45 replies to this topic

[drmcnasty]

Sorry to get in on this so late Sky and i am definitely familiar with your situation.  I pulled of the trifecta 8 years ago, ACL, PCL and MCL torn as well had deep bone bruising and medial meniscal tear.  After the accident I was forced to wait 16 months for the surgery due to the bone bruising.  I would have preferred a total replacement but that was not an option due to the extent of the injury.  I would have also preferred donor tissue instead of scavenging tendons to make all the ligaments but my surgeon refused to do that.  If the option is available definitely go with a total replacement, it would have been a quicker recovery in my cas anyways.  

 

The problem with the drugs, besides addiction, is that your brain has no way to know when you are doing damage.  That shit hurts for a reason, when it hurts you are supposed to stop doing what your doing but when you are over medicated you are just making things worse.  As a result of a few years of heavy medication my knee still hasn't recovered because i keep reinjuring it.  Now i am having issues with my other knee, my hip and my back from just driving on through the pain.  I haven't taken a pain pill in 6 years and i hurt everyday but it is better than the alternative.

 

I wish you the best of luck with whatever decision is made.

[BlackPeter17]

Damn nasty, that's some serious shit.

[Skywatcher]

The problem with the drugs, besides addiction, is that your brain has no way to know when you are doing damage.  That shit hurts for a reason, when it hurts you are supposed to stop doing what your doing but when you are over medicated you are just making things worse.  As a result of a few years of heavy medication my knee still hasn't recovered because i keep reinjuring it.  Now i am having issues with my other knee, my hip and my back from just driving on through the pain.  I haven't taken a pain pill in 6 years and i hurt everyday but it is better than the alternative.

 

I wish you the best of luck with whatever decision is made.

Total agreement.

Unfortunately if I am medicated, I only know when I re-tear, because no pain med will dull that down, and if not medicating i will feel the warning, but sometimes that is not enough if I need to keep walking or am not where I can just stop and find a place to take any weight off the knee. It does spread, because I have a lot more back problems from over compensating to keep from moving my leg wrong. 

 

I'm trying to ween off the pain meds, and thought I was doing well, but it's not easy........

I see the doctor on Monday for a final diagnosis and treatment plan. If I can't get the assurances I want, I have located another doctor to go to for another opinion.

[Skywatcher]

Final diagnosis is in, meniscus flap tear, and possible mixed tear. They will cut out the torn material, no replacement material needed. I have a clear go ahead, and will now be setting a date with the surgeon. I may have to wait a bit for the surgery, but I have already waited 4 years so a bit longer is not a problem.  His post surgery estimate is 6 weeks of minimal activity, although He states I will be able to walk the same night. Physical Therapy when he feels it is time.

 

He has assured me by the end of the 6-8 week period, I should be able to do all that i could before without risk, other than another severe injury if I get stupid. I would enjoy sitting cross legged on the ground again.

 

I am relieved to finally have a course of action happening. 

 

Thank you all for the support and information. Now I just need to get that little dependency thing under control.........

[GadgetGuy]

I hope you can kick that dope. I have a few friends that have done the suboxone (spelling?) thing. It seems like a tough road that I'd be afraid to tackle and glad I've never had to. I can't imagine living in that kind of pain or trying to find a healthy way to deal with it. When it comes to my addictive personality I'd probably be sitting around overdosing pain killers.

 

The only thing that worried me was my friends on suboxone never really quit. It was supposed to trick the receptors (again I have never been addicted to opiates, and that's the only thing I haven't been addicted to) into thinking the body was satisfied when it truly wasn't, and required a LONG slow tapering period to get off the drug that was supposed to get you off the drug.

 

I struggled with Meth for years.... Clean for a LONG time now, around 7 years, maybe more. God it was tough, so tough it could have melted years off my life on stress alone. I look back, my life is so easy now. Own a home, have a nice lady, a nice truck, grow good herb and grow shrooms when I need a thrill because it's fun.

 

I don't have your pain though, is where the difference comes in. I can't understand how you truly feel. I don't know that physical pain.

 

I hope, true to god you find a way to get around that. Addiction is terrible, I know too well. I wasn't even addicted to something as physicaly as opiates. Meth was more mental and emotionally addicting than opiates as far as my eye sees.

 

 

Goodspeed Skywatcher, you grow fantastic herb and you deserve the best. My heart is with you
 

[drmcnasty]

I am glad the came up with a good course of action for you Sky!  That should be able to be done orthoscopically  and the recovery really shouldn't be too bad.  After I had my reconstruction I was up and out of bed at two weeks and one day and was back to work at three weeks, although i was in a wheelchair and back on a dirt bike at 4 weeks but was still heavily medicated.  The thing with opiate addiction is you just have to make it through that 4 days of feeling like shit and the physical part is all over.  After that it's all in your head.  I have faith in you.  You already understand your situation and know that you need to fix it, now you just need to walk away and not look back.  Keep us updated and if you have any questions about prepping for the post op scenario feel free to hit me up any time.