My knee has been killing me for the past few days - aching and throbbing and the like. I spent most of last night curled up on the couch with pain killers and antiinflammatories. Clearly I've been using my knee too much - what with all the walking I do.
Anyway, I have my MACI operation in a week and 2 days. I'm nervous and excited about that. I know it will be a slow recovery and I know that I'm going to be in pain immediately after the operation...but hopefully this is going to fix my knee.
I've been getting prepared for a while now - doing core strengthening exercises and trying to increase my flexibility. I'm planning on reorganising my apartment a little bit too, so it's easier for me to get around with crutches. Oh, and I have a shower stool - sounds lame, but a few of the people I've talked to on forums have reccomended them as standing is not your friend.
It's really only hit home recently how little I will be able to do after I have the MACI surgery. I mean, I'm on crutches for 6 weeks and I won't be able to put any pressure on my knee. So, no standing on my bad knee for 6 weeks. That means I won't be able to cook or clean or washup. I'm going to be lazing around the house doing nothing.
Which isn't all bad...although I will be in pain and my leg will probably turn to jelly!!
Showing posts with label knee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label knee. Show all posts
Monday, November 28, 2011
Sunday, November 13, 2011
My Arthroscopy!
Arthroscopy
I had my first round of surgery in July 2011 - it was a fairly simple knee arthroscopy.The surgeon would go in via keyhole surgery and pull out the rogue bits of cartilage that had detached from my knee, clean up the defect and trim off the ragged edges and take a sample of cartilage for some medical facility to grow.
I'm not really a fan of surgery. I'm not really a fan of hospitals. I'm not really a fan of anything that might bring me into contact with needles or injections...yeah, I'm ever so slightly phobic when it comes to needles. I wish that I wasn't but try as I might I have never been able to properly get over my irrational fear of needles.
Needless to say, I was pretty nervous when the day of my surgery rolled around. I was undergoing the procedure at the Mater Private Hospital in Brisbane - which is quite close to my house. My husband was working on the day, so my mother very kindly offered to come down and drop me off at the hospital and take me home afterwards.
Now, the Mater Private Hospital is pretty amazing. The waiting rooms are welcoming and...well...opulant. I don't think too many public hospitals have nice plush leather seats for patients to wait in. Nor do I think they give you fluffy white robes, warmed towels and hot face clothes before they bring you in for the procedure. The staff were also very friendly and very helpful. I felt a lot more at ease then I had expected to.
The aneasthetist was really great - he chatted about what he would do and what had happened to me the last time I went under general. He explained how I would feel when I woke up and what I could and could not do. He was also pretty understanding when I mentioned me fear of needles and he was nice enough to offer to put the drip into my hand instead of my arm.
Now, everything happened really fast. I have memories of having to wait a really long time for my operation when I had last been in hospital, but this time I had barely sat down in one waiting room before they were whisking me into a wheelchair and carting me off to another room. In total I spent time in 3 different waiting rooms before they finally wheeled me into theatre.
The operation went well and I woke up in reovery feeling remarkably well. I was feeling a little bit of pain and pressure in my knee, but the discomfort was minimal. I really didn't have to wait all that long before Dr. Astori came to speak to me. The operation had gone well and he'd managed to get all the loose bits out and clean up the lesion. However (and he gave me some photos) the lesion was much bigger than he had thought.
We discussed the second stage of the surgery, but unfortunately even though the lesion was so big, I couldn't get the second round of surgery done until early december - only because that was when I had six weeks of holidays scedhualed and I couldn't afford to take off any more time.
The recovery from the arthroscopy was okay - my knee was really swollen and insanely bruised, but it didn't hurt too much. I made quick progress with my physiotherapy and now, around 5 months later, I my knee is pretty much normal again - same flexibility and just as capable of bearing weight.
I had my first round of surgery in July 2011 - it was a fairly simple knee arthroscopy.The surgeon would go in via keyhole surgery and pull out the rogue bits of cartilage that had detached from my knee, clean up the defect and trim off the ragged edges and take a sample of cartilage for some medical facility to grow.
I'm not really a fan of surgery. I'm not really a fan of hospitals. I'm not really a fan of anything that might bring me into contact with needles or injections...yeah, I'm ever so slightly phobic when it comes to needles. I wish that I wasn't but try as I might I have never been able to properly get over my irrational fear of needles.
Needless to say, I was pretty nervous when the day of my surgery rolled around. I was undergoing the procedure at the Mater Private Hospital in Brisbane - which is quite close to my house. My husband was working on the day, so my mother very kindly offered to come down and drop me off at the hospital and take me home afterwards.
Now, the Mater Private Hospital is pretty amazing. The waiting rooms are welcoming and...well...opulant. I don't think too many public hospitals have nice plush leather seats for patients to wait in. Nor do I think they give you fluffy white robes, warmed towels and hot face clothes before they bring you in for the procedure. The staff were also very friendly and very helpful. I felt a lot more at ease then I had expected to.
The aneasthetist was really great - he chatted about what he would do and what had happened to me the last time I went under general. He explained how I would feel when I woke up and what I could and could not do. He was also pretty understanding when I mentioned me fear of needles and he was nice enough to offer to put the drip into my hand instead of my arm.
Now, everything happened really fast. I have memories of having to wait a really long time for my operation when I had last been in hospital, but this time I had barely sat down in one waiting room before they were whisking me into a wheelchair and carting me off to another room. In total I spent time in 3 different waiting rooms before they finally wheeled me into theatre.
The operation went well and I woke up in reovery feeling remarkably well. I was feeling a little bit of pain and pressure in my knee, but the discomfort was minimal. I really didn't have to wait all that long before Dr. Astori came to speak to me. The operation had gone well and he'd managed to get all the loose bits out and clean up the lesion. However (and he gave me some photos) the lesion was much bigger than he had thought.
We discussed the second stage of the surgery, but unfortunately even though the lesion was so big, I couldn't get the second round of surgery done until early december - only because that was when I had six weeks of holidays scedhualed and I couldn't afford to take off any more time.
The recovery from the arthroscopy was okay - my knee was really swollen and insanely bruised, but it didn't hurt too much. I made quick progress with my physiotherapy and now, around 5 months later, I my knee is pretty much normal again - same flexibility and just as capable of bearing weight.
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