quote:

Originally posted by torontotrance Just learned last week that i have cartilage damage in my right knee, probably need surgery at some point in the future. So has anyone had knee surgery and please tell me about it...if you have.

Hi Hi,

Knee surgery?! Be prepared to have fun! Wanna hear my story? Is that yes? Alrighty, here it goes:

June 1997 I had surgery for a "dislocating kneecap, the fix was cutting me open and cutting the patellar tendon, then shifting it over. I have this beautiful scar on my left leg now. After the surgery, I did the physical therapy, kept on doing it at home. 5 YEARS later, I have NO muscle in my left quad as a result of the surgery. I went to 4 different doctors, all of them said "Keep on doing your workouts." Yeah, its normal doc, when I can leg press 500 lbs, but have no quad muscle During all this time, I haven't been able to go up stairs normally, run, crawl, etc.

So in January of this year, I was in the attic, as a result of the constant bending up and down, my left knee swelled up. So my mother found a new doctor, he said "theres pressure on your kneecap, which isn't allowing your muscle to develop." So I have surgery again, 2 holes drilled in my kneecap to relieve the pressure. I go to therapy, have those electric pads put on my quad, so they work the muscle while I work out. What happens? Nothing, surgery doesn't work. No muscle comes back, I can't stand on my feet more than half an hour, can't walk long distances.

Soooooo, my doc sends me to a "pain doctor." It turns out that the nerves in my left leg are damaged, as a result muscle is not being developed. He does another procedure on me. It involved sticking a needle in my spine, and blocking the nerves. I am in therapy again, going twice a week. Hopefully this procedure will have worked. I am sick and tired of not being able to run (I was running 5 miles a day before my first surgery), sick and tired of not being able to go up stairs, etc etc.

Pretty long response eh? I apologize, I just had to let out all the anger built up in me. This knee problem has messed up my future. I had finished school with a degree in "Fire Technology." My life long goal was to be a firefighter, now thats down the drain.

Im sure you won't have the same problem, make sure you have a great doctor. Go to therapy, and do all the excercises!

Take Care,
Emil

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quote:

Originally posted by whiskers pulp is gross, it feels like i'm swallowing someone's load

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wow, thats a pretty sad story Emil
lol, but i think you kind of scared torontotrance!

heh well, good luck with your surgery!
its year 2002, i'm sure things have changed!

Doctors today are very good at this stuff. You just have to keep thinking that you are helping yourself with this and it will be over eventually. Good luck with it man

knees are very messy, once youve done your knee its never the same, I wouldnt wish knee surgery on my worst enemy

good!

That saves me from breaking your knee caps if i ever hit Toronto.

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well...as im sure you know, cartilage has very little blood flow, so it cant repair itself. Depending on what kind of procedure you are having, they will stitch it up, or cut it out. Mine, they decided about a week before my procedure that the amount that I would improve wasnt enough to justify the surgery..so I have a floating chunk of meniscus in the joint.

not so fun.

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Retired TA.

a friend of mine got an injured knee while playing soccer, and he had to get surgery twice (he was dumb, he tried playing soccer after a month of the first one), but the second time he just chilled out and now after about a year he's playing soccer again. u don't have much to worry about in toronto, we've got some pretty good doctors who know what they're doing.

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someone make me a sig, i'm too lazy

I wouldn't worry about it that much. When I was in highschool my coop placement was at the hospital in the OR and I got to witness some of the surgeries and definitely the cartilage clean up is one of the least invasive ones. Its only three small cuts and they put a scope in one and a vacuum type thing in the other and one more tool in the other hole. It only takes ten minutes and your done. Of course you do have to go completely under but its not going to be that bad.
My dad actually is going throught the same thing now, but they started him off with cortizone shots to see if that is going to help with the pain and then they are planning to do the clean up and if that doesn't work then its replacement time but you are young and that will not be needed with you.

Knee injury is a bastard ain't it?
Unfortunatly alot of ravers and clubbers have crap knees.

It started happening to me about a year ago. I would dance and get really sore knees after a couple of hours. Then I took a break for about 6 month and they started getting better. unfortunatly it means I can't dance allnight like I used to anymore.
Sigh..........

But the thing with cartilages, I think they have this gel they put between you knees now that replaces worn out cartilage. I think.

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Courageous, untroubled, mocking and violent; that is what Wisdom wants us to be. Wisdom is a woman, and loves only a warrior.
--Friedrich Nietzsche