March 1997: Knee surgery....
Mar. 13th, 2018 10:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
poltr1One of my friends in Columbus is, or will be, having knee surgery soon. I told her I'd put together a blog entry of my experiences 21 years ago, during March of 1997, when I had a sliver of cartilage removed from my right knee. I didn't have a blog back then, so I'll have to rely on somewhat faulty memory while writing this entry.
Back at the end of 1996, I was having some problems with my right knee. (I forgot the specifics.) I saw my doctor about it, who referred me to a specialist, Dr. Frank Mannarino at the Orthopaedic Institute of Dayton. He did an MRI on the knee, and saw that I had a sliver of cartilage, about 5 cm long, that had torn away from the rest of the cartilage. He also mentioned something about a torn ACL (anterior? collateral ligament) or MCL (medial collateral ligament). And so he recommended surgery. After clearing it in advance with the insurance company, I scheduled a date for the surgery. (I know it was a Tuesday morning; I think it might have been March 11.) It would be performed at St. Elizabeth Medical Center.
The day came, and Rebecca, who was my girlfriend at the time, drove me to St. E's early in the morning (I'm guessing 5am or thereabouts). I checked in, was put on a gurney, and wheeled down to the OR. I was given general anesthesia, not local. Soon I fell into what I think was a drug-induced asleep, and was operated on during that time. They did arthroscopic surgery on me to remove the cartilage and repair the ligament. A few hours later, I came to in recovery. Instead of staying at the hospital to recuperate, I was to recuperate at home. Thankfully, I had a sofa bed on the first floor of the townhouse I was living in at the time. And Rebecca was able to take the rest of the week off to aid in my recovery.
The knee -- and the surrounding area -- was wrapped up in an elastic bandage. I had a small blue cooler that also had tubes and a pump, so it could circulate ice-cold water to a plastic pack that was underneath the elastic bandage.
I was given a prescription for Percoset as a painkiller. I remember watching the room sinking after I took it. I don't remember much from that week -- I think that was a side effect of the Percoset -- except that we got Takeout Taxi one night that week. That was a delivery service that delivered carry-out food from restaurants to people's homes. For some reason, that service went belly-up the following year, or the year after that. But the concept still lives on with several companies that are currently doing the same. I don't remember the restaurant we ordered from, not do I remember what I ate.
I tried to go to work the following Monday, as I was cleared to drive, and could only work about 4 hours at the desk before I got too tired to continue working. I think I worked only 20 hours that week -- 5 4-hour days. I also started physical therapy, in order to get my range of motion back. PTs are good at pushing people to their limits and beyond. I remember it was painful to bend the knee the first few times I did so. But as I continued to do the prescribed exercises, I was able to bend the knee more and more.
Millennicon was at the end of the month. I went, but I got around on crutches that weekend.
Two weeks after the surgery, I was back to working full-time. I don't think I got my full range of motion back until a few weeks later -- either the middle of April, or the end of April. Since they did arthroscopic surgery, there was very little scarring -- three Xs where the scope and tools went in.
I'm happy to say that I haven't had any problems with that knee since then.
Back at the end of 1996, I was having some problems with my right knee. (I forgot the specifics.) I saw my doctor about it, who referred me to a specialist, Dr. Frank Mannarino at the Orthopaedic Institute of Dayton. He did an MRI on the knee, and saw that I had a sliver of cartilage, about 5 cm long, that had torn away from the rest of the cartilage. He also mentioned something about a torn ACL (anterior? collateral ligament) or MCL (medial collateral ligament). And so he recommended surgery. After clearing it in advance with the insurance company, I scheduled a date for the surgery. (I know it was a Tuesday morning; I think it might have been March 11.) It would be performed at St. Elizabeth Medical Center.
The day came, and Rebecca, who was my girlfriend at the time, drove me to St. E's early in the morning (I'm guessing 5am or thereabouts). I checked in, was put on a gurney, and wheeled down to the OR. I was given general anesthesia, not local. Soon I fell into what I think was a drug-induced asleep, and was operated on during that time. They did arthroscopic surgery on me to remove the cartilage and repair the ligament. A few hours later, I came to in recovery. Instead of staying at the hospital to recuperate, I was to recuperate at home. Thankfully, I had a sofa bed on the first floor of the townhouse I was living in at the time. And Rebecca was able to take the rest of the week off to aid in my recovery.
The knee -- and the surrounding area -- was wrapped up in an elastic bandage. I had a small blue cooler that also had tubes and a pump, so it could circulate ice-cold water to a plastic pack that was underneath the elastic bandage.
I was given a prescription for Percoset as a painkiller. I remember watching the room sinking after I took it. I don't remember much from that week -- I think that was a side effect of the Percoset -- except that we got Takeout Taxi one night that week. That was a delivery service that delivered carry-out food from restaurants to people's homes. For some reason, that service went belly-up the following year, or the year after that. But the concept still lives on with several companies that are currently doing the same. I don't remember the restaurant we ordered from, not do I remember what I ate.
I tried to go to work the following Monday, as I was cleared to drive, and could only work about 4 hours at the desk before I got too tired to continue working. I think I worked only 20 hours that week -- 5 4-hour days. I also started physical therapy, in order to get my range of motion back. PTs are good at pushing people to their limits and beyond. I remember it was painful to bend the knee the first few times I did so. But as I continued to do the prescribed exercises, I was able to bend the knee more and more.
Millennicon was at the end of the month. I went, but I got around on crutches that weekend.
Two weeks after the surgery, I was back to working full-time. I don't think I got my full range of motion back until a few weeks later -- either the middle of April, or the end of April. Since they did arthroscopic surgery, there was very little scarring -- three Xs where the scope and tools went in.
I'm happy to say that I haven't had any problems with that knee since then.
