Darryl's ACL nightmare

by Darryl
(South africa)

A couple of my friends had torn there ACl and I laughed and joked about it, I never thought I would experience it.

It was the first game of the rugby season in my final year of school and we were playing a tight and competitive match, when I was tackled on my knee, it hyperextended and twisted, I was in so much pain, I tried to get up and continue playing as the game was continuing, I knew something was wrong when I stood up and my knee felt like it would not work, it felt like it was "giving out" from under me.
I just lay there in pain and feeling humiliated,the medics came to me and applied ice to my knee and advised me to stop playing, but I would not listen, I was not going to be humiliated any further by walking off, I thought it was just a knock and I could run it off. I finished the rest of the game, but I was in considerable pain.

I spoke to a doctor and he thought that I had just damaged cartilage and it should be fine if I rest it for a week, but it did not help, I went to a specialist and he diagnosed that I had a torn MCL and he was worried about my ACL, so I went into hospital the next day and he performed an Arthroscopy on my knee, he informed me that I had completely ripped my ACl and I had a grade 2 tear of my MCL. I was devastated, I cried myself to sleep that night, I was going to never play sport again for my school.

I had an ACL reconstruction 6 weeks after the initial injury as he thought it would have to large a negative effect on my exams, I had 100 degrees of flexion and I could extend it fully, but with pain by the time I went in for my Operation. The doctor used a patella graft for the operation and he said it went extremely well. The first couple of days after the op is a blur to me, I slept basically the whole time.

I had just turned 18 and it was winter holidays and while my friends were going on road trips and clubbing I was stuck in my bed, as I could walk on crutches but the swelling in my leg became bad if I stood up for too long. I did water polo, sailing, rugby, cycling, road running, hiking and caving, I wanted to be active all the time and now I was unable too, It became to much for me and I just broke down and cried, I wanted this whole episode to be over and to be normal again, I started walking after a week, albeit with a big limp, and people stared at me when i left the house, I felt so inferior that I became self-conscious about it and only leave the house when its necessary. I read all the "horror stories" about this operation and I am grateful that mine went fine, 2 weeks after the operation iv got 70 degrees of flexion and I can extend it to the same degree as before and it is pain free except for if I walk on it to much and I have feeling everywhere on my leg.I can honestly say this has been the worst time of my life, but I am starting to cope with the support of my close friends. I cant wait to run long distance again and to sail and cycle and to feel the sweat running down my face.