I read some personal stories that made me hopeful and some that made me sick to my stomach. But, I read enough to have an idea of what would be happening to MyGirl and the questions I needed to ask.
I waffled so much on whether we should use a Sports Medicine Orthopaedic or a Pediatric Orthopaedic that it made my eye twitch. As a matter of fact, I think my eye twitched so much I was winking at people for three days. Well, we decided on Sports Medicine and I was very lucky to be able to get into to see the surgeon in less than 48 hours. It helped that I already had the MRI.
After seeing the surgeon, I felt so much better. I can't decide if it's because of what he told me or because we now had a plan. I needed a plan. He was confident, but not arrogant. He was knowledgeable, but didn't talk over my head. He spoke directly to MyGirl and answered all my questions.
He examined her and was happy with her range of motion and lack of swelling.
He showed us her MRI and pointed out where the ACL is supposed to be. He used a model to show us how the twisting caused the ACL to snap and the bones to smash together which caused bone bruises. He showed us how the bones pushed out and caused the strain on the MCL and the meniscus to tear.
We talked about using a patellar tendon from a cadaver to replace the ACL. We talked about using her own patellar tendon. We talked about using part of her hamstring. We decided on using her own patellar tendon. It was all very--doomsday.
Then he told us about the recovery. I wrote:
Two weeks of range of motion/ strength training physical therapy before the surgery.
Have surgery
Crutches for one week
Begin Thereapy, walk for one week - no crutches
Add Stationary bike and elliptical
10-12 weeks - running
5-6 sprinting/soccer controlled movements Assess and prepare to play. (I don’t remember if that was 5-6 weeks later or 5-6 months after surgery but I will find out.)
Her spirits were better than they were when we heard the awful news and he had given her a new brace that made her a lot more mobile and that she didn't need crutches.
She went to watch practice that Wednesday night in the snow AMA (against mom's advice).
I texted: "It is snowing."
MyGirl: "I know, I love it."
Me: "Do you want to go, or stick it out?:
MyGirl: "STICK IT OUT"
I don't know why I didn't want her to go/stay except that there was a small part of me that wanted her to live inside of a snow globe that I carried in my pocket.
I sat in the parking lot and watched her kick a ball - it almost looked like a dribble. I almost had a come-apart in my car. (Thinking: Would it embarrass her if I drag her off the field by her ponytail?) Since then, I have calmed down. That massive brace stabilizes her knee and it's not like her ACL is going to tear any more...
She went to her first therapy session the next day. About 30 minutes in, I got a text from hubs that said: "Stretching hamstrings. First sign of tears."
That may have made my eyes water - you know, the pollen has been really bad - in my car - on I-24.
Now, it's been two weeks - four therapy sessions with the physical therapist, home therapy twice a day and pool therapy three times a week.
Check out these pictures. It's crazy how fast things happen. Her therapists told us that we wouldn't believe how much muscle loss she will have in such a short amount of time. The first photo is from Monday, March 25, her second therapy session. Just 10 days post injury, there is a noticeable difference in her calf muscles. The second picture is from today, April 2 - just eight days later - a huge difference. I see it at least... but then again, I'm borderline crazy some days.
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As of yesterday, there was no noticeable swelling. She can bend her injured knee 130 degrees on her own (Good knee is 135 degrees) and she can fully extend her leg. Her hamstring stretches are no problem and she can pedal a stationary bike for 20 minutes non-stop (no pain, no tears).
She is ready for surgery. I just hope I will be by Friday. Fingers Crossed.
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