eric's acl

flying after acl reconstruction surgery

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 16:10:30 -0400

so i was cleared to fly from nyc to houston (a 3.5 hour flight) by my doctor three weeks after surgery. i’m sure when you’re cleared to fly depends on your doctor, the amount of swelling, how far along you are in recovery, and how long the flight is. though it wasn’t the most pleasant thing, it really wasn’t too bad.

couple of tips that would have helped me:

make sure the brace goes on and off easily. you have to take it off for security, and will want it off during the flight as well.
look pathetic and ask for extra leg room. also ask for an aisle seat. though if its between leg room and aisle, go with aisle.
make sure to walk around once every hour. so necessary to keep that knee extending and bending.
there will be a bunch of swelling. be ready for it.
get one of these reusable ice bags, and try to get it completely filled at a bar in the terminal before you board. some flight attendants dont like using their limited stock of ice on you, and will only give you a little.
before you do anything when you land, give yourself 30 min or so at the hotel to get your swelling down.

physical therapy

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 14:45:46 -0400

im back to physical therapy, which is a great step. the therapist was so impressed with my surgery that he called all the other therapists over to look at how small the incisions were, and how far my range of motion is (essentially zero degrees extension and 135 degrees flexion).

we essentially skipped the first month of exercises (i’m one month ahead of schedule after only 3 weeks post-surgery). doing leg press, squats, hip exercises, and other torturous exercises. but it feels good to work some of those muscles that have been shrinking due to atrophy.

its truly amazing how far ahead i am, but i know if i want to keep up this pace of recovery, i have to continue to work hard. it only took me 3 weeks to be 4 weeks ahead of schedule, but it’ll only take a few weeks of being lazy to fall 4 weeks behind.

atlantic city

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 16:36:24 -0400

finals are finally done and my first semester of bschool is over. i would highly recommend not having to deal with a knee surgery when you are just starting school, but sometimes life happens.

when my doctor said i was doing well, but i should do PT exercises, rest the knee and ice it when possible, i dont think he meant: hop a car to AC immediately after finals, stand at a craps table for a few hours, then go to a club. the good news is the knee held up, without crutches only in a brace. bad news is the knee was quite swollen the next day. oh well, totally worth it.

weight loss

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 10:17:00 -0400

weighed myself for the first time since surgery and ive lost 8 pounds. i have been burning more calories using crutches, and i have been trying to avoid junk food since ive been stuck at home. on the other hand, it could be just be due to muscle atrophy in the right leg.

regardless, if atrophy was inevitable, then i guess its better to have lost weight than gained weight from eating junk and sitting on my couch.

stairs!

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 14:58:03 -0400

i can now walk up and down stairs! stairs have by far been the most annoying part of being on crutches. with my brace on, i can carry my crutches in one hand, hold the rail in the other, and walk up and down relatively normally, such a relief.

also, those muscles in the right leg all of a sudden have work to do. every time i take a step i think “oh, that’s what it feels like to use the calf muscle.”

it’s alive! the gauze is gone, there are no stitches,...

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 00:40:13 -0400

it’s alive! the gauze is gone, there are no stitches, minimal scaring (only that far one on top may leave something) and waterproof butterfly strips just making sure nothing re-opens. the dark parts are a mix of bruise/rash from the brace or gauze/waterproof wrap, and should go away soon. most swelling is gone, but still some stubborn swelling left. the PT should take care of that.

2 week post-op doctor's visit

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 17:34:33 -0400

saw the doc yesterday and took off the waterproof wrap and gauze covering my incisions, most of the scars should nearly completely disappear. have to admit, a bit disappointed, i kind of wanted some serious acl scars, but its probably for the best.

i’m also cleared for physical therapy, which is probably good since the leg extensions and straight leg raises have gotten really boring, even with ankle weights on.

he also unlocked my leg brace. feels amazing, that thing sucks when its locked in full extension. i mean, it sucks when its not locked too, but sucks a whole lot less. i’m also allowed to travel without crutches soon, though its probably a good idea to keep them in chaotic situations (ie subway). its also good for getting myself a seat.

last, i was kind of speechless when he said after i see him in 2 months, i could be cleared to play light sports… if all things go well with PT. that’s pretty stunning, as it would be less than 3 months after surgery, and definitely a goal that should keep me inspired as i go through weeks of therapy.

can't only take steps forward without at least one back right?

Sat, 06 Aug 2011 00:07:19 -0400

surgery was 10 days ago, and before today, each day was better than the last. strength coming back, actually taking the subway, better mobility, less pain, etc. but i guess it cant always be good news.

today was the first day the knee was worse than the last day. sadly more pain and swelling than yesterday. definitely upped the cryo-cuff, decreased the strength exercises, and did my best to control this swelling, and was close to taking aleve, but was able to resist.

probably means i shouldn’t be pushing it by going to work every day, staying out late studying, etc. cant have all these steps forward without at least one step back right?

what graft did you use for your new ACL?

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 23:59:29 -0400

donor allograft. even though some studies said it doesn’t have the same strength as autograft, i think the skill of the surgeon makes a much bigger difference, and my surgeon prefers the allograft.

subway "courtesy" rankings

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:39:00 -0400

for over a month now, i havent left my apartment without either crutches or a cane. and though my taxi/car service use has increased, public transit is still my primary form of transportation. so here’s my down and dirty rankings of riders willingness to give up their seat for someone with a cane/crutches.

DISCLAIMER: i ride some lines more often than others, so some are based on tiny sample size (confidence interval is probably HUGE on those). also, if the train is only 25% full and there are plenty of empty seats, i cant really gauge willingness to give up seats. additionally, a-division trains (those on number lines) are narrower than b-division trains (those on letter lines), so that may bias my decision.

WINNER
C - often crowded, but even mean looking old women regularly offer their seats to me

BEST
B/D - you know those seats that jut out from the sides? people love giving those up
1 - the way too friendly upper west siders are good, the students are a coin flip
A - see B/D on seats

OKAY
N/Q - too many tourists
R - see N/Q on tourists
F/M - never really trust those LES-ers
6 - its fine, i guess

WORST
L - they like pretending they dont notice you
4/5 - never seen so many grown healthy adults fight for so few seats
2/3 - pretty decent at the tail ends, but the 34th/42nd/72nd stretch is chaotic

NOT RANKED
7 - who goes to queens anyway?
S - no beach, no prospect park, and i dont do times square or grand central
G - never crowded enough
J/Z - i forget these lines exist sometimes
E - im a brooklyn bound C-train man, the E is the bane of my existance

the freedom of being trapped at bschool

Sun, 31 Jul 2011 18:45:26 -0400

made it to class on saturday (with lots of credit to adam and his dog for driving me in the morning) and it was glorious. probably wasn’t the best for me to be moving around that much, and not doing my exercises, but the bschool staff were extremely helpful providing me with ice throughout the day. the knee held up pretty well with minimal (i mean, how hard is it to sit in a classroom for 3 hours at a time) and pretty much all my classmates went out of their way to make it as easy as possible for me.

i literally had not left my apartment for over 80 hours so i was happy to be in the midst of other people. and it would have been sad to miss the last day of class since i really enjoyed my professors.

afterward, i had alcohol for the first time since surgery, also glorious. and with the dread of being back in the prison that is my apartment on my mind, stayed out til past midnight before hopping a way too expensive cab from morningside back to brooklyn. all around a great day.

day 3 update

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 20:56:41 -0400

it gets better every day. as you can see, i can walk now, albeit extremely carefully and slowly, the freedom to have 2 hands to carry things to and from the kitchen is fantastic. the pain has been very manageable. only once did i feel it hurt to the point of being uncomfortable, and it turns out it was because i forgot to take my painkillers on my regular schedule.

big step, i removed the bandages for the first time, and it was so anti-climatic. theres gauze and a waterproof wrap covering the part of my knee that would have scars. though i was happy to see relatively minimal swelling and also not too much atrophy of the quad. hamstring looks weak though, i’ll be happy when i can work out again.

ive finally fallen into a rhythm, good thing too since my paper is due tomorrow, and can cycle between doing work, doing exercises, and vegging out watching law and order.

i have literally not left this apartment for over 72 hours and cabin fever is an understatement. but with leg strength coming back, and columbia business school beckoning, looks like i’ll get my freedom in mere hours (ironic since ive been calling warren hall my saturday prision). visitors bearing gifts of food, ice, and seltzer have really made this isolation much more bearable (sak, may, akuo, cat, gillian, gewolb, rachel, scott, krisztina since the last time i updated). after days of seeing a couple people at a time, seeing all my classmates at once tomorrow may be overwhelming. hopefully i can focus enough to learn something. finals in only 8 days!

"when you’re hobbling around after knee surgery, you actually appreciate how small nyc..."

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 18:11:55 -0400

“when you’re hobbling around after knee surgery, you actually appreciate how small nyc apartments are”

drugs

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 13:36:00 -0400

one of the first comments i get with this whole acl mess, after “im sorry” and “how long are you out” is “at least you’ll get some good drugs.”

truth is, other than whatever drugs they pumped into me during and right after surgery, i have managed the pain with only tylenol and aleve.

im not trying to be all “holier than thou” and say prescription drug abuse is bad, or that its not cool to find vicodin “fun,” but my first priority is to get myself healthy, my leg strong, and to be back on my feet. oh, and i also have this 1500 word paper due for class as well. none of that is going to happen if im dizzy, nauseous, and not thinking straight.

and this isnt to say people who take vicodin for pain are weak. i was just lucky enough to have a surgeon who was good enough to perform a surgery that allowed me to manage pain without it. and because of that i will be able to do my stretches and exercises, and hopefully finish this paper.

I can walk!!! Its pretty amazing and feels great. Obviously...

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 10:34:54 -0400

I can walk!!!

Its pretty amazing and feels great. Obviously I’m moving extremely slowly, but I am seriously loving the freedom to not rely on crutches to get from the kitchen to the couch.

"q: how’s the recovery going? a: slow and annoying… kinda like the legislative process"

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 17:46:00 -0400

“q: how’s the recovery going?
a: slow and annoying… kinda like the legislative process”

Shower!

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 16:10:50 -0400

i took a shower! it was quite an episode.

first off, for those who had to visit an un-showered eric, im sorry.

but i am quite happy with my successful shower. it required wrapping a towel around my brace and bandages, sticking my leg in a huge trash bag, and tying it tight around my atrophied thigh with a thera-band (i knew those things had other purposes than PT torture). then i proceeded to shower with my bad leg sticking out of the tub.

sure i got water all over the bathroom, but i’m all clean! well, all except my right leg. oh, the satisfaction of accomplishing something so simple.

Day 1 Update

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 18:18:49 -0400

yesterday, in addition to the general anesthesia, the docs also gave me local anesthesia, a femoral block, that made me numb above the knee. its been slowly wearing off and i’m kinda terrified that its going to start hurting a lot. still, ive been disciplined with my painkillers and sticking with just aleve and tylenol, and avoiding the vicodin.

appetite is coming back. last night i couldn’t really stomach very much, but i had scrambled eggs brought to me from academy diner by ann and scott. and for lunch i made myself a turkey and swiss sandwich. i even had a juice box and goldfish, just like old packed lunches.

ive spent 4 hours in my CPM (continuous passive motion) machine, got up to 120 degrees of flexion, and feel like i’m at full extension, but with all these bandages, i can’t really tell. also, impossible to tell if this will last when the femoral block wears off.

ive also gotten zero school work done because have been lucky to have visitors. last night sak, akuo, and cat came and were lifesavers. there’s no way i would have been able to prep for bed by myself. then scott and ann bringing me breakfast and krisztina spending the afternoon here, made my day go by a lot quicker. not sure i’ll get as many visitors on other days, but if i do, i’ll be a happy person.

tomorrow’s another day, but today, as you can see from the pic below, i’m definitely in better shape than i was in yesterday, photo courtesy of sachin kamdar

Got my flexion up to 120 degrees, krisztina who was nice enough...

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 15:55:02 -0400

Got my flexion up to 120 degrees, krisztina who was nice enough to visit and take this photo couldn’t get it exactly at 120, but close enough. Also the furry lining is too hot. Not sure why it needs to be there.

Pretty proud of myself, made a turkey swiss sandwich all by...

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 13:16:35 -0400

Pretty proud of myself, made a turkey swiss sandwich all by myself. Juicebox and goldfish round out this lunch. Update on today upcoming.