I was scheduled for surgery on July 19th and the original plan was to have the right knee, hip and ankle surgeries (6 procedures in total) on the same day. However, it would later seem that it was not meant to be as I developed an infection a week before surgery. Given I was scheduled to have several joint procedures and there is a very high risk that an infection will develop in the joint when it is already present in my body, it seemed as if there was no way to proceed with surgery. However, we decided to go ahead with the extra-articular procedures and address the joint (intra-articular) parts of the surgery at another time (hopefully this summer). At my pre-op appointment we added the left knee to the list, because why not?
So after a complicated and stressful few days, I had surgery on Friday at Children's on my left and right knees, right hip, and right ankle.
Here's the breakdown:
Left knee- (mini open) Suture removal--the sutures that were used in previous surgeries were getting stuck and pulling on the graft--causing quite a bit of pain. Given this is a relatively minor procedure we decided to add it to the list seeing as I was already going to be under anesthesia. It was painful to weight bear immediately post-op but by day 3 I was able to stand on the knee. The knee is still sore and hurts to bend but it's more an inconvenience than anything.
Right knee- (mini open, 2 incisions) Suture removal and elongation of MPFL graft--the right knee hurts quite a bit more than my left knee but it was a minor procedure and should feel better each day.
Right hip- (open) ITB release to reduce or eliminate painful snapping hip--this is the same procedure I had back in December on my left hip. The procedure was only somewhat successful on the left side as I still have snapping and pain at times, though no longer with every step.
*The main problem with the right hip is the FAI and labral tear in the joint and at a later date I will have a scope to repair both.
Right ankle- (open) Peroneal tendon exploration, scar tissue removal, synovectomy and tendon debridement. The ankle portion of the surgery was the most invasive and involved the most work. The graft from my previous ankle surgery was scarred and scar tissue was removed. Fortunately it was intact with no tears. I also had a muscle that was not supposed to be in its particular location and therefore it was removed. The peroneal tendon was scarred and inflamed and portions were removed (scraped away) and scar tissue was removed.
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| Knee dressings |
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| Ankle dressing |
At 5 days post-op I am still unable to move my ankle without active dorsiflexion and any movement results in severe pain. If by the end of this week I am still unable to flex the ankle, I will be casted to prevent a permanent foot drop. It is a simple (though inconvenient) solution to a potentially more serious problem. At this time it is nothing to be overly concerned about and I am glad we have a plan.
I spent 3 nights in the hospital and had one of my favorite nurses for 2 days. It is always nice to see familiar faces as it makes the stay that much more tolerable.
The goal is to finish up the right hip (scope- labral tear repair/debridment and FAI/osteoplasty) this summer IF possible, though at this time it is unknown if we will be able to fit it into my surgeons schedule.
I am looking forward to returning home to see my puppies! I miss them so much when we leave. (Oh, and of course my dad and brother)
Happy Birthday to the most perfect man in the world and my favorite hockey player (and of course Bruin), Patrice Bergeron!
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| Patrice Bergeron! |
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