Help! Knee surgery and Cathe trip!!

[kimberlyh]

Has anyone ever had a "lateral release" as part of arthroscopic surgery?

I just went to my orthopedic surgeon today after waiting nearly 2 months for an appointment. She took x-rays from angles I'd never had done before and I have some really weird-looking kneecaps that are not positioned where they should be. I also need to have my cartilage cleaned up a bit, so she's recommending arthroscopy to clean it up and do a procedure calleda "lateral release" that will adjust the angle of my kneecap. She said that in 75% of her patients, they recover to full (and painfree) use of their knees. Those sound like good odds to me.

Here's my dilemma: I can have the surgery as early as Monday. She said that rehab will take about three months. That has me "cured" a few weeks before the Cathe trip.

What would you do in my position? Would you go for it in the hopes that participation in the Cathe trip (and the Firm trip the previous weekend) is good possibility, or would you wait and have the surgery done after October, even if it means a few more months of painful knees? I need to decide really quickly.

 

[Joanna]

Go for it!!

I'd say being pain free (or the hope of it) would be much better than not being able to join in the fun because of the pain.

My husband (he's an orthopaedic surgeon) always says "a chance to cut is a chance to cure." That may sound harsh, but he believes that solutions that work should not be postponed.

For what its worth.

Joanna

P.S. He suggests you pose the exact question you asked to your own surgeon.

 

[Colia]

Hi Kimberly!

I have the same wacky kneecaps and have had surgery on both of mine, many years ago. One of the procedures was the lateral release. I can't say it took away the pain, but at least supposedly it prevented further erosion of the joint. I pretty much have pain in my knees all the time and work through what is manageable. The good news is that arthroscopic procedures heal much faster and rehab begins a lot quicker than when mine was done. If you are diligent with your rehab, I'll bet you'll be ready for the roadtrip and at the very least could do some low-impact modifications if necessary.

So without knowing your condition completely, I agree with Joanna, go for it! Best wishes, and keep us posted!

Cheers,
Colia

 

[kimberlyh]

I'm scheduled for surgery on Monday 7/10

<center><font size="1" color="#ff0000">LAST EDITED ON Jul-06-00 AT 09:02PM (EST)</font></center>

Thanks, Joanna and Colia. I have given this a lot of thought and consideration and I'm going for it. I am very comfortable with my doctor and optimistic about a good outcome.

I spoke to my doctor's office today about pre-op stuff, and asked specifically about how much exercising to do prior to surgery. They suggested as much work as I wanted to keep my quads strong, so I think PS SLA or Standing Legs is in my very near future. (They also told me that I have very strong quads-blush, blush-and that should help in the recovery process.)

So my Cathe step tapes will probably collect a little dust while I focus on upper body strength and whatever they tell me to do for lower body. I'm prepared for a lot of laps with a kickboard and low-tension stationary bicycling--whatever it takes. Maybe by the time my new Cathe DVDs arrive, I'll be able to do them!

Keep your fingers crossed for me! And I'm going to be there KICKING STRONG for the Cathe trip!

 

[lorrayne]

Contact WWWendy

Hi Kimberly,

What you are describing is, I believe, exactly what WWWendy had. I suggest you contact her and ask what she thought of her surgery and recovery (I'd rather you get it directly from Wendy).

Lorrayne

 

[LB]

Hi Kimberly

I had this surgery in 1984. It did help the excruciating pain, but did not cure the problem completely. I am glad I had the surgery, however. My quads are still weak on that leg because my surgeon wasn't very good at after care and didn't tell me how important it was to not let the muscle atrophy. That's the only thing I would tell you to be very aware of. Make sure you work that leg as much as possible according to your doctor's instructions after the surgery to avoid atrophy. I agree that if you're having alot of pain now, you should go ahead with the surgery. Even if you're not up to par on the Cathe trip, at least you'll have the surgery behind you and you can enjoy what you are able to do.

Good luck

Laura

 

[LB]

sorry Kimberly

I didn't read this before I posted! What they told you about the quads is exactly what I was talking about. It sounds like you have a great doctor, that's so important. I think you've made a good decision.

Laura