I made it! Back at home with my knee in a huge tight brace, lots of ACE bandages and the ice machine wrap. The doc said to run it for 30 minutes, off 2 hours, then back on again. But I’ve had it running continuously today and last night. It helps so much with the [...]
Archive for July, 2009
29 Jul
day before surgery checklist
Dr. Ben’s office gave me a list of things to check-off before the surgery so here I am … checking-off: Verify arrangements for a responsible adult to accompany you home after surgery – CHECKED Remove all jewelry and body piercing – CHECKED (nothing to remove anyhow) Fast after midnight, may drink clear liquids (water, apple [...]
29 Jul
phone interview
My phone interview with the nurse today went well. It was supposed to be for yesterday but they called to move it to today at 11:30am. The nurse had a list of questions about my health, which I mostly answered with “no.”
24 Jul
all set and ready to go
I did it! I’m now registered for surgery at the hospital next Thursday at Noon. Also set up a phone interview with a nurse next Tuesday. Getting myself mentally ready for the big event. My car is finally clean. Took it to a detail place near our house and have it spotless in an hour. [...]
23 Jul
houston, we have a problem
Called the hospital today to register my surgery (per Dr. Ben’s office’s instruction), but they said my doctor’s office hasn’t listed me on their schedule yet. Weird. Will check back tomorrow.
22 Jul
medication alerts
Here’s my list of do’s and dont’s regarding medications to prepare for surgery: Do not take aspirin-like products, anti-inflammatory, and blood thinner medications 1 week prior to surgery unless otherwise instructed by physician. Aspirin-like products include adult aspirin, Motrin, Aleve, Advil, and Ibuprofen, etc. May take all Tylenol based products up to 12 hours prior [...]
21 Jul
ice ice ice baby
Bought the ice machine today through my doctor’s office! I heard it’s a must-have! In case you’re interested about it, the company that makes my ice machine is Breg. It’s pricy though. $250 big ones! PS – Above picture is from the Breg site.
18 Jul
autograft vs. allograft for ACL repair/reconstruction
I’ve already scheduled the surgery and chosen allograft as the way to go, but it’s hard to be sure if that’s the right choice for me. So … I’ve been doing a ton of research these past few days and stumbled on these awesome blog entries by Eric: A Scientific Look at Autograft vs. Allograft [...]
16 Jul
the verdict and the lachman test
Had my appointment with Dr. Ben today. He’s a man of few but firm words. First, he did a knee exam on my left leg called a Lachman Test (similar to the one in the video above) which is the best test to diagnose an ACL tear. With the patient lying flat and relaxed, the [...]
16 Jul
what is an ACL injury?
I’m such a visual person so of course I had to google to see (1) what an ACL injury is (see above illustration from the ACL Surgery Recovery blog), and (2) what the inside of a knee looks like, and where the ACL ligament and meniscus are. (Found the below diagram from WebMD.com.) And did [...]
