Alyssa'w ACL Surgery

by Alyssa
(Minnesota)

I had the ACL surgery a week ago and it was a lot easier than I thought it would be and a lot less painful. My recovery is going great and I'm expectng it to continue.....I will attach my story to this.

Okay I'm going to be 49 years old this summer but I'm very active. On March 2, 2009, Monday, I was at Taekwondo class doing some paddle drills and doing a pada chug gi (?spelling)...I guess I didn't pivot enough, my shoe stuck, or I just was unfortunate but I heard that tell tale sign "pop". Immediately I fell to the ground (said some effenhymers) and got back up...stood on the leg and was relieved I could stand on it and it didn't really hurt anymore...I thought to myself "maybe it's okay"...so continued to try and do a couple kicks...hahaha...that didn't work I kept falling down. So then I decided I would just hold paddles, well stepping back I fell down again (not from pain or anything, its just nothing was there holding my leg up I guess).

Well thank goodness class was over. Master Lee wanted me to ice it, he asked if I could bend it etc...I was able to do everything, wasn't swelling and didn't hurt....we all thought positive and that it was fine. I thought about staying for cardio class and just do upper body. I went to go change clothes and my knee gave out again just walking. At that time I decided I better skip cardio and go to urgent care.

I stopped at urgent care on the way home. What a waste, I sat there for two hours before I was seen. The doctor (who I might add was like 109 years old, fat and could barely walk) came in, asked me some questions and said he couldn't help me that he would give me a brace and I would have to go see my regular doctor the next day....so off I went home.

03/03/09 Tuesday

So I went to work this morning, my knee doesn't hurt really and I don't have any pain either. My knee does feel like its going to give out any time. I decide to make an appointment at TRIA in Bloomington where my daughter and Master Lee had their knee surgeries. Dr. Fischer isn't available but I am able to see an associate. She took some x-rays (everything looked good, no bone fragments or fractures and she said my knees look young yay), she did some moving around of my knee and asked the normal questions. I explained how it happened, the sound I heard, etc. She felt there was nothing wrong and that I should try and do physical therapy for two weeks and if I still have troubles to come back. She said I should have swelling and that my knee doesn't feel loose and sometimes if your knee hurts your leg will give out just so you won't have more pain. I say okay and leave, relieved for a little while that nothing is wrong.

03/05/09 Thursday

The day before I decided to call the doctor back, I was having some swelling, a little pain...and to be honest I really felt something was wrong with it and I did hear a very loud pop. I explained to her that I have had injuries before that I am not the type to fall down numerous times because I might have pain and that I wanted a MRI....

So here we are and I'm at the doctors kind of feeling stupid because today I have no pain again and really no swelling. I have the MRI and wait at the doctors for awhile so the doctor can give me the results. She comes in to the room. I immediately tell her I'm sorry and feel stupid being there because it's feeling lots better. She stops me, says don't feel stupid because you have completely torn your ACL....she has me lay down so she can move it around again to see if it is loose. This time my muscles relax enough for her to fell that it is loose. She wants me to see the surgeon about getting it fixed. The first appointment I can get is NEXT Thursday...ugh, I just want to have surgery and be over it and healing hahaha. She signs me up for physical therapy for the next day to give me exercises to do until surgery.

Well, nothing I can do now so I decide I might as well do cardio class tonight and do what I can. Surprising I am able to do most things (I cant do jumping jacks or actually kick but I can lift my knee up all the way etc). It feels real good after class. (I did wear the brace the doctor at TRIA gave me, it has a hinge and stuff so I can bend it but really stabilizes it for sideways stuff)