Michael,
So its now just over 5 weeks postop for me. Sorry I have not replied sooner. We have only one computer in the house and it crashed. Only 1 year old and just out of warranty. It was running Windows Vista and I was really amazed at how slow it was despite the fast processor. I think it was so slow because Vista is so inefficient with all that digital rights management stupidity stuff running in the background all the time. So for the past 3 weeks I was computer-less. I managed to keep up with my work emails using my blackberry but I find the thumb typing hard with my big fingers. I also managed to catch up on my reading.
Luckily, my wife just found our old computer - a 10-year-old Pentium III with Windows 2000 on it. Instead of being thrown out, it had been shoved into a closet and forgotten. But it still runs fine and thats what I am using right now. Its actually faster than our Vista machine was. Amazing! And its much more reliable too. In comparing Windows 2000 with Vista, I think Microsoft ruined Windows. Windows 2000 and 64-bit XP were good products. I know the 64-bit version of Windows XP from my work: my desktop there used that and it was very fast and very reliable. But Windows Vista and 7 are just garbage. And the glitzy new user interfaces are just dumb, dumb, dumb. Why couldn’t Microsoft just keep 2000 and XP going? They had a good product and trashed it!
I have had two OS follow-up appointments since I last posted on August 3 and the next one is at the end of this week. My OS is happy with my progress. He ordered an MRI scan for mid September to check on the healing.
I still have physiotherapy 3x per week, which is nice, but later in September this will probably be reduced to 2x/wk. Still mostly range of motion exercises right now but there are some gentle strengthening exercises too. Lots of ultrasound and passive manipulation too. My physiotherapist says I am making steady progress.
The swelling in the knee is down now and that is good. The leg still seems weak and thin. But when I use a cloth tape measure to check the circumference of my thigh I can see that I am slowly getting some muscle back. I still use crutches quite a bit but now I am using that Freedom leg brace thing more often. I still use the DonJoy ROM brace with the crutches and I am still very careful with my knee. I have not been up or down any stairs since my surgery.
Pain is minimal now. I can sleep through the night without waking up because of the knee. The knee does hurt a bit after moving it a lot and during physical therapy but a little Advil takes care of that.
Will keep you posted.
Thanks
Al
> Dear Alan,
> Wow -- it's great to hear that you are doing so well, and
> that everything is going so well for you! Your surgery,
> involving multiple ligaments plus a meniscus too, is among
> the most complex knee surgeries imaginable.
> Indeed, it looks like you are in very good hands -- not
> only given that your surgeon seems to be very competent,
> but also given that your physiotherapist seems to be on the
> ball too, and your family is helpful in providing support
> during the rehabilitation. I still remember a posting
> (years ago) from a college student who had two ligaments
> reconstructed and a meniscus repaired...and she was living
> alone, and had to contend with two narrow flights of stairs
> to an apartment under the eaves of an old house...and she
> had classes to attend too!
> You are also fortunate in that you can do at least some of
> your work from home, and then return to full-time hours
> gradually. For some people (not just professional
> athletes), a knee injury can mean a major career change.
> But I also remember postings on this forum from people
> whose employment places major demands on their knees. Two
> cases stand out in my mind: one was a police officer whose
> knee injury arose while chasing and subduing a suspect (the
> suspect was caught, but the knee ligaments incurred a lot
> of damage due to a twist-and-fall from scrambling over a
> fence, plus meniscus damage from continuing to run with a
> freshly torn meniscus, plus further knee damage from
> planting-and-twisting due to use-of-force movements in
> order to subdue and handcuff the suspect), while the second
> was a search-and-rescue technician who wrecked a knee
> during a complicated manoeuvre while dangling from a
> helicopter (a badly injured snowboarder, who chose to go
> out of bounds and zoomed over a cliff, with a combined
> head-and-spinal injury making it necessary to use a
> spineboard). The devotion that first responders have to
> their jobs always amazes me. They put their lives and
> health at risk so that ordinary citizens like you and me
> can live our lives in safety and can be plucked from the
> jaws of danger.
> You noted that you saw your OS last week for follow-up, and
> you noted that you have seen your physiotherapist twice.
> When is your next OS follow-up appointment?
> And, how often are you seeing the physiotherapist these
> days? What are her thoughts on your knee's progress? What
> is your range of motion right now?
> And, how is the swelling in the knee? And, how are things
> in the pain department?
> Are you keeping some sort of diary of the exercises, as
> well as your observations on your knee progress? Don't
> forget that your physiotherapist only sees you several
> times a week, whereas you spend 24 hours a day with your
> knee. So, even though the observations and progress reports
> of your physiotherapist are valuable, keeping your own
> records adds to this (and will impress your surgeon, who is
> clearly a meticulous and dedicated person, judging by how
> you described his bedside manner and approach to
> treatment).
> By the way, that book that you saw your surgeon's desk,
> Noyes Knee Disorders, is a highly readable book even for
> non-surgeons. Sue Barber-Westin, a brilliant clinical knee
> researcher who regularly visits this board, is a co-editor
> and co-author of that book -- and her excellent abilities
> of pulling together vast numbers of research studies and
> findings, her uncanny ability to separate great
> medical-journal articles from the not-so-great ones, her
> unparalleled ability to communicate effectively with people
> from a wide range of backgrounds (i.e. not just surgeons
> and physiotherapists and fellow researchers, but also
> medical illustrators and other people), and her tireless
> editorial talents all shine through in this book.
> I purchased a copy of that book too (mine is signed by both
> Sue and Dr. Noyes), and I have read many passages from it
> (eventually I will have read the whole thing). It is a
> surgeon's textbook, and as a non-surgeon I do draw on the
> courses (musculoskeletal anatomy, kinesiology, sports
> injuries, orthopedic biomechanics) I took as electives
> years ago, but the book is so beautifully illustrated and
> logically organized that even if one occasionally forgets
> the name of some obscure anatomical structure, the highly
> detailed illustrations provide instant reminders. This is
> truly a book that no knee surgeon should be without. I
> would also say that it is a book that every physiotherapy
> clinic should also have a copy of, as a reference.
> Especially for complex (and uncommon) surgeries, it is
> helpful if the physiotherapist understands the intricacies
> of the surgical procedure that was done, because then this
> person will have an innate understanding of how the rehab
> exercises interact with the affected structures.
> Definitely keep us posted as you progress through your
> rehabilitation!
> Yours truly,
> Michael Frind.
> Knee Library http://factotem.org/library
