Six weeks out

I'm baaaack - with the semester wrapping up and trying to fit in all my rehab exercises, I've been super busy! I've made quite a bit of progress that I'm excited to share!

FIRST, I have regained my range of motion! Complete flexion with complete (straight) extension.  I'm still missing a little bit of hyperextension, but my physical therapist is happy with straight extension and says that the hyperextension will most-likely come with time, though if it never comes, it is fine too.

SECOND, I've signed up with my local Snap Fitness and have been going there to do my knee exercises and ride their exercise bikes.  I have a road bike and a trainer, but my orthopedic surgeon and PT both agreed that they didn't want me using my clipless (and by clipless, I mean clip in :) pedals.  Too much potential torque on my knee.  So I sucked it up and signed up at Snap for a couple month membership.  I've been quite happy with Snap so far, it is never too busy, and it's open 24 hours! Hopefully I can start using their ellipticals and treadmills sooner rather than later! :)

THIRD, This third point isn't really 'progress' per se, but I found out at PT this week that ACL grafts are at their weakest 8 weeks after surgery.  I'm coming up on 8 weeks pretty soon, and I was just getting to the point where my knee has been feeling really good.  Good like having to remind myself I can't jump off a curb, or I can't jump up from the couch and run to my room to grab a book or my backpack.  I was happy that I was moving around without a second thought of hurting my knee, but then I was hit with that news from my PT.  Even though my knee is feeling great, it is actually going to be at its weakest in a week and a half.  That's scary stuff.  I'm going to have to be extra careful and protect my knee for just a bit longer.

Alright, finals week is here! I'm off to lab for some work, studying and hopefully some gym time!

PT is A-OK

I'm SO happy to be at PT! :) Lucky for Nancy (and me) I liked her at my appointment on Friday, so I could cancel my waiting list position with the other physical therapist and stick with her.

My appointment on Friday was great.  I had to go through the whole story of my knee, for the millionth time, for Nancy, and she laughed at my list I'd made of activities I wanted to accomplish (see previous post).  After some discussion, we decided that 'Swim/Bike/Run' could be grouped with all of number 3 as 'sports', and she added 'climb stairs' to my list.  Her reasoning was that it was going to take awhile to get to the 'sports' on my list and she wanted to add something to my list we could actually make some progress on sooner rather than later.  I told her I was cool with that, as long as she realized that I wanted to *eventually* get back to doing everything else on the list :) Friday's appointment was all an evaluation, getting some baseline numbers and checking to see what I *could* do and what I needed to be able to do.  Nancy eventually got out the range of motion (ROM) measure-er and I found out the number I'd been waiting for, 119 degrees! I think I've mentioned it before, but during my last surgery it took me quite awhile to get past 90 degrees.  Rehab this time around is going pretty darn well. :)

I had my second PT appointment today and was pleasantly surprised that I'd made some progress over the weekend.  I'd gone out of town and 'babysat' my 12 and 14 year old cousins and didn't do as much icing or exercises as I'd done in past weekends.  However, I was still able to gain a couple degrees of motion, I moved up to 125 degrees! My 'good leg' was measured at a max bending of 135 degrees (I think), so that's the target number that I'm hoping to match after rehab.  Also, when my good leg is straight with a towel rolled up under my ankle, allowing for some natural hyperextension, my knee gets to -5 degrees, so 5 degrees past horizontal.  My repaired knee was measured at +2 degrees, so not quite completely horizontal (yet) :) Today I learned a couple new exercises for strengthening and got to RIDE AN EXERCISE BIKE for 5 minutes at the end of my PT session!! Wahoo!!!!!! I was also given the go ahead to jump on the bike to loosen up before subsequent PT appointments.  I've got to learn to ice my knee more when I'm at home and keep reminding myself to do my exercises, but overall I'm pretty happy with my progress!

Thanks for reading!!!

PT starts tomorrow!

I have been waiting for tomorrow since last Friday! Tomorrow is PT daaaaaaay! :)

If you can't tell, I'm pretty excited.  I've been making some good progress on my own.  I can walk around the house and the lab without crutches, and if I'm going outside or down the hall, I've been using just one crutch.  My pain hasn't been too bad either, I haven't been taking any pain meds regularly, which is pretty good! Buuut, I'm ready for someone else to tell me some new exercises I should be doing and to push me a little.  I'm used to having a coach and being told to do stuff, I like it that way :)

The plan for PT is that I have three 30 minute appointments per week for 2 months.  I did do some PT work with a therapist at the end of last summer before I was convinced I needed to have this surgery, and I liked him a lot.  My surgeon also seemed to think pretty highly of him, but after my appointment last Friday when I got the go ahead and make a PT appointment, I was told there was a 2 week wait to get in to see the guy I'd worked with before! I found another place on campus to go to that had just a week wait, so that's where I'm going tomorrow.  I kept my other appointment with the other therapist juuust in case I don't like the PT I'm going to tomorrow :)

The appointment for tomorrow is just an 'evaluation' appointment, so I hope to have a nice conversation with Nancy (my PT) about when I can expect to be able to do certain things.  I actually got some paperwork in the mail I have to fill out and among the papers is one called 'The Patient-Specific Functional Scale'.  It says I'm supposed to 'identify up to three important activities (their bolding and underlining, not mine! :) that you are unable to do or are having difficulty with as a result of your current problem/diagnosis/surgery'.

WHAT?!?!?!
ONLY THREE?!?!
ARE THEY CRAZY???

After I stopped hyperventilating and calmed down a bit, I filled in the three spaces as follows:

1.  Walk without limping
2.  Run/Bike/Swim
3.  Softball/Volleyball/Golf/RockClimbing

Do ya think that'll fly?? :) Hopefully Nancy doesn't get too mad about all my slashes :)

Back at it

Yesterday was one week after surgery and I went to class and work and to a talk for a labmate! I was gone from about 8:30am til 2:30pm and was exhausted when I got home.  It's amazing how much work it was to crutch across the street to class.  I'll definitely be happy once I can ditch the crutches :)

I drove my car for the first time today (which was great!), but it was to drive my Mom back to the airport to send her home to Wisconsin :( She was ridiculously helpful in the week that she was here.  When we were planning and talking about how long she'd come over for, I thought there was no way I'd need her to be here for a week, but boy was I wrong! I can't say how helpful and wonderful it was to have her here.  I'm feeling much more up to tackling things on my own now, but that wasn't the case just a couple days ago.  It's impressive just how much progress you can make in just a day or two.

I realized while answering the question of 'How's it going?' for the umpteenth time today, that I really don't know how it's going.  I'm a scientist, therefore I like numbers and data.  I haven't been to the physical therapist yet, so I don't have any idea about my range of motion (ROM) in number form.  Last time I had knee surgery, every time I went to the PT they took measurements of my ROM in degrees, and I'd work hard just to get another degree or two of bend in my knee.  Right now, I know I can bend my knee past 90 degrees already (which actually took me a substantial amount of time last time, I think because of the patellar tendon they harvested from the front of my knee), but I don't know how far I can actually go, or how it compares to other patients that are 1 week out from ACL surgery with an allograft.  Because of this, I'm really looking forward to my Dr. appointment on Friday.  Hopefully I'll get my stitches out and I'll get some PT appointments set up.  I'm ready for it, I'm ready for some rehab! :)

5 days post surgery

I had initially planned on updating this blog every day, but I soon realized that my days are...very...boring... :)

My roommates both took off out of town this Halloween weekend, which was actually quite nice.  Casey took her Great Dane with her and Randy was off home to Virginia, so it was just Mom and me and Lambeau :) We took it easy and Mom cooked up a storm! She made monkey bread, breakfast pizza, spaghetti bake and chicken dumpling soup - it was all deeeelicious! :)

Other excitement for the weekend included showering (it doesn't sound very exciting, but really, it was!), getting out to a friend's house for 1/2 of the Michigan State football game (my first outing post-surgery!), and - due to a Lions football blackout since they didn't sell out the stadium - Mom and I got to watch the Packers from the comfort of the couch on regular TV (this doesn't happen very often, so it was definitely great timing on that!).

Today has also a pretty big day.  Mom and I ran some errands to Wal-mart and Target in preparation for me going to class tomorrow.  I'll have to sit through an hour of class and also an hour presentation of a labmate.  I think I'm ready for it! I was out and walking around for about an hour and didn't get too tired (or cranky) :) Mom is leaving on Wednesday already, so I've got to 2 days to get self-sufficient! :)

My next doctor appointment is Friday, I'll be able to get stitches out then and hopefully start scheduling some physical therapy appointments!

Thanks again for all of the support! You guys all rock :)

Surgery Day and Day 1 Post-Op

So much has happened in the last day! First I need to thank EVERYBODY for their messages and support - I appreciate each and every one!!

Yesterday started out REEEEALLY early.  After a long night of not really sleeping (something to do with having surgery looming, sharing a bed with my mom, and my dog upset that he was not also sharing the bed), Mom and I were up at 4:40am to get showered and ready for the hospital.  We showed up right on time - 6am!

The packed waiting room at 6am

I got all checked in and headed back to my room.  I got a couple great warm blankets and they started me on some fluids.  That way, once all the paperwork was in place, they could easily dump in the antibiotics and send in the good stuff.

Waiting for the good stuff

I got to talk to a prep nurse, anesthesiologist, nurse anesthetist, orthopedic resident and finally, the surgeon, and I'm pretty sure every single one of them asked me my birth date and which knee they were going to be working on (better safe than sorry!).  I also got to mark a big 'S' on my left knee for 'surgery knee' and when Dr. Schorfhaar came in, he marked his initials on my left knee too.  There was to be no mistaking which knee was to be operated on!
I could tell my mom was pretty nervous (as was I).  But, I had the luxury of having met my surgeon several times previously, whereas my mom had no idea who was going to walk through the curtain and who would actually be cutting open her little girl in just a matter of minutes.  Luckily, when Dr. Schorfhaar popped into the room, I could tell my mom liked him.  He signed his initials like I mentioned and gave the go ahead to drop the good stuff in the lines.  I had to give up my glasses and with a hug and a kiss for my mom, I was whisked to the OR.  Soon, a mask was covering my face and I was breathing deep - it was on like Donkey Kong.

The next thing I knew, I was waking up and the nurses were asking how the pain was.  They changed around some drug levels and I was feeling pretty comfortable, so I got wheeled into the recovery room where I was treated to more warm blankets, apple juice and graham crackers!

I love me some post-surgery apple juice

I was still feeling a little loopy, but soon enough I got loaded up in the car and made the ever important trip to the pharmacy to pick up my painkillers.  The night of surgery day was pretty low key.  I kept up with my pain meds and my mom made sure my ice box stayed full.

This was my spot for most of the night.

Mom and I both got more sleep the night after surgery.  I think Lambeau (my puppy) was a little more understanding about not getting a spot on the bed :)

Today, first day post-op, was much like yesterday.  Lots of lying around, keeping ice on my knee and painkillers in my system.  I did have a doc appointment today where I saw Dr. Schorfhaar briefly - he said things were looking good, I could do some straight leg lifts and quad fires and was told to keep doing those in the next week or so before moving on to other rehab.  I was also told crutches for at least a week (which I can definitely handle).  Here's a (graphic) pic of my knee from when I got my bandages changed today.

Some lovely bruising and stitches.

I'll leave you with one final picture.  My roommate Randy got home from the vet clinic with something for me after my surgery.  I love my roommates :)

Time for more meds!

Twas the night before surgery...

After a little extreme wind/thunderstorms/tornado warning weather this morning, my mom arrived safely from Wisconsin.  For a little while I wasn't sure if she was going to make it and I was wondering if I should make plans to have someone else drive me to and from surgery tomorrow (at 6am!).  My mom's flight from Green Bay to Milwaukee was delayed to the point where she was going to miss her connecting flight from Milwaukee to Flint where I was going to pick her up, but after some phone calls and rearranging, the airport hired a taxi to drive my mom to Milwaukee with a father and daughter who also had a connecting flight.  She lucked out and the weather in Michigan cleared up long enough for her to make her flight to Flint!

Once we got back to Lansing, we had to swap cars with my friend.  I love my little VW Cabrio, but it's a little 2 door convertible with a less than luxurious back seat.  I was told by the nurse that I'd have to have my leg out and straight on the ride home, so my lovely friend Erica said we could swap cars for a couple days.  Now I've got a lovely Vibe with a nice, roomy back seat :)

Finally, Mom and I also made our way to the grocery store.  She was nice enough to bring some of my favorite recipes with her, so we stocked up on the supplies we needed for her to do some serious cooking (I think my roommates are happy about it too) :)

So - surgery check-in is at 6am tomorrow with surgery staring at 8am.  I'm nervous, and getting more nervous by the minute.  I seem to think this whole thing 'won't be so bad', but I'm pretty sure I remember it sucking *a lot* last time.  I'm pretty happy my Mom was able to take some time off work to come and help me out - I owe her bunches!

I'll see about getting a blog post up tomorrow once I get settled at home.

Good night!

ACL surgery day and recovery recap!

After 2 months of waiting, it was finally early January - Surgery Day! I remember being pretty nervous beforehand since I'd never really had major surgery before my ACL reconstruction.  My doctor and I decided to go with my patellar tendon as the graft to be used for my surgery (the hamstring tendon or a cadaver ligament were other potential options).  I had to be at the surgery center reeeeally early, was asked several times to make sure they were cutting my *left* knee, then wheeled into surgery.  I woke up several hours later in the recovery room and was told everything went well.

Me, post surgery.  I don't think the anesthesia has worn off yet...

I met with a PT back home for 1 or 2 visits, then got transfered to my PT in Madison when I moved back down there for my last semester of undergrad.  I wish I'd documented more of my PT progress from this surgery, but I do remember that it sucked.  It was so slow-going.  I also remember that Valentine's Day (February 14th, approx 1 month post surgery) was the first day I walked to class without my crutches.  That was a good day.  By the end of May, I was able to play slow pitch softball, sand volleyball and golf.  I was happy to be 'back in action' for the summer.  

So, I've got a torn ACL...now what?

After Halloween weekend 2005 I had to take some time to absorb my torn ACL diagnosis.  Questions like 'what comes next?' and worries about surgery and rehab were swirling in my head.  I was 21 years old and knew I had a long road to recovery in front of me.  Since I was so young and active, the question of to get surgery or not wasn't really a question.  More difficult was to decide when and where the surgery would happen.  I was in my last year of undergrad and living in Madison while my parents were 2 hours away, near Green Bay.  After some deliberation I decided to get the surgery done at home over winter break.  So, with that decision at the beginning of November 2005, I had 2 months before the surgery date (early January 2006).  Since my knee injury was pretty traumatic (meaning it involved the ACL as well as both menisci), I had quite a bit of swelling and limited range of motion (ROM).  This delayed surgery date seemed to actually be a blessing in disguise, I now had 2 months time for some PT to maintain strength and get some ROM back before going into surgery. 

Five years to the day.

Today is 5 years to the day since my original ACL injury.  It's crazy how so many things can change because of such a seemingly small incident.  Let's do a little time-traveling back to October 2005:

October 15, 2005:

Today is the birthday of my good friend, Jessica.  She and I have been friends since preschool and went to school together all the way through college! I'm excited about today for another reason too, my boyfriend won a FREE round for TWO at University Ridge, the home course for the Wisconsin Badger golf team.  

*goes golfing*

Wow! That was the best golf course I've ever played IN MY LIFE! Ridiculous rough, meticulously maintained fairways and tough greens.  I didn't shoot terribly well, but this was one of those golf outings where that didn't really matter because it was so beautiful :) I wish I'd played out there more often, they actually have sweet deals for students.  Since the golf season is pretty much over for the year, I plan to take advantage during next spring, my last semester of undergrad.   

October 16, 2005:

Last regular season intramural volleyball game today! My team is doing pretty well, we should make it a couple rounds into the tournament for sure! 

*plays volleyball*

Oh man, my knee KILLS! I jacked it up in the volleyball game tonight.  I was up at the net and the ball was sitting up on top and both I and the guy on the other side of the net jumped up to tip the ball, he landed first and my left foot landed on his.  I thought I was going to roll my ankle, but my knee wrenched out sideways instead! 

Diagnosis follow up: 

I went to University Health Services (UHS) the next day and a general practitioner took a look at my knee.  He said he thought I had a patellar sublexation (dislocated kneecap), that it had slid to the side and slid back during the injury, so he referred me to a physical therapist.  In the next day or two I met with my PT, Karl.  I showed up and he was assessing my knee injury when he asked if the referring doctor had done a drawer test.  I said I didn't think so, but I didn't know what that was.  Karl replied, "This" and he grabbed my lower leg and pulled it forward from under my knee, and it moved significantly.  Karl said, "I hate to tell you this, but your ACL is probably torn, you'll need an MRI to be sure."

Long story short, I got an MRI and found out on Halloween that my ACL was obliterated.  It was torn and looked like 2 mop heads inside my knee.  My medial and lateral menisci were also damaged, medial worse than lateral.  

Here I am, Halloween 2005, with a nice peg leg.

I'll continue the dramatic saga at a later date...