hey,

Snowy, hope the kittens, and J, and of course you, are all doing well! My puppy has grown sooo much, I don't think he has too much more to go, maybe a few more cm, I think they usually keep growing until they are over a year old and he is still only 8 months, though obviously he isn't shooting up like he has done up until now, he's far too big to curl up with me during my next recovery  My hand surgery was too remove a weird bony lump thing that was growing in one of the joints in my hand, it was palm side, and really annoying as it hurt when gripping anything as it kept catching. It's doing really well, its been 4 weeks now and I basically have normal function, other than the wound being a little sore when I accidentally bang it on something and it being a little tight when stretching the hand out. How nice to experience a simple easy recovery!!

Had my last physio session last week, and the first time I had seen him since truro. I think he was relieved that I am having surgery, he said at best all he is doing is treading water, trying to stop it getting worse but its obviously not getting better. We just talked about things that were bothering me at the moment and being a problem, mostly knee pain and also a point during walking where I feel my knee is very unstable, every time I step its like my tibia is moving forward. He asked me a bit about the surgeries I am having too. He told me to make sure I was refered back to physio (him again) after the surgery, assuming it isn't againt against the wishes of my surgeon not to have physio for some reason, so I will ask to be referred to that same physio again, he seems to know my knee the best.

I alo had my pre-op assessment yesterday, had the usual tests and swabs, including blood tests unfortunately, which is always difficult with me and took a few goes! Then I had the talk with the orthopaedic nurse, she was quite chatty and very helpful, so she ended up pretty much going through my entire file, so I got to see quite a lot of things in there! My GP had been very helpful and printed out every single one of my clinic notes from my last surgeon, so I am glad my surgeon will have an accurate idea of things. She also looked at my x-rays and decided that as I was having my screws out I should have a fresh set and arranged for those to be done then.

I went to get those standard front and side x-rays  done, and the person doing them recognised my name, it turns out that they had received a request from my surgeon a few days previously to send me an appointment to do some special x-rays (the ones he had previously recommend to my last surgeon that he should have done) and that as I was there, he would see if the people that do those would fit me in today. I then went to the other x-ray place to have those and was seen straight away.

I ended up having stress xrays (which were soooo painful, mostly as when she pulled my lower leg to the side I could hear the lateral side in particular cracking and crunching) and I also had full leg alignment ones, also a bit awkward having to stand fully just through the left leg and hold it there. Anyway, hopefullly those came out ok, and it was lucky I was able to have all those done today whilst I was there.

Also while I was talking with the nurse she told me the admission details, it has actually been booked in for Monday 14th March, I have to be there at 11am so it will be some time in the afternoon (and lucky it is not in the morning, I would have to get up in the middle of the night just to get there!  ) it is at another smaller surgical hospital which is slightly further away. Also I found out it has been booked in as an inpatient 2-3 day stay. I will be sent the paperwork nearer the time detailing it all.

Anyway, glad I know more about the dates and times of the surgery, but still hurting from the leg pulling!

Vicky

[vinnic]

Great news Vicky!  March 14 is right around the corner.  So glad that the x-rays worked out - one less trip to deal with.  I can only imagine the pain from the pulling.  Hopefully that'll clear up quickly for you.  What is nice to hear is about the hand surgery.  That's good it was straightforward with nothing serious to deal with afterward.  Keep healing, and enjoy that growing puppy!  Can't believe how big he is already!

Here, nothing new.  Enjoying beautiful scenary and abundant sunshine!  Missing family and friends greatly, but we've had some out to visit already.  The funniest thing though, is that since we've been out here the weather has been pretty much the same every day - sunny and warm.  Both times we've had family out, it poured like crazy for their entire stay!  Go figure.    On the knee front, I'm finally starting to get back into a regular workout routine again.  That was put on hold since work was completely crazy for the first few months - nothing like I've ever seen in an elementary school before.  The knee feels good though, and will feel even better once I'm back up to my old routines. 

Sending some of this sunshine your way for your upcoming surgery!  Keep us posted on how things go.   

[tez27]

Hey Vicky sounds like you had a productive day when you had your preop appointment its great for once to see something working out in your favour  It wont be long at all till the 14th March so with any luck before you know it your surgery will be behind you and your recovery will be going well.
 Your puppy is getting so big, what a beautiful animal, when I was growing up we had a lovey dog that was half great dane and half boxer she was a brillient dog very clever and so sweet, I remember everyone thinking she would never stop growing as she seemed to get bigger over night when she was a pup, but if I remember correctly it was about the 10 months or so that she stopped growing .
Good luck when the surgery date comes round I will be sending healing thoughts your way that day for sure.
Take care Tez

[Snowy]

Very glad to hear that the hand surgery at least has been without complications. I'm also really glad to hear that you have such a good, positive relationship with your current PT - that's going to be a big help when you come to the final recovery. Remind me, how long do you have to wait between the bone graft surgery and the recon?

The pre-op stuff doesn't sound fun at all, but at least it's out of the way now. It must also be a relief to know that you've finally had the full set of x-rays done and your OS will be able to make the kind of assessment that should have been done last time!

I'm sure that March 14th is going to come around really quickly. We'll all be sending good thoughts your way...

K x

[crumpet]

heya vinnic

so glad to hear the knee is getting so much better....  you always make everything sound so cheery over there. Regular workouts sound so energizing.

I've popped in recently to see how everyone's doing.  sounds like so many people have made such good progress.

~Crumpet

[clarky_vl]

Hey,

Crumpet, havent seen you around here for a bit, hope you are doing well.

About a week and a half until the surgery now, I was panicing about it but now I have an interview to panic about first! Actually it was initially for the 15th march, the day after surgery and I was so upset that I would have to cancel the Surgery for the damn interview but the admissions people at the uni were really nice and rearranged it for the only other available slot for this years interview cycle on the 8th so it has actually worked out really well, but with only a few days now to prepare before going to London! I was amazed I even got an interview let alone that they rescheduled it for me. So now major stress about that instead of surgery, and getting all my references together from places I did work experience and as you can imagine getting hospital staff to do something non-urgent like that is almost impossible, but finally done! Not to optimistic about my chances of geting in but we'll see.

So anyway, hardly thinking about the surgery yet! dying to know if the x-rays and everything were ok. Also judging by how the knee has been feeling lately would not at all be surprised if i had more meniscus-ey problems going on in there. We shall soon see.

Oh everthing else is good, follow up appointment for hand went well, apparently my scar is darker than it should be (but al my surgery scars look kind of dark, i actually think the scar looks very neat), and still has a swollen puffy bit near to it, but to be honest I think it is great so I have been discharged from there, now have no more appointments or anything at that hospital for the first time in years!! getting there 

I haven't decided yet if I will continue with a diary for the next two surgeries, but if I do I will start another new one as it is a different round of revision surgeries and especially with the second one being a bit unusual. I'll have a think.

Hope everyoe is well, and Tez, hope all goes well with the appointment- what good luck getting the cancellation.

Vicky