ACL REPAIR

I had ACL reconstructive surgery yesterday. I tore my ACL skiing at Park City Resort on Jan. 1.
It really put a cramp on the ski season!
I chose the Hamstring tendon replacement. It was what my doctor recommended for me.

It turns out that I really didn't have big enough Hamstring tendons so they had to add some allograph (donor) tissue. Luckily I didn't have any meniscus damage.

I had the surgery done at The University of Utah Orthopaedic Hospital - THEY ARE FANTASTIC! I was really nervous but the doctors and nurses there are great.

The surgery was uneventful for me, I was asleep as they wheeled my down the hall and the next thing I knew I was in Post-Op. I really didn't have any pain worse than a dull ache. I skipped a dose of pain medication last night - and that wasn't a good idea. It took a while to get the pain under control again. The worst part has been the nausea. But my doctor gave me some other meds for that, and now I am feeling much better.

I was expecting a lot of pain, but this had been a lot less painful than my c-section or tonsillectomy at 30 years old.

I was given a nerve block so that the pain would not be so bad and I would not need so many pain meds. It is called a "Fascia Illiaca Catheter" It is a little bottle connected like an IV tube. It keeps giving me a steady stream of numbing medicine. I love that bottle!

I started doing my Post-op exercises (heel slides & straightening stretch). They both hurt. I really have no muscle control in my quads. I want to get full range of motion back.


I have to stay in bed for the next week (except for bathroom breaks and Physical Therapy sessions) and then on crutches with no weight bearing for three weeks.
My first physical therapy session is this Friday. I am afraid it is going to hurt . .
The nerve block will wear off completely tomorrow. I will post then . .

Disneyland

This is my favorite photo of the girls at Disneyland. We were shocked that Sophie let Dopey hug her - she doesn't like the Characters to come near her.