Things Needed Through The Recovery

*Ice Packs - I got some good ones at Walgreens at least 2
*Ace Badage Wraps- Walgreens also (you can never have too many wraps)
*CPM Machine
*Refill phone number at hand
*Movies/Video Games/Sports Center
*Good snacks- I loved goldfish. After surgery you wont be too hungry. I loved having smoothies
*Doctors phone number in case you have any questions or emergencies
*Three-Ring Binder
*Cruthches
*Parents to help you

*Physical Therapist- you must have a good one to help you get through this. I sure found the best.

*It really helps to have company

Surgery

The day of the surgery is rough, you are not allowed to eat from midnight the night before. So scheldule the surgery in the morning. It helps a lot. When you get there, you go up and wait till the nurses call you back into the curtained off room. That is when they do the urine test, check to make sure all inforamtion is up to date, have you changed into the silly robe, socks, and cap, and hook you up to the IB. Your family is then allowed to come see you and talk to you. In a couple minutes one of the nurses takes you back into the surgery room . The room is cold, but you get a nice warm blanket. Then, they lay you on the table and hook you up to many monitors in the room. I remember laughing with the nurses and the doctors all up until the anesthsia kicks in and I was out. The surgery lasts for about two hours. When you wake up you will be in the recovery room. When I woke up I was in a lot of pain. (It is different with each person) Turns out the block used to numb my leg wore off faster than it should have. So with fast acting pain reliever, they pain was under control in thirty minutes time. The bad part was that the medicine caused my breathing to slow down and my heart rate to drop. It was horrible!! I was all droggy and tired, and in pain. The nurses made me control my breathing, but I was still allowed to sleep. I guess the surgeon came out to check on me but I dont really remember. Finally after three hours in the recovery room, two animal crackers, and some juice I was realsed to go home. My parents helped me get up into the car and they sat with me. On the car ride home I became to fell very sick. Like I was going to throw up. When I got home, I did. It was probably the worst night of my life. The second surgery was a lot smoother, I didn't get sick and thhe block worked. It helps a lot to know what works for your own body.

Preparing for Surgery

Getting ready for surgery is not too bad. You will be able to move around about a week after injury. So when you are able, start working out. Not hard core but enough so you can strengthen the muscles around the knee. For example, the Hamstring, the Quad, and the Calf muscles. Making these strong help so much with the recovery after the surgery. Also flexability is major! The more limber you are, the easier it is to move around. You have to be relaxed and ready. Around this time is when you need to find a good Physical Therapist (PT). Once the swelling is gone and your leg is strong, the date will come. It will be a big waiting game. The surgery for me was schelduled one month after the talk with the surgeon. I become more and more scared and nervous, the closer the date came. I wore something comfortable, and had my ipod in so I would calm down. My parents played the biggest part on keeping me calm. They kept me from crying, they helped focus on the best part of the situation. They set everything up and they loved me. The second time, I had my best friend with me as well. Eventhough I was scared i knew everything was going to be okay. . . its not brain surgery. I had some of my family to talk to me, keep my mind off the bad. It is very important to stay focused on the positive, and the good parts of everything.

Your Options

When you are talking to the surgeon, he will talk about the options. He told me I could not have the surgery. The problem is that I would never be able to play club ball. Or I could have the surgery and go through all the therapy. There is the cadaver surgery. Where the doctor takes a tendon from a donor. This is the best one because you are not injured anywhere on your leg. The only risk with this is that the graft does not take to your body. (This is what happened to me, the graft did not take to my knee) The fact that my body didnt accept the graft was not likely to happen. But it does happen. Also there is the Hamstring procedure. The doctor pulls out two of the three lateral hamstrings. Called your semimembranosus and gracilis hamstrings. This leaves you with a second injury but the doctor is using live tissue. The tissue heals fast and gets stronger faster. Last is the Petella tendon surgery. This one is not used anymore by most doctors. Surgery really is your best option.

Doctor Appoinments

The appointments after appointments followed by more appointments!! They are never ending. Also, you have to tell the front desk lady, the two nurses, the x-ray guy, your doctor and the surgeon all the same thing. So you really turn into a good story teller. At each doctor visit your parents or yourself have to pay the fee. Trust me, a lot of money goes into that. It is ridiculous. My mom kept a 3-ring binder full of every paper, receipts, informational guide, pictures, etc. This really came in handy. Finding phone numbers, and knowing the information was a lot easier with this binder. The doctors were excited that we were prepared for the appointment. It is very helpful. Even though the appointments are long and some are just check ups, all are very important. The staff is usually very nice and make each visit more comfortable. I never liked the doctor appointments, but every time I went, they assured me everything was going to be okay.

When it Happens

I first tore my ACL and miniscus playing Volleyball. I was coming off a full summer of Basketball. During our pre-tryout workouts I was in the hitting line for rapid fire hitting. When I went up, I hit the ball and landed. When I landed, my foot was turned to the side. My knee twisted and popped. I heard it. And felt it. O man did it hurt. After, I couldn't even walk. The coached helped me off the court. Almost immediately my knee swelled up like a balloon. After two doctor appoinments and one at the hospital with a MRI, we found out it was torn. Surgery was needed and it would be atleast six months til I could play again. I was heart broken.