Part #2 of Red E Trainer Tegan’s knee reconstruction which she is documenting for everyone to read!
************
On Tuesday 29th May, I saw my surgeon for my pre-op consult. I was originally booked in for Thursday 1st June, and all ready to go, but he had changed the plans…
Doc: “I have a couple big jobs on Thursday and I’d prefer it if I wasn’t tired when I do yours”
Me: “Yes I’d prefer that too!!!”
Doc: “We’ll make you number one on Friday – first job so I’ll be fresh”
I wanted to offer to make him a big bowl of Rice Porridge for breakfast Friday morning!!
So then he went on to explain the different ways of doing an ACL recon…
I have done a fair bit of “google”-ing on the different techniques so I thought I was prepared for it, but I was wrong! Instead of using the usual hammy or patella tendon my surgeon will take a small section of my ITB (iliotibial band) and feed that through my knee in a horse shoe shape, making it stronger than ever!!
He then went on to explain I could end up with a little lump at the bottom of my ITB…
Doc: “So if you are going to be a model we won’t do that”
Me: “No worries there” (they’ll just have to work with my good side haha)
So after mountains of paperwork I was eager to get home and start google-ing this new ITB procedure! I learned that it is commonly used for young children because it doesn’t disrupt their growth plates…. so maybe they are holding on to hope that I’m still growing??
During my very comprehensive research I also stumbled across a youtube clip of the whole operation…I watched the first 5 seconds and then thought… this could be a really bad idea, so I sent it to the Red E team to preview for me but they were not so keen to see it either… (here’s the link, just in case you’re interested!)
So I’ll have the surgery on Friday and I’ll wake up strapped in to a continuous passive motion machine which I am absolutely dreading!
Then I’ll be in a splint for 4 looooong weeks!
(Tegan – 30th May, 2012)
