MPFL Reconstruction--2 1/2 years later

I still get many comments about my MPFL reconstruction, and I'm so glad that many people have found it helpful.  I get so many comments, that it is difficult for me to respond to all of them, but I did want to give a quick update to many of the questions that I get asked.

Q:  What exactly did you have done?
A:  I had MPFL reconstruction and a scope to clean up damaged cartilage in June 2010 after a patellar dislocation/MPFL tear in December 2009.

Q:  How many surgeries have you had on your knees?
A:  I have had four total:  two on my left knee and two on my right.  When I was 15, I had both knees scoped with a lateral release.  This surgery was unsuccessful in stopping my patellar dislocations.  At 17, I had a left knee realignment.  From what I remember, ligaments were transposed and are held together at the base of my knee with a screw.  This has successfully stopped dislocations, but according to doctors, my knee still appears unstable.  I've had MPFL reconstruction/scope on my right knee at the age of 37.  A piece of my hamstring was grafted on the inner side of my right knee, and the scope cleaned out damaged cartilage.  Although suffering a partial dislocation, my knee is stable and generally in good shape.

Q:  How long were you off from work with your MPFL surgery?
A:  This is complicated!  I work in a school, so I actually scheduled the surgery during summer vacation.  Therefore, I wasn't really taking time off from work.  I had about 2 1/2 months off from school to recover, but I truly believe that I could've gone back to work the week after the surgery.  I wouldn't have been as mobile as I would have liked, but I was up walking around, doing some housework, taking walks...the day after surgery.  I had very little pain.  At the most, I would have taken two weeks off from work if I had the surgery done during the school year.

Q:  Did it hurt?  What kinds of pain meds did you take?
A:  In all honesty, it wasn't that painful.  For the first two days, I took percocet regularly to stave off pain, but those gave me a headache that hurt worse than my knee, so I stopped those after two days.  I did have a nerve block which helped, but it left part of my leg numb for about six months.  Not painful--just annoying.  And, I have full feeling back now.  I was also given vicodin, but I never needed it.  I occasionally took ibuprofen before physical therapy.

Q:  How much therapy did you do?
A:  I went to 24 physical therapy sessions--3 x a week for 8 weeks.  I also worked out extensively at home--stretching every chance I could get.

Q:  How long before you got full range of motion?
A:  I could go around fully on a bike at 4 weeks, and I also could bend my knee fully at 4 weeks.  This is only because I did the stretches and strengthening exercises religiously at home and at therapy.

Q:  Any complications?
A:  Yes.  I received a cortisone injection last week in my right knee due to pain.  The doctor believes it is inflamed scar tissue.  The injection worked (yay!), but I have no idea how long the effects will last.  I may have to have another scope to find out if scar tissue is blocking my patellar tracking, because my knee is locking in place.

More Thrift Store Finds--It's About Time!!

Here are some cool items I've recently scored at thrift stores:

The first is a cool old Japanese Miyao Napco apple cookie jar and tea bag holder.  I found the cookie jar at a Good will in Redondo Beach for $4.99, and the tea bag holder in Waterloo, Iowa, for $8.00.  There are some chips on the cookie jar, but it's still in great condition to me!  If it had no chips, it retails for $150-$300 on ebay!  Not bad for $4.99!  (1940s-50s)

I found these cool vintage juice glasses at the House of Yaweh thrift store in Redondo Beach.  Bought all four for $2.00.  Circa 1950s.

This is a vintage (circa 60s?) olive green covered casserole dish.  I found this one at the Goodwill in Cedar Falls, Iowa, University Ave., for $1.99.  Love it!  Someone is selling a similar one on etsy for $40.

This is a Franciscan Echo pattern large serving bowl.  I found this at my favorite thrift store--Redondo Beach Salvation Army.  It was $4.99, and it is from the 1950s.  It is selling for about $40 online.

I honestly can't remember where or when I got this one.  It's a cool mid-century modern candle holder from Germany.  I just liked the colors and patterns.  Reminds me of a totem pole.

How could I pass these up?  These are Loretta Lynn ranch salt and pepper shakers I found at the Angel View Thrift Store in Palm Springs, CA.  I love them.  That's why I think I'm a very special person--because I can appreciate these like nobody's business.  Ha ha!  They were $1.99 for the pair.

This mug made me squeal with joy!  Mary Tyler Moore mug with the MTM logo and that cute little orange cat that meowed at the end of the show's credits.  I definitely remember this from my 1970s childhood, yet I can't find mention of this mug's existence anywhere on ebay.  It was $1.99.  Kind of expensive, but so worth it!

A 1970s Otagiri owl mug.  Same RB Salvation Army.  $1.99--valued online at around $12.  Not a huge find, but cheaper and cooler than the brand new owl mug I almost bought at TJ Maxx!

A vintage recipe box called the "Pantry Pal."  I got this in Mt. Vernon, Iowa, at an antique store, so I paid a little more--I think about $10.00.  I think it's from late 60s or early 70s--the colors and mushrooms lead me to that.  I've put my grandmother's recipe card for the Danish meat Rullpolse on here...note the highlighted ingredient:  saltpeter.  Where the heck does one get that?!

This adorable wooden pig is an hors d'oeuvres server.  It has little holes for toothpicks that hold tasty treats.  It has a sticker on the bottom that reads Pasadena.  I got it a a thrift store (can't remember which one) in Cathedral City near Palm Springs.  It was $1.99.  I've seen similar ones online for about $20.  I also have a pineapple like this--wooden with holes for toothpicks.  That means I have a collection, yet I hardly ever serve hors d'oeuvres.  Still, I think she's cute, even though the red lipstick on her "lips" is kind of creepy.

A cute starburst casserole dish from Goodwill in Cedar Falls, Iowa.  $1.99.  

A cute starburst milkglass vase from Cedar Falls, Iowa.  $1.00

Knee--Three Years Post Injury

When I started this blog, I had no idea that I would get the most views from people looking for more information on MPFL reconstruction.  It is now three years since my original injury that led me to the MPFL reconstructive surgery.  Here's a little re-cap:

1.  I slipped and fell on a puddle of rainwater, resulting in a dislocated patella and torn MPFL.
2.  I spent 6 weeks in a brace, and it took about 12 weeks to fully recover.
3.  Since the injury occurred at work, I had to make many phone calls and doctor visits before I was able to see the right doctor--a mere one-hour drive away.  He is the only surgeon in the Southern California Kaiser Permanente network who does the surgery.
4.  I have the surgery in June (my injury occurred in December).
5.  I spend three months in intensive physical therapy.  I started the day of the surgery--bending and stretching.  Yes, it hurt, but this is what my doctor recommended, so I did it--religiously.
6.  It took about 1 1/2 years to feel "normal" after surgery.

Results after surgery:  I do feel that my knee is more stable, but I continue to have pain.  The doctor said it could be cartilage damage or inflamed scar tissue.  I have not gone back to have him confirm either, but I could at any time.  It hurts most at night when I'm trying to sleep.  I did have one minor injury of that knee, where I suffered a partial dislocation.  It was fairly minor, as I was able to stop things before the patella completely dislocated.  I do think that the surgery helped keep the patella in place, too.

Is my knee perfect?  No, but I never expected that because I have horrible knees.  But, the surgery seems successful, overall, and the doctor (Dr. Csintalan) was great.

Knee photos--one year later!

Here are some pictures of my MPFL surgery scars one year post surgery. I'm really not a fan of my legs, so I'm not too excited to post these, but many people have asked what the scars look like, so I'm willing to swallow my pride to inform others. :)

Obviously, this is my inner knee. You can see two of the bigger scars, which are actually not even one inch long. They're still pretty pink after only one year out, but I have so many scars that these couldn't bother me less. From this angle, you can also see a smaller scar closer to the kneecap. That is from the arthroscopic procedure that was performed at the same time as the MPFL reconstruction.

I can't remember if I mentioned this or not, but I chose to use my own hamstring graft instead of cadaver tissue. I wasn't against using the donor tissue, but since I am under the age of 40, the doctor recommended just using my own tissue. He said that after age 40, he recommends the cadaver, as it takes longer to heal after 40. In this picture, the graft is located under the most visible scar--the one closest to the middle right. It never hurts at all. Most of the aches I get at this point are from the arthroscopy, which was done to "clean up" some damaged cartilage under the patella.

In this picture, you can see the scar at the top of my knee. It probably looks longer than it is, as it's only about 1 1/2 inches long. It's still very pink, but I know it will fade in time. If you look at my left knee, you can see a long 5-inch scar that is from a reconstructive surgery I had at the age of 17. I guess this procedure was more akin to the Fulkerson procedure that is still done today, but my recent surgeon now prefers the MPFL reconstruction over the Fulkerson. So, I'm 37 now, so you can do the math of how long ago that surgery was. Scars don't bother me, though. In fact, I think they're kind of cool....

One year after MPFL Reconstruction

It has been exactly a year since I had my MPFL reconstructive surgery. When I was preparing for the surgery, there was little available online so I could read what others had gone through and how they coped. Sure, I did find some stuff on kneeguru, but I noticed that I mostly found the horror stories of surgeries gone wrong. I confided to my husband that this scared me, and he reminded me that it's usually people who have had negative experiences who post the most, as they're looking for the most support. I've found this to be true.

But, I've been happy to see that the little I've written here about the MPFL surgery has helped some people gain confidence. One year later, I feel great. Sure, there is still a little bit of pain and some atrophy, but my doctor told me it would be nearly 1 1/2 years before I'd see complete recovery. Regardless, the pain is minimal and nothing compared to the stability I've gained in my knee. I followed my physical therapy regimen to the letter, including a lot of stretching at home on my own. I bought one of those yoga stretching straps that I hooked over my foot, and then I laid on my stomach and pulled my heel toward my butt. The first couple of times I could only get about 30 degrees. That bothered me, because the doctor said he wanted 90 degrees by the end of the second week, and I wasn't even half-way there! So, every hour on the hour, I stretched. Each stretch was painful, but I found that by taking very deep breaths, I could breathe through the pain of each stretch. At the end of the third week, I was nearly at 90 degrees. At the end of the fifth week, I was able to go all the way around on a bicycle, and the whole staff at therapy remarked how far I'd come. They also mentioned that they knew a lot of my progress had come from my at-home stretches.

So, for those of you who are contemplating the surgery or are in recovery, I highly recommend a yoga stretching strap. Here's a link to one like I bought: http://www.amazon.com/Body-Back-Company-Stretching-Strap/dp/B001I1OYP2

Of course, ask your doctor and physical therapist about if/when/how to use this strap, but I have to say, this was one of the most valuable pieces of rehab equipment I had. Another invaluable tool for me was Kinesio Tex Gold sports tape. Here's a link to that: http://www.amazon.com/Kinesio-Tex-Gold-Tape-Blue/dp/B001VNKNPC/ref=pd_sbs_hpc_3

Again, ask your doctor or therapist if/when/how to use this tape, as there is a technique to taping it correctly. The tape helped tremendously with the pain and swelling, and if applied properly, it will last on your leg for several days--even after showering. I loved this stuff, and I've actually been thinking about buying some more for now. I don't need it much, but once in a while I still get some swelling, and this really helps.

Many people have asked me about my scars, and in some of my earlier blogs, I posted some gnarly post-op pictures. I will try to post a new picture soon so those of you who've asked can see that there is really minimal scarring involved with the MPFL surgery.

Overall, I now have full range of motion (got that back at about 8 weeks post surgery), and I feel great. I'm very thankful I got the surgery, and the doctor who performed it, Dr. Rick Csintalan, was amazing. He practices in Irvine, California, so anyone who lives in Socal and is looking to get this operation should seriously consider him. He, in my opinion, is one of the best doctors I've ever been to.

So, please--keep the questions coming! I'm happy to answer any that you have and I wish everyone the best of luck with their knees!

Top 10 Misused English Words

Top 10 Misused English Words

Summer Schedules and Stepkids

I could have just named this "schedules and stepkids," because either way, schedules are annoying. It's a tricky situation, because if you argue about a schedule with the kid's biomom, you look petty and like you don't want the kid around. But, if you don't bring up perceived or real inequities, it always feels like we're being taken advantage of. Of course I have an interest in the schedule, but I want things to be fair--not just for us, but for my stepson, too.

My husband and his ex never stipulated anything about holidays, sick days, or vacations in their custody agreement. When I first heard that, I thought it was crazy. They were so meticulous about every other little detail. Biomom would have him every Monday and Tuesday. We'd have him every Wednesday and Thursday. We would alternate Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Great.

Originally, whoever had stepson on the day the particular holiday or break fell on would keep him for the day, but that started to get really fuzzy (especially when it seemed to be biomom's day but she didn't agree). The thought was initially that if both parents had to work but stepson had the day off from school (say, Presidents' Day), they would alternate taking care of him. But, if the holiday fell on a day both parents had off, whoever had him that day would take him. For example, we always have had him the past four years on Thanksgiving because Thursday is our day. She would have him Memorial Day and Labor Day, because Monday is her day. Now, biomom made up these rules, but she always seemed to forget the rule on her day to take care of stepson.

To compound the problems, what happens if stepson is sick? What happens on trade-off days? Such as, if he's sick on Wednesday morning, does she keep him because he's been at her house, or do we take him because he would be coming to ours? Do we trade? Do we split the day? Such a headache.

So, just a few weeks ago, biomom drafted up something she wanted us to sign off on. We promptly took a look at it, and she wanted to make it so whoever had SS on a three-day weekend would be required to take him that Monday, too. I looked at the calendar and that means we would've had him every three-day weekend this year and all but one next year. She also wants him every Christmas, and she wants all birthday parties to be joint parties. There was more, but these were the standouts. So, we promptly looked over her requests and countered with our requests for modification. We did this less than three days after she gave it to us. Over two weeks later, we still have not heard anything back. What the heck? We have to hurry to get back to her, but she can take as long as she wants to get back to us? Yep, those seem to be her rules. Her rules are made for everyone else to follow--not her.

Anyone else have to deal with this?