Cassie's ACL Surgery.

by Cassie Lackey
(Irmo, SC, USA)

Today is the third day after my ACL reconstruction surgery. I can bare a small amount of weight on my knee, but for the most part, it's still really painful and swollen. Six months ago, I got hit by a car while I was crossing the street. I was immediately rushed to the hospital, where they did an x-ray of my knees, and they told me that my knees were just sprained. They didn't even do a MRI at all. Therefore, for six months, I thought my left knee was just really sprained. It had always been bothering me on-and-off, and was always really sensitive. Common sense told me that a sprain didn't, and should not last for six months. That's when I decided to see a doctor. She did an x-ray and said that there may be some abnormalities, and she referred me to an orthopedist. They FINALLY did a MRI, and found out that my ACL was completely torn.

I know it's from the car accident because that was the only strong impact collision I have ever had. They scheduled me for surgery on October 30th. They used my patellar-tendon graft. My surgeon told me that it's more painful when you use your own tissue, instead of using a cadaver's. I just felt more comfortable with using my own tissue. Surgery was a breeze, though. They gave me a sedative, completely numbed my left leg, and gave me some good general anesthesia.

I was really nervous about the whole surgery process, because this was my first surgery. The nursing staff made me feel so comfortable and relaxed; without them, I would've been a total nervous wreck (no pun intended). I strongly encourage others to get this surgery, mainly because the ACL is such an important component for the knee. My orthopedist basically told me that if I didn't get this surgery, then my knee would constantly give out on me, and would lead up to severe arthritis. I'm eighteen, so I knew that I'd have a speedy healing process.