#mpfl

[multiquartz]

Currently recovering from my first ever surgery, not even a moth after I turned 16. Fucking MPFL Ligament you b i t c h.

[beatus-et-fortis]

Big day today.

I told my boss I want to get my left knee operated on this year. Hoping for mid-November. I saw my doctor yesterday. Just tried to schedule a CAT scan for this week.

Sometimes I wish I worked at a place where I don’t feel guilty for taking off or nervous to tell my boss I need surgery.

There are others on my team that take off all the time. How do they do it without feeling guilty??

Bah. It is what it is. My own mental issues.

[not-in-front-of-the-klingons]

I got a tattoo on the inside of my leg to disguise some of the misshapenness from my CRPS and surgeries and I'm not saying it's a miracle cure but I actually cried about it.

[pluses-of-positivity]

2 Months Post Operation Updates

So, it’s been two months and so far so good. Every surgery requires dedication and patience and after two months I can say that my knee cap feels a lot more stable. However, unfortunately my muscle atrophied quite a bit and I am still on crutches until I get more of my muscle back, otherwise my leg just gives out. The last thing I need is to take any chances… Anyway, here are some details about how my progress has been going so far! 3 WEEKS POST OP: At the 3 week mark my brace went from being locked straight to unlocked to 30 degrees. Because of this walking for me became easier because I was able to bend my leg.This was also when I could start weight bearing as tolerated. My surgery involved removal of a loose cartilage body, so that is why my surgeon didn’t want me to weight bear right away. When my PT was testing my range of motion I reached 65 degrees. It was hard to bend my leg and honestly it’s a very weird feeling when it just can’t bend past a certain point. It does hurt a bit to gain range of motion back, but nothing unbearable. At this point I had a bit of my freedom back, I could move around and go up and down stairs while using my crutches (cautiously). At 3 weeks is also when I started trying to activate my quad. I would just stare at it and try to flex it. It took a little bit, but I finally felt and saw some activation. 6 WEEKS POST OP At 6 weeks I was mostly weight bearing, but still using crutches for the extra support. My Dr. switched my brace to a Donjoy pull through, it’s a lot smaller and has complete flexibility instead of being locked.My muscle had totally atrophied so at this point I had been trying to get it back. I was also working a lot on range of motion. At 6 weeks I reached 90 degrees, a milestone! For me, gaining range of motion was most difficult up to 90 degrees. After that it became a little easier to bend it further and further. Some exercises I was doing at this point were the bike (I didn’t have the range of motion to go all the way around, but it was a good stretch), leg raises, placing a ball at the back of my knee and pushing it against a wall, sitting on the edge of a bed and bringing my leg straight then back down, activating my quads and holding for 5 seconds, laying on my stomach and raising my leg, side lifts, etc. I noticed my muscle coming back, but it does take time and my right leg is still significantly smaller. Around this time I actually went to the mall. I walked around the mall (with crutches) for 3-4 hours. Afterwards, I felt my strength had increased so much more in one day than weeks of physical therapy. Sometimes I think just walking goes a long way. 2 MONTHS POST OP Well, this is where I am now! It’s been two months and everyday I feel improvement. My range of motion has reached 120 degrees and like I said this was easier once I got to 90. I can walk without crutches short distances, but I have a prominent limp. I’m just focusing on physical therapy and doing everything I can to increase my quad strength so that I can finally ditch these things. Some exercises I’m doing now are the bike, squats, balancing on my surgery leg (I can apply full weight), leg lifts with an added weight, calf lifts, and a lot of glutes exercises. My physical therapist just graduated PT school, and she says a main thing they’re learning about knee injuries is that a lot of it relates back to your hips and glutes. Having strong butt muscles can prevent a knee injury! So, that it my 2 month update! My situation is a bit unique. Since I’m in college I chose to wait to get surgery until my winter break. By the time winter break came I had hurt myself 3 months ago and my muscle was already weak and atrophied, so after surgery it was especially weak and atrophied. I think that is why my recovery is taking a bit longer than expected. Muscle strength is extremely important, it is lost easily and gaining it back takes some time. I’ll update again at three months. Good luck and best wishes to anyone getting this surgery!

[beatus-et-fortis]

Feels like I keep going backwards and I’m not doing anything to stop it.

I weighed in this morning at 182.4 lbs. And I ate like shit today.

My leg buckles far too often. I don’t feel that my knee/leg is any stronger than it was before surgery. Currently at the gym and I just did 2x10 straight leg lifts, no weight, and it fucking hurt!!

Wtf??? How could I let it get this bad. I was doing so well with physical therapy but after like July or August I stopped doing it at home by myself.

I’m disappointed in myself today.

[beatus-et-fortis]

If there’s anything this surgery and recovery is teaching me, it’s that I want to make fitness a priority in my life.

I want to be like 2015-17(ish) me, when I did CrossFit and fell in love with what my body could accomplish. (side note: CrossFit had nothing to do with my surgery. In fact, when I was going, my knees felt the best they ever have.)

I want to hike, run, jump, climb, lift, dance, stretch...

I don’t want to be stuck behind computer screens.

I want to use my body until I can’t anymore.

[changeling-of-the-fae]

Six month update for posterity!

So, uh. Wow. This side of six months doesn't seem nearly as bad as six weeks did.

I'm back to biking and swimming, full range of motion, still a little weaker than it should be, but some of that is my pre-op timeline and some of it is my less-than-100% compliance with my HEP.

(It gets old. It really does. It's a mental game and I'm working on it, but the brain is the hardest body part to fix.)

My last follow up appointment was yesterday. I... may have forgotten that I have a grade 3 chondral defect on my patella. Like, completely.

So even though I still have some residual pain with single leg squats, I chalked it up to a strength issue and didn't mention it to the surgeon, which I sort of regret.

On the other hand, any cartilage repair procedures would be another 12-18 months recovery and I am SO not ready to chase that route.

Thus, celebrating my current victories, my clearance for any and all activities as tolerated, and I'll cross the cartilage bridge when I get there.

[windup-viera]

Starting a new fashion trend of one compression stocking and a massive iodine tan line. But my surgery went well despite the hiccup of me having an allergic reaction to morphine and a couple other little issues. I can’t wait for a future of being able to walk without my leg giving way or locking underneath me. It’s been a difficult 24 hours, but I honestly cannot fault the staff here at all. Very attentive, very sweet, cheerful and patient. It’s been a humbling reminder that it’s okay to ask for help and you don’t have to try and push to do everything yourself. #surgery #kneesurgery #MPFL #TibialTubercleOsteotomy #DodgyKneeBeGone (at Spire Washington Hospital) https://www.instagram.com/p/CoLt2LWqyz3/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=