Julia's ACL surgery

by Julia Lavanchy
(Indiana)

I tore my acl playing gus macker over the summer. Im 15 years old and i was going into my sophomore year in high school. I've played basketball and softball in school ever since i was young. I used to play soccer. This was gonna be my year for sports. I was on varsity softball as a freshman. But, this was gonna be my first year on varsity basketball. I paid the 30 bucks to get into the gus macker and within the first two minutes of the first game i jumped landed on my right knee sideways and i just hear two loud crunches and i was down on the asphalt like a sack of potatoes. I new i was hurt because it was just the worst sound ive ever heard and the worst pain ever. I just had to lay there and hold my knee for a couple minutes until my friends parent helped me hop over to the sidelines. I was taken to my moms car by the paramedic on a golfcart. Every little bump just put me through the roof in pain. We went straight to the hospital and the doctor was retarded and told me i just slightly sprained it and it would go away in two weeks. It DIDNT go away. I couldnt walk at all and so my dad took me to the orthopedics place. The doctor told me he was concerned about my ACL but i had to get an MRI to be sure. I got the MRI and my ACL was completely blown out and before i knew it i was scheduled for surgery the next week. I had my surgery on august 25th 2009. I am 3 weeks and two days post op right now. Before the surgery, the anestesia (spelled wrong) came in and asked me if i wanted a nerve block and i was of course saying YES. It was weird because he was makin my leg jump and i could not control it. I remember him giving me relaxing medication and then they put me to sleep and the next thing i know im in the recovery room. The nurse gave me two vicodin and made me go to the bathroom. The first time i stood up i nearly passed out because the anestesia messes you up. I was on the way home before i knew it. When i got home i slept A LOT! I remember the pain was not bad until night. Oh my gosh night is the worst cuz all you can think about is that knee and how painful it is. I went back for a follow up visit the next week and they removed the stitches and everything looked good and no infection. I started physical therapy that day also. Now i'm 3 weeks out and my knee is doing amazing. My physical therapist is startin me on jogging lightly on my fourth week. Im amazed because i never thought this day would come. This injury is more mental than physical i think. Because, you just get everything taken away from you in one second and you have to re learn and re strengthen your leg and learn how to run and cut and do all the things it takes to play basketball. I am managing my basketball team this year and i will be able to play softball in the spring. I am 3 weeks and two days out right now as i am writing this. This injury is just a small bump in the road and you have to have mental toughness to get over it. I am definately beating this injury out. You cant be scared and you have to work hard. If you do that you can come back even stronger the next season. You just have to look at it that way.