The Collision

Hi I am a 15 year old female soccer player in High School. I have played Varsity soccer since my freshman year and have always been a starter. I am a defender/midfielder and never thought this could happen to me. it was just a normal practice and our goalie is really bigger and we were coming off a very big defeat of our rivals and we were 5-1 in a new conference. It was looking good for us, ranked #1 in the toughest conference in the region. we were doing a drill, 1v1 and then whoever won that match had to score. Everyone was saying watch your legs as a joke, because we had a game the next night. I beat the girl I was competing withe I mean completely pushed her out of the way and kicked the ball then all of a sudden all I remember is waking up and screaming bloody murder. I had hit my heaad on the ground so hard I was unconcious for a minute or two i guess, I was screaming so loud the people in the skate park heard me and ran to the gas station to get me a thing of ice. My coaches were trying to calm me but it wasnt working they were also trying to teach me how to breath I was now going into shock and everyone on the team was made to take off their warm ups so the coaches could put it all onme to try and get me out of the shaking so much. I finaly got my breathing down. My knee looked soo ugly and hurt sooo bad it was so swollen it looked like a bowling ball. when i arrived at the ER they gave me some drugs and asked lots of questions i then was sent to xray and they said no bones were broken. They put me in a straight leg brace and told me to go see an orthopedic. SO I went to go see the orthopedic got an MRI and went back to find out that I had tore my ACL MCL and possible the MENISCUS. I started to ball, the reality hasnt set in yet I just couldn't believe this had happend to me.
I set my surgery date and literally had a countdown to it. On the dat of the surgery I had lots of worries even before.
STEPS ON THE DAY OF SURGERY:
1. Wake up at home and brushyour teeth you;ll be hungry but dont EAT OR DRINK anything
2. Get dressed wear VERY LOSE SWEATPANTS, TSHIRT, SNEAkers.
3. During the car ride to the hospital try to relax you'll be very nervous but try adn listen to the music and sing with it, that what I did and it seemed to work
4. When you arrive your parents will check in and be asked some questions.
5. they will then call you into the back and only one parent will be allowed I told my mom to come
6. Once back there they will take your weight, bloodpressure and temperature.
7. The nurse will then tell you to change you will only be allowed to wear the socks they give you, underwear and a special gown.
8. The nurse will then come back in and ask if you are okay with needles. (i hate needles and I said yes just to make it easier on myself). anather nurse will then come in and put a small rubber band like thing around your arm and place a small needle into the top of your wrist. You'll be holding and squeezing your moms hand while they do this. To tell you the truth I hate needles and it didn't even hurt i only was thinking that it would hurt but it didn;t
9. Then your doctor will come in and sign the knee that he is repairing and ask you a few questions
10. It will feel like forever but you will wait like a half an hour until you go in during that time like 10 doctors will come in and ask you what knee they are repairing. you should read some soothing magazines, i read better homes and gardens to try and relax me and it seemed to work
11. Then after that time is up you will be wheeled into the operating room in the comfy recliner you will see a lot of computer screens and a lowercas "t" looking table. and a lot of people in blue scrubs
12. The nurse will then help you onto the table and will put patches onto your chest then they will say i'm going to give you some "breakfast now" and you will feel a small tingle in the arm that they put the iv into trust me it deosn't hurt. your emotions will then be running very high and probably be tearing up, I was.!
13. The nurse then says they're going to give you something to relax and then you fall asleep.
14. you'll wak up in recovery on a different bed with your leg wrapped up huge. bandage. and a blue water coolie type thing hooked up to it.
15. during this you'll be falling asleep and waking up a lot and will be very croggy.
16. I am not going to lie it willbe very painful you will want a "nerve block" is what they will call it an anestesiologist will put a needle into your groin and do like an ultrasound type thing on it. Once they inject the medicationn you'll have no pain again you'll probably fall back asleep
17. The next thing you'll do is the nurse will already have you dressed so you will just all of a sudden being carried into a wheel chair and then be carried into your car and then youre house
19. Once your in your house have your dad carry you straight into your room and elevate your leg with lots of pillows
20. you'll sleep for like forever it feels like
21. the neverve block will last for only 18 hours once it wears off it will be very painfull make sure you are taking the pills even with the nerve block
22. when you get the stitches out it doesn't hurt it just feels really weird.

ADVICE AND WARNINGS:
-when you want to move DONT LIFT IT WITH YOUR OWN STRENGTH have someone else lift it and rotate it for you or life it and rotate it yourself
-PT will be very painful. when they press down on your leg to make it straight ask for a pillow to scream and cry into
-dont go to school for like 3 weeks i stayed out 15 days and it wasn't nearly enough
-Keep you're thoughts and spirits up and have your friends over and laugh about things try to keep your mind off of it

I am now exactly 1 month and 1 day after my surgery I still have a lot of pain and can't fully straighten or bend my leg. I can only fully straighten it when the therapist does it for me at PT. and bending it forget it i can't do that yet. I am still on crutches and still will be for until like 1 more month until my quad gets its strength back.

Good luck with PT and REHAB :)