Two surgeries in less than four months - still not right!

[Crockie]

Hello and Happy Mother’s Day,

I had a large lateral meniscus bucket handle tear in December.  Unfortunately, the repair didnt hold and I had a second surgery 6 weeks ago to remove a portion of my meniscus.

My knee still doesn't feel right.  It is painful to walk and also to bend and straighten it.  It also has a catching sensation and feels like it is going to dislocate to the side.  It’s an awful feeling and wakes me up at night.

I have an appointment with my surgeon tomorrow for a follow up and am dreading it.  I don’t want to hurt his feelings or make him feel like he has done something wrong but I can feel something just isn't right. 

Is it possible that he missed something while he was doing surgery? Do surgeons check the entire knee?   I've researched my symptoms and an FCL injury really seems to fit. 
I am no doctor and can't imagine saying, “Hey doc, could this be my FCL?”  On the other-hand, I can’t imagine living with my knee like this.

Any advice?

Thank you in advance for any suggestions.

Linda

[Vickster]

Don't feel afraid to talk to the surgeon, it's his job to fix you. Ask him what might be going on and what you need to be doing. Also ask him for a realistic timeframe to recover.

That said, 6 weeks is still very soon after what was presumably a big trauma to your knee (how much meniscus was removed?). Your knee needs time to recover (think months not weeks).

The dislocation feeling sounds like perhaps your muscles aren't working right, are you working with a physio? If not, you probably should. Also with menisectomy, the biomechanics in your knee have been permanently altered and your whole body and esspecially your knee need to be trained to get used to the new normal and that takes significant time. Maybe you need to use some sort of light support to help you while you build confidence in the knee. Again, physio best placed to advise.

You also need to get swelling down as that will cause discomfort, elevation, ice, medication if needed. Try

Not sure what you mean by FCL?

There's good info in the meniscus primer in the learning portfolio

Good luck

[Crockie]

Vickster - thank you so much for your reply.  I saw the surgeon shortly after my post and he thinks the catching and locking may be due to where he removed a great deal of meniscus. The resection left the popliteus muscle exposed to where my meniscus would be, which I guess can cause the catching as I understood it.  He said we have more options if the catching and pain continue.  I didn't ask what those options are. I should have.

Since my appointment,  my knee cap is getting stuck for a brief but painful second. It's happened numerous times and completely catches me off guard. I am also catching and clicking on the very lateral side of my knee, which is where I felt the most pain after my injury.

I have been doing physical therapy on my own now since the second surgery.   I went two times a week for months after I got out of my brace from the first surgery and I have a lot of exercises he taught me from that time, including riding a bike.  I wear my brace if I know I am going to be walking a lot and sometimes sleep in it. 

I guess I figured I'd be running and jumping by now and I'm not so it's frustrating.  It's been a long six months and I am just looking forward to moving on and participating in life again.  Summer is just around the corner!

Thank you for your encouraging words.