CHAPTER 1: What didn't I do to my knee?
Why would I go through all of this?
I've been putting this surgery off for quite some time. There is never an optimal time for surgery, especially an elective one. I've been putting up with this knee pain since the days of osgood-schlatters at the age of 15. After that, a car accident at the age of 16 dashboard injury did not help the cause. A lateral release done in 2008 provided me with some type of relief. It didn't last long: obviously 5 years later here we are.
A lot happened within those 5 years.
A stubborn (yet curious) mindset, Crossfit, figure show, triathlons, a ZILLION spinning classes, 5 moves to new apartments, 3 boyfriends, 5 seasons of Penn State Football, training at Athletes' Performance, and can't forget making AMAZING friends in all of these cities.
This takes us to TODAY.
I have had the opportunity to work with the best of the best. The surgeons, physical therapists, sports performance staff and medical teams at The Hospital for Special Surgery in NYC.
I am under the treatment of Beth Shubin-Stein. What an amazing-powerful-intelligent woman. We tried some conservative procedures such as changing my workout routines, some physical therapy routines, and euflexxa shots. I even shut myself down...still no results. I was having pain walking to and from work which in Manhattan is 10 blocks= 1/2 a mile. I felt like I was 100 years old when I tried to walk, standing up from the floor was painful, and stairs...forget it.
I prepared as much as I could for this day to come. I had to have the surgery. I know I'm not dying, I count my blessings that I'm alive everyday and that I do have both of my limbs. I'll shed one tear: only one and say now that this is hard.
Getting finances in order, sick, vacation time, insurance, benefits, covering spinning classes, travel, having caretakers. Its insane what preparation had to be done! I did do one insane thing though: I watched the actual procedure Dr. BSS sent me that she performed on a patient. I'm good with that stuff, but this is pretty intense. If you're interested let me know...we can geek out together.
So: here is the info on the surgery and what procedures were done. I'll follow up with how rehabilitation is going and what the protocols are and how I'm feeling if you're interested in following me through this wild time of my life. :) I can't be more thankful for the support I have in my family and friends. Its true: during these times you find out who the truth is in your life.
Thanks for reading!
xo
KFED
Issue: Left Knee pain ALL THE TIME. Manhattan: this is not the time OR the place for this nonsense. Have to get this joint fixed! Here we go...
Surgery Date: March 15, 2013
Surgical Procedure:
Tibial Tubercle Transfer
lateral meniscal repair
lateral release repair
DeNovo cartilage transplant
I'm sure most of you know what the meniscal repair and lateral release are: so I'll get to the good stuff.
A tibial tuberosity osteotomy (which refers to the part of the shinbone that the patellar tendon is attached to), a procedure to improve the Q angle and reduce the pressure on the patellofemoral joint, can improve patellofemoral symptoms in patients with significantly enlarged Q angles and a relatively well preserved patellofemoral joint space. Joint preserving procedures are usually reserved for patients less than 50 years of age and are no longer indicated once significant cartilage loss or “bone on bone” disease is present.
These are NOT my MRI's but mine did look similar.
Essentially no cartilage left on the lateral aspect of my patella.
In the tibia tubercle realignment procedure (also known as a tibia tubercle transfer),
the location at which the tendon attaches to the tibial tubercle (the bony prominence
below the patella) is moved forward and toward the inner side. It is then held in place
with two screws. The screws hold the bone in place while it heals and help the patient
become active sooner.
My ACTUAL x-rays :)
DeNovo® NT Natural Tissue Graft is an off-the-shelf human
tissue, consisting of viable, juvenile
hyaline cartilage pieces and is
intended for the repair of articular
cartilage defects in a single-stage
procedure. The DeNovo NT Graft
surgical technique mitigates the
need for harvesting and suturing of
a periosteal flap, unlike autologous
chondrocyte implantation (ACI), as it
employs a fibrin sealant to secure the
minced tissue pieces into the defect.
I'll spare you from the picture. It just comes in this little package and has to be molded to the spot of where it is inserted.
Science. IS. WILD.
Up Next: CHAPTER 2:THE RECOVERY
