Well, as I write this, I am officially a week and a few hours post-op, and, I must say, it has been a nice recovery so far. I went in for my first PT session today — at ActiveCare in the Inner Richmond — and it actually went really well.
After spending a few minutes making my trademark awkward smalltalk with the painfully cute girl at the front desk, she was spared by the arrival of my physical therapist, Cort (Court? Corte?). I must admit that I was a little apprehensive about therapy, mostly do to the fact that I am about as flexible as a pregnant wildebeest, something that is made abundantly clear by these type of appointments. However, once he led me through the door, I quickly realized that my task was more daunting than I could have possibly imagined. I was greeted by a roughly 15-step staircase up to the training room. Uh oh. Does he realize that I have leg braces set to only bend 10 degrees? How the fuck is this gonna work? I quickly decided, screw it, if I fall backwards on my head, at least I am in a building full of trained people, who will know what to do. Right?
That said, navigating the stairs was easier than me or Cort thought, and my triumphant ascent set nice tone for the entire visit. He was really pleased with the strength in my knees (I can now walk pretty comfortably without crutches) and quads (essential to successful ACL rehab), as well as my flexibility (100 degree-plus in my left leg, a little less in my right). He was impressed with how my recovery is going, and he guessed that I would be able to go back to driving, being more active, and, amazingly, even riding a stationary or road bike very soon. Awesome news. I really miss riding my bike.
Anywhoo, my next big date is November 30th. That's when I am going in for another meeting with the good doctor, and, hopefully, my sutures are going to be removed, so I can take a real shower and wash the increasingly pungent man-musk off my body.
In other news, one of the more surprising difficulties I've had with this process is trouble sleeping. I've never struggled sleeping, and, because of my lack of activity during the day, I have found it hard to get to sleep before 3 am, now that I am not taking painkillers. Just one of those unavoidable pains in the ass. That said, I really don't mind because it's not like I've got to be at work in the morning (hoping to get back in two weeks max), plus it gives me plenty of quality time with FIFA '10, It's Always Sunny, and one of my most daunting (and favorite) assingments — picking my Top 10 Albums of the Decade for the Guardian. Yeah, the decade. Uhhhh. Any suggestions? Seriously? Anybody? Help...
Till next time,
Dan
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
A Few Days On....
I was planning on updating this blog every day, but, as I often do, I fell a bit behind. Lemme fill you in my last few days of recovery.
<——Pic Note: Me, 3 days post-op, watching my beloved Warriors crush the Blazers. Ladies, you may now form a single-file line — the dirt-stache is ready for visits!
Ok, days 2 and 3 were when the real pain set in. Anytime you have (relatively) major surgery, there will obviously be pain involved, but my bilateral post-surgery pain has been totally tolerable. Just from talking to friends who have had other sports-related surgeries, the pain that you often deal with after an ACL injury is very, very manageable. Not too bad considering the surgeon drilled holes in both my knee and shin bones! That said, in the first few days, it really must be managed. Though you may not be feeling pain at the moment, it is important to stay on the schedule of the pain pills, because, as mentioned before, if you fall behind the pain (especially on recovery days 2-4), it is a bitch to catch up. As I am typing on Sunday, I haven't taken any Percocet and am not planning to tonight.
After a drugged-out, fairly painful Wednesday and Thursday, the pain really tapered off after the third day post-surgery (Friday), and it was quite mild on Saturday and Sunday. As far as putting weight on the legs goes, I am trying to go very slow, and, while I can now walk without crutches for short distances without feeling any pain, I am trying my best to use the wheelchair and keep off it as much as possible, especially until I have my first physical therapy session on Tuesday (a week post-op). Also, over the weekend (4-5 days post-op), I was comfortable sitting down and having some people over, which was a nice change from the first four days that I spent almost totally on my back playing FIFA and the like.
As far as the rest of my life goes, it's all about getting through it. I fucking hate sitting around all day, but I am coming up on one week post-op and am only a week off my next visit, where they will hopefully remove my sutures, allow me to get rid of the wheelchair/ice machine, and let me go back to showering. While I am probably still another two weeks away from going back to work and moving back into my apartment, it's all about baby steps at this point and every day marks one step towards having my life back. Though the last week was definitely difficult at times (and I am sure there will be more tough times coming), I am still happy that I got them both done, and I would highly recommend those in a similar situation to do the same. I have managed to stay very positive with the help of my family and friends (and my new friend, Percocet!).
To all my (er) hoards of readers (Hi Mom!), I will try to start updating this daily in the coming weeks, not only to expose you to my riotous wit, but more so to better explain the rehab from this type of surgery.
Dan
Friday, November 20, 2009
Day 1 of Recovery
We've all woken up in unfortunate positions. Whether it's with a massive head ache, massively confused, in a strange place, or next to a strange person. But, I can quite comfortably say, I've never had a morning quite like the one I had on November 18th, 2009. Thanks mostly to the drugs that the anesthesiologist gave me, I slept comfortably through the night, but, as soon as I woke up on Wednesday, I knew that my life was about to get weird.
I had an 11:15 doctor's appointment, so, after a light breakfast, I was loaded into my mother's car and off we headed to SOAR. At what was basically a glorified dressing change, I got to talk to the nurse practitioner about how I was supposed to deal with having two "non-weight baring" legs. In reality, my legs were not non-weight baring, in fact I could stand up quite comfortably for around thirty seconds and could do some light crutch-walking. The N.P. made it clear that she wanted me to stay off my legs as much as possible until our November 30th appointment. I was also told that I wouldn't be able to shower until that appointment, which also wasn't the world's greatest news.
After re-wrapping my knees, we set off for home, and, as soon as we got back, I laid back down on my bed and tried to get comfortable. I made the mistake of not taking any Percocet during the day, and just assuming because I didn't have pain then, I wouldn't have pain later. However, around 5 pm, my knees started killing me, and though the Percocet works like a charm, it takes about 30-45 minutes to kick in, so I would really recommend taking it preemptivly so you aren't left in a lot of pain waiting for it to kick in. I basically spent the whole rest of the night with sore knees. Needless to say, I learned a valubable lesson. Don't let the pain get ahead of you.
I had an 11:15 doctor's appointment, so, after a light breakfast, I was loaded into my mother's car and off we headed to SOAR. At what was basically a glorified dressing change, I got to talk to the nurse practitioner about how I was supposed to deal with having two "non-weight baring" legs. In reality, my legs were not non-weight baring, in fact I could stand up quite comfortably for around thirty seconds and could do some light crutch-walking. The N.P. made it clear that she wanted me to stay off my legs as much as possible until our November 30th appointment. I was also told that I wouldn't be able to shower until that appointment, which also wasn't the world's greatest news.
After re-wrapping my knees, we set off for home, and, as soon as we got back, I laid back down on my bed and tried to get comfortable. I made the mistake of not taking any Percocet during the day, and just assuming because I didn't have pain then, I wouldn't have pain later. However, around 5 pm, my knees started killing me, and though the Percocet works like a charm, it takes about 30-45 minutes to kick in, so I would really recommend taking it preemptivly so you aren't left in a lot of pain waiting for it to kick in. I basically spent the whole rest of the night with sore knees. Needless to say, I learned a valubable lesson. Don't let the pain get ahead of you.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Surgery Day....
In the days leading up to my surgery, my mood about the surgery changed from minute-to-minute. I would go from being totally confident to terrified and back. I woke up at my parents' house (the Palo Alto-area) the day of the surgery actually feeling pretty decent. I was ready to get this process started, and, more so, ready to get back on my feet and running without pain. My dad gave me a lift to the surgery center, and after some light paperwork, we were taken to a small room to get my ice machine. Basically, it looks like a normal cooler with a blue tube coming out. It basically circulates cold water to a patch on my knees, that cuts down on swelling and keeps it cold.
After that, I was taken into the surgery room and was briefed on all that was gonna happen. After that (and a short wait), I was wheeled into the surgery room (think the "Machine That Goes Bing" Monty Python scene — http://bit.ly/29bpzv) and was given some injection and put on an oxegen mask and, just like that, I was out. I awoke in a hospital bed without much pain. After a few drugged-out phone conversations, my dad reappeared. I was feeling surprisingly pain-free and just the right kind of loopy — not totally catatonic, but nice and relaxed. I was surprised that I was actually able to stand up without the aid of the crutches, but the nurse made sure that I got a wheelchair, which was very helpful.
It was about 7:30 by the time I actually got home, and after watching an episode of Mad Men, I succumned to the drugs and drifted off to sleep. Till tomorrow. Dan.
After that, I was taken into the surgery room and was briefed on all that was gonna happen. After that (and a short wait), I was wheeled into the surgery room (think the "Machine That Goes Bing" Monty Python scene — http://bit.ly/29bpzv) and was given some injection and put on an oxegen mask and, just like that, I was out. I awoke in a hospital bed without much pain. After a few drugged-out phone conversations, my dad reappeared. I was feeling surprisingly pain-free and just the right kind of loopy — not totally catatonic, but nice and relaxed. I was surprised that I was actually able to stand up without the aid of the crutches, but the nurse made sure that I got a wheelchair, which was very helpful.
It was about 7:30 by the time I actually got home, and after watching an episode of Mad Men, I succumned to the drugs and drifted off to sleep. Till tomorrow. Dan.
My Story/Why I Started This Blog
I guess it all started about four and years ago in Chicago. I attended Loyola University Chicago for a semester, while my college, Loyola New Orleans, was dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in the Fall of 2005. After spending the first few weeks settling into the city, I decided that to go check out the run at the school's gym. Myself and my buddy Jack (who was in town from Annapolis, MD) quickly found a decent run, and, after a disjointed first game, I had settled into a rhythm early in the second game. Said rhythm came to a screeching halt about ten minutes in, when I drove down the lane and a guy collided with the side of my left knee. I fell to the ground in a hell of a lot of pain, and after a few unpleasent days on crutches, I decided it was time to see a doc. Unfortunately, this doc wasn't particularly keen on seeing me, and he basically rushed me out, calling it a sprain and a bone bruise and telling me to stay off it.
Fast forward four years to August 2009. With the aid of a bulky brace, I was able to return to sports about 6 months after the original knee injury. I was feeling pretty good, until during a game of soccer, I went to make a cut and my other (right) knee gave out. Feeling the same type of pain I had in Chicago, I decided to again see a doctor, assuming that it was only a sprain, or possibly a meniscus tear. As it turned out, it wasn't. After a short test of jerks and tweaks, my doctor (Michael Dillingham at SOAR in Redwood City, CA) confirmed that I had an ACL tear of my right knee. Surprised, I asked Dr. Dillingham to check my left knee just to make sure that there was nothing wrong with it. After the same test, he confirmed that my left ACL was also torn.
Dillingham basically gave me the choice of doing back-to-back knee surgeries, that would take about 18 months to get over, or the option of doing them both in one fell swoop. While the idea of having zero working legs for a few weeks and double the pain wasn't particularly enticing, twice the rehab time, twice the money, and twice the surgery seemed much worse. So I decided to get them both done at once.
Which leads us to today. And me, laid out on my back with two bulky braces, recovering from bilateral ACL surgery.
In the days leading up to the surgery, I was surprised at how difficult it was to find information on this procedure. For the countless "I Tore my ACL blogs", I could only find one blog that told the story of dealing with having both done simultaneously (it's a good one though — http://bit.ly/3y7GG), so I wanted to add another resource for those considering this type of surgery. Hope this is of use to someone....
Fast forward four years to August 2009. With the aid of a bulky brace, I was able to return to sports about 6 months after the original knee injury. I was feeling pretty good, until during a game of soccer, I went to make a cut and my other (right) knee gave out. Feeling the same type of pain I had in Chicago, I decided to again see a doctor, assuming that it was only a sprain, or possibly a meniscus tear. As it turned out, it wasn't. After a short test of jerks and tweaks, my doctor (Michael Dillingham at SOAR in Redwood City, CA) confirmed that I had an ACL tear of my right knee. Surprised, I asked Dr. Dillingham to check my left knee just to make sure that there was nothing wrong with it. After the same test, he confirmed that my left ACL was also torn.
Dillingham basically gave me the choice of doing back-to-back knee surgeries, that would take about 18 months to get over, or the option of doing them both in one fell swoop. While the idea of having zero working legs for a few weeks and double the pain wasn't particularly enticing, twice the rehab time, twice the money, and twice the surgery seemed much worse. So I decided to get them both done at once.
Which leads us to today. And me, laid out on my back with two bulky braces, recovering from bilateral ACL surgery.
In the days leading up to the surgery, I was surprised at how difficult it was to find information on this procedure. For the countless "I Tore my ACL blogs", I could only find one blog that told the story of dealing with having both done simultaneously (it's a good one though — http://bit.ly/3y7GG), so I wanted to add another resource for those considering this type of surgery. Hope this is of use to someone....
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