My up-coming ACL Reconstruction op !!!!

[Brambledog]

Hi guys!

Further down the home page, under the Rehab Department, you'll see a heading for 'Post-op diaries <50 posts'. Go into that and start a new thread and title it along the lines of ones there - 'Rachel's ACL recon diary' or similar lol (there's lots of examples on there!). That thread is then your diary. Just post initially and then whenever you want to update or add something, just click on the normal 'reply' button at the bottom of the last message, and add your next installment.

Not long to wait I see! Good luck to both of you, will keep fingers crossed and keep checking in. I'm hoping to learn a lot 

Brams 

[Calamityrach]

Once again Brams thank you for all your information !! xx

[Kaputt_Knee]

Better still go to the Cruciate Ligaments board and look at the 2 stickies that are at the top!

There is an awful lot of really good information there from people that have actually gone through this operation and come successfully out the other side.

http://www.kneeguru.co.uk/KNEEtalk/index.php?topic=45310.0

http://www.kneeguru.co.uk/KNEEtalk/index.php?topic=29810.0

No need to keep reinventing the wheel is there really! 

Good luck - you will be through this quicker than you realise, especially now when you are anticipating the event. Take a look at the information in the Information Hub about graft choices and post-op rehab. There is also an excellent article by Karen Hambly on post ACL reconstruction rehab with videos to show you how to carry out the most commonly prescribed exercises in each of the post-op phases.

Any of you undergoing this procedure will help yourselves immensely by reading through the Cruciate ligament section as nearly all your questions have been asked and answered many many times by those of us who have been there personally. It also saves you from sorting through a lot of the chaff that has nothing to do with the procedure in the Post Op diaries section.

Sue 

[joval]

Hi Rachel,
 I was married as a young teenager.  Once our 3 children were through college and out of the house we decided it was our turn to play.  We left Boston for Florida and started traveling.  Before my husband retired his job required lots of travel.  That meant lots of travel points for us!.  London was our first non US vacation.  We were hooked on the UK.  One vacation we started in Edinburgh and zig zagged to Bournesmouth.  I remember we stopped in Birmingham.  We also paid a visit to the Navy Base in Scotland where my husband was stationed years ago.  We met so many nice people and enjoyed a beautiful country.  Our dream is to spend a couple of months living like a local.  One of these days!  As they say at Disney, Dreams do come true!  
Whilst recovering I'll watch BBC America.  I miss Robin Hood.

Stop dreaming Jo and get back on topic!  

Not sure about the CPM or cold therapy in the UK.  Someone did mention that the cold therapy was a life saver for them after surgery.  My surgery contact told me some insurance companies do not cover it but you can buy one for about $150.  I plan to if my insurance dismisses it.  The CPM is something that is rented.
I'm hoping my insurance covers it because it looks like quite the apparatus.  I can see it being a great help.

8 years ago!  I'm just coming up to 7 weeks.  I had a terrible first OS and was happy I was encouraged by the people here to get a second opinion.  When I went to the first doctor I didn't know what an ACL was.  He told me to go home, treat like a bruise and have a good life.  Only problem was my knee caused me to fall two day after that visit.  Googled, knee, unstable...Kneegeeks!  It continued to buckle and hyper extend.  I found a new OS. Like yours he was able to tell during the Lachman test (thanks kneegeeks) that my ACL was gone.  He also said my meniscus is suspect.  I see on my orders a medial minisectomy Autoogous.  Going to need to check that out.

My husband went to my appointments with me.  I would highly recommend bringing someone to appointments.  As they are talking and we are thinking and worrying our second set of ears can listen better.  My first doctor swore he never said, treat like a bruise.  I asked why my husband heard the exact same thing.

I had the option of doing PT and learn to live with it or surgery because of my age, 59.  It seems to some that at MY AGE we are slowing down.  I guess the doctor didn't have 3 kids by 19.  I'm just starting up.  My husband just took up running a year ago at 62.  He ran his first half marathon last month.  

I was just telling my husband you're not sure if they are doing allograft or autograft.  He said they must not be taking from you because they would have talked about a procedure to harvest the ligament.  Did the DR give you something to bring to your pre-op visit?  I got a sheet of paper that stated what he wanted for the pre-op testing and why, which laid out what and how he was doing my procedure.  I also have a direct line to a person that will answer any questions I might have.  She said, don't assume any question is silly.  If you have one ask it.

Make a list of questions and call the doctors office and ask away.  You want to feel comfortable that all your questions have been answered when you have this.
I had surgery on my feet 3 years ago.  They broke bones if both feet and put them back together.  Now that I think of it, 3 years from right now.  March must be my month.  Unlike the knee I was not to use my feet for two months.  I have that going for me.  It's still fresh in my mind what it's like to be somewhat helpless and dependent.  I'm fortunate that we're retired.  My husband was and will be again a great help.

BTW, I make a mean Sticky Tofffee Pudding.  

Take care.
Jo

[joval]

Hi Karen (Dennis) Mum, Bram & Sue,
Karen, I have read most of your posts.  My surgery is March 14.
Mum, Bram & Sue, Thanks for all the info.  It has been a great help!  It's so helpful talking with the doctor and assistants and knowing pretty much what youre talking about.
Good luck Karen.  I'm sure we'll be chatting more in the next couple of months.  It amazes me how far away from each other we are.  Yet we have so much in common.  I was on another thread and saw the poster was from Newfoundland.  I have a lot of family there.  Turns out she has met some of them!
Take care.
Jo

[joval]

Oh, one more thing to the list of post-op hints.  I learned this the hard way after I had the surgery on my feet.  Try not to pay bills under the influence of pain meds!  I pay the bills here and boy did I screw up.  You think, at least I can do this.  I forgot to record my auto pay bills into my recorder.  This time I'll do it in advance.  Banks aren't sympathetic as to why you bounced a check even if it is your first ever
Jo

[Calamityrach]

Hi Jo,

I really do feel as if I've hardly been told anything about my operation after reading your message !!

Do they do things alot different here in the UK than the USA I wonder 

Just tried calling the clinical nurse again only to be told she's on annual leave today and won't be back till Monday, so I guess I'll have to wait till then and worry myself daft over the weekend !!!

At my final consultation I was told that he would be taking my hamstring from my groin, but he also told me it would all be done keyhole and when my letter arrived regarding my op it says "open" I am assuming that means they are opening my knee up??

 

Rachel

[joval]

Hi Rachel,
If they are using your hamstring that falls under autograft, I'm pretty sure.  You can put that in the search field and find people that have had this type.  I noticed I gave it an extra O last time.  Use the correct spelling or you won't get results.
I do notice it seems in the UK and AUS they do more autograft then allograft.  There are pros and cons for each.  I honestly can't tell if one is preferred over the other.  My doctor only does allograft.

Over the weekend read posts and make your lists of questions.  I did that before my appointment.  It helped a lot.  I was able to refer to my notes and have my questions answered.  I bet if I hadn't found my way here to Kneegeeks prior to my visit I would be feeling like you.  The doctors don't always offer up much information.  Just remember, no question is too small or too silly. 

Do you have a good support system, children dependant on you?  Reading the post op diaries you can see how important support is.  If children are involved you need to plan even more.

Have they stressed how important PT is to you after the surgery?  My doctor told me that his work depends on me staying faithful to my PT.  People here have stressed the same.

Another thought, I love to read. Words seem to move while taking pain meds.  I loaded some audiobooks onto my ipod for the first couple of weeks.  Once I can handle the pain w/o meds I have books on my Kindle ready to go. 

We're going to do great!  It's actually good the nurse was out.  Now you have all weekend to gather info.

Take care.
Jo

[Calamityrach]

Hi Jo

My support system I have to say will be great (I hope) I live with a friend and his son, my sisters and brothers live close by and I have friends who are more than happy to help out when needed !!!

My sister works in the physio department of the hospital where I shall be having my op she's not a physio tho !! So I doubt I will have many issues with my  PT as she is the one who actually books them for patients.

At the moment my mind is so pre occupied with the operation but I know I have so much preparation to do before the op, clean the house being the main one but as we are in the process of having the house renovated that's always difficult !!

Clothes are another issue, what does one wear !!!?? I live in my jeans all day will I still be able to wear them ?? Will I be in a leg brace or plaster gosh my list is endless, getting to the loo in time !!! 

You are right it was a good job the nurse was out so it does give me the weekend to go through my questions !!!

Ta Tar for now

Rachel   

[seantomtom]

Hello,
 I had this op many years ago,currently recovering from H.T.O, and have just done 6 weeks in full leg cast so i can help with what to wear.Jeans are not worth bothering with you need baggy jogging bottoms without the elasticated legs or shorts.Also get one of them grabber tools of ebay,very handy to dress with,socks and underwear will be a thing of the past.slip on slippers or loosely tied trainers that you can slip on.also off ebay i got a plastic cast cover for showering with.A bag over the shoulder to carry all your bits in is a must.a table next to where you will be sitting,its amazing how much i end up with around me.If your in on your own for part of the day a flask of coffee or tea helps carring a cup with crutches is impossible,sometimes its flustrating and sometimes you find it funny.before you know it its normal to go up and down stairs on you bum,and wonder why you walked up before.good luck,enjoy the rest 

[Snowy]

The hamstring is normally removed through a small vertical cut just below the knee. It's a little bigger than the arthroscopic portals - an inch or two long. The scar from mine is barely even visible now (I had my surgery 18 months ago).

All of the major graft types come with a few pros and cons - the resources Kaputt_knee pointed to will give you a ton more information on this. A very brief summary is that an allograft has the advantage of not requiring you to heal up a harvest site (where the graft tissue is removed) along with the knee; the main disadvantage is that allografts have to be more carefully protected in early rehab (hence the brace) and take a bit longer to heal overall. The hamstring autograft will heal up quicker and the final tensile strength of the graft is a bit higher, but the donor site can be quite painful initially and you do have to work to regain hamstring strength once the site heals. Both graft choices (along with the other popular options, patellar tendon and quad tendon autografts) have good success rates and good long-term outcomes. There's really no right or wrong choice; they're just a bit different in terms of recovery protocol.

For cold therapy, I would suggest renting or purchasing a CryoCuff or similar. I bought one before my surgery (it cost about $300) and I was so glad that I had it. It provides a continuous stream of cool water along with gentle compression, which works better than a regular ice pack. The CPM isn't something that's typically used after ACL surgery here in Canada, so that's not something I have experience with.

I don't think jeans would be a very comfortable option immediately after surgery. I lived in shorts and capri pants for a little while, both to accommodate the bulky bandage and because the leg was sore. Loose sweatpants would probably work fine too.

The most important thing is to find out from your surgeon EXACTLY what he wants you to do for the first few days after surgery, and when physiotherapy will start. You might want to have someone with you in the hospital to write the instructions down; not all surgeons will provide them in writing, and when you're either a) stressed before the surgery or b) groggy afterwards it's not easy to remember details! Every rehab protocol is a little different; the timing of when exercises are introduced varies depending on the graft type, the fixation used to hold it in place, and how your individual recovery progresses. It's really, really important that you do what your surgeon and physiotherapist tell you and don't build expectations based on other people's experiences. For example, I regained strength really fast (I was off the crutches after four days) but was really slow to get range of motion back compared to other people who had the surgery at the same time I did. The post-op diaries here will give you a really good sense of what to expect in terms of pain, exercise, and so on, but the exact timing of rehab and recovery is very individual.

The other thing I can't stress enough is to have a good physiotherapist who has experience with ACL reconstructions. Your physiotherapist is the one who will handle your day-to-day recovery, so it's really important to have someone who knows what they're doing. A couple of UK-based folk here had problems because they were put in big NHS classes and the physiotherapist either didn't give them much individual attention, or got confused about which patients had had which procedures and gave them bad advice. Make sure you're familiar with your rehab protocol, and ask questions if there's anything you're not sure about.

Best of luck! It's a big procedure and the first few days are tough, but once you get started on rehab you have something to focus on and things move a lot faster. Do make use of the post-op diaries and other info here on the board; I found this so useful in the early days of recovery, particularly in the middle of the night when I'd wake up with some weird sensation and panic. It was so reassuring to check through and find out that in fact whatever I was experiencing was quite normal and other people had been through just the same thing.

[Brambledog]

Hi all!
Wow, this thread has to be getting close to a record posting rate!! 

Definitely don't rely on yourself in the hospital to remember ANYTHING. Even if you think you feel ok, you will wake up three days later and be unable to recall more than a hazy impression....

Best thing nowadays is not to write it down (tried doing that myself, getting husband to do it etc - you just end up more confused, and whoever is writing can't listen properly so can't ask helpful pertinent questions...Plus you find they haven't always written down the right stuff  ). We've all got a phone, most of us have a smartphone....just record it. I record every appointment now and it is brilliantly helpful. I can concentrate on the appointment at the time and ask questions (always take the list of questions!). Then when I get home I listen to it again. It's amazing the difference sometimes between what you THINK your OS said, and what he actually said!!  I don't ask permission (sorry if that offends anyone), I just switch it on before I go in and put it in my pocket.

Anyway, that's my advice folks!

Brams 

[Calamityrach]

Thank you all for your help, advice and suggestions !!!   

Well it's Tuesday morning and I'm still waiting for the Clinical Sister to call me back, I've been waiting since Friday !! 

I guess patience REALLY IS a virtue !!

Rachel

[NIGAV]

I have never heard of a CPM Machine or a cold therapy unit (Do they exist in the UK??)  allograft or autograft what is this??

i had my ACLr 9 weeks ago in Belfast. i think UK recovery protocol must be different. Maybe its the NHS skimping? The CPM is a machine that flexs and extends the leg in a constant continuous motion. I was  never offered the use of this machine. I had to do the range of moton excercises the 'hard way' lol.  Ie heel slides and leg extensions. And the cold therapy unit is a cryo-cuff.  Ive had the use of these at the hospital physio but at home its been a bag of ice!
An allograft is when the graft is taken from a donor.  Autograft is when your own tissue is used in your own body.

[MUMofpain]

Hi folks - just wanted to add, you shouldn't be in a cast or brace after a straightforward aclr (I believe, someone please correct me if I'm wrong  ) as you will need to get going on the moving/physio post-op part asap. My son only had a support bandage on over his bandages and plasters when he came home from the op.

Sorry NHS but I have to say, the nurses on my son's day ward knew nothing about recovering from this  of surgery and could give no advice whatsoever. When I asked about how many times a day and for how long we should ice my son's leg they looked shocked and said 'do you have to ice it?'

We didn't have any machines to help although if you can I would. We used the advice from someone else here on the forum and divided a large bag of peas into 4 smaller ones and rotated these two at a time to cover the knee and surrounding swollen areas. Mark the bags, as after a few weeks of defrosting and frosting they wouldn't be good to eat  . They worked really well as they moulded themselves around the knee so covered it completely. We did 10 minutes every hour at first. I read somewhere not to leave the ice on longer than this.

My son actually went rock climbing on a school trip last weekend and is doing well. A few niggles remain but overall things are going well. He is now 15 months post op and wants to go BMXing at Easter and back to motocross in July... I've got to let him do it  .