ACL surgery

I went for my ACL reconstruction surgery on 21st September at approximately 4pm. I was emotional and a bundle of nerves prior to the surgery, to the point of literally shaking- it was my first time ever going under the knife, although I was comforted somewhat by the anaesthetist who told me that we shared a lot in common- the manner in which we sustained our injuries, his love for running, and orthopaedic surgeon! He completed a marathon after making full recovery, and continues to run.

After breathing into an oxygen mask, I knocked out and the next thing I knew, I was already awake (albeit drowsy) and being wheeled back into my room with my wife, daughter and parents walking by my side. I looked to my left knee and found it bandaged with a knee brace attached. The surgeon came in shortly after to inform me that the surgery went well, although the damage to my meniscus was more extensive than expected and this could potentially be an issue in the future.

I spent the night in the hospital, with nurses checking on me every few hours. I was given painkillers and sleeping pills to aid my sleep, but I wasn’t able to fall asleep entirely. I would be sleeping for 45 minutes, then wake up and stay awake for another hour, before falling back asleep for another 45 minutes. I had difficulty urinating too- I waited for 2 to 3 minutes before being able to let go.

In the morning I had my breakfast, and my family visited me. The anaesthetist and surgeon visited me again, as did the physiotherapist. I was discharged by noon that day, hobbling about in crutches.

And so began the painful recovery process. The first week was painful and uncomfortable. The painkillers made me drowsy but unable to sleep fully. Again, on most days, I would sleep a little only to wake up. When I was awake, I was unable to move around anyway because I was too drowsy and in pain, so that made it all the more frustrating. I started my physiotherapy which was extremely painful- it was all about learning to use my knee all over again. In a very short space of time, the muscles on my left leg have atrophied and turned to mush. I used to be able to flex my fairly well-developed calf muscles (due to the nature of my hopper running style) but I can barely even flex it now. On top of that, I had to change my seating position when defecating, causing me to push and exert more pressure than necessary, and resulting in me developing a moderately severe case of haemorrhoids. That in itself delayed the recovery process as I came down with fever and lost even more appetite. The doctor gave me an additional 2 weeks MC.

2nd week onwards was better with all the issues slowly resolving themselves and my sleep patterns more consistent as I stopped the painkillers. My knee had better range of movement and the haemmorhoids were improving. Despite the further 2 weeks MC given, I decided to return to work after serving out 1 week. All in all, I was on MC for 3 weeks. I returned to work with my knee brace and a single crutch.

I have been given the green light to cycle on a stationary bike- that by itself is a joy!

The recovery process is a long road ahead- I have 2 physiotherapy sessions a week and this is expected to continue for the next 7 months or so.

In the meantime, I have certain short-term “goals” to work towards (in no particular order):-

1) to further increase the range of movement for me knee. For now, I can fully extend/straighten my leg, although with some pain. However, I’m not able to fully bend it. I can only bend up to approximately 110 degrees.

2) to celebrate my daughter’s birthday at the end of the month. She turns 2. Both sides of the family will be there to celebrate the Lil’ Precious Princess’s birthday.

3) continue with my financial goal of achieving $xxxxx this year. For too long, I have been ill-disciplined with the spending and saving of my earnings. I made it a point to make a stand this year and do away with unnecessary, frivolous spending.

4) to welcome the birth of my second child by January 2011.

That's it for now.