M.S. and Her Journey

 I'm a 53 year old mother of 5 children, always been active but not sporty, just walking the dog several miles, body boarding with the kids etc. Four and a half years ago (23rd February 2010 to be precise) I was walking our dog on an extending lead when she ran off behind me, I didn't have time to think about letting go of the lead and basically I was twisted and pulled over causing a tear to my knee. I couldn't move at all, just remember seeing blades of grass very close to my face! My husband dragged me onto a sledge (it was still a bit icy) and got me to a&e where they said I hadn't done anything and would be walking fine in a couple of days. Fortunately we had a pair of crutches in the shed so I just about managed at home for 5 days but as the leg had swollen hugely and I still couldn't walk I decided a second opinion was in order. The GP sent me to an orthopedic consultant and after several appointments and an MRI they discovered I had grade 3 tears to my PCL and MCL.

  I was told surgery wasn't an option, presumably because of my age, and after 8 months of physio I was able to walk without the brace and only used the crutches occasionally. Obviously a very long and painful process but at least I was managing. Recently though as I've started walking further - 2 to 3 miles max - I'm having pain in both the damaged left leg and right knee. I've been seeing orthopedic surgeons and physios privately for the last few years but I've now been referred to another surgeon in Derby who wants to reconstruct the ligaments. In addition he has identified PLC damage and says to prevent further damage and arthritis to my left knee and limit the wear in my right knee surgery is the best option. I'm in total agreement with him as the discomfort is getting worse but the thought of going through all the pain and physio again isn't something I'm looking forward too. Reading all the stories on your blog makes it all very real again but at the same time it's encouraging as so many people have seen the benefits of surgery.

  I'm on the waiting list for surgery, the surgeon will take hamstrings from both legs as it seems there won't be enough from just one leg for all the repair work. It's a strange thought, going from little pain to extreme pain but I'm trying to concentrate on the end result and not get too scared. I'm trying to find loads to do for those long and boring months after surgery and am setting goals to measure my progress by. For anyone having this injury I'd say surgery at the time of the accident or pretty soon after is a much better way of dealing with it, I wish I'd found out about it sooner. I'll let you know how it goes if anyone is interested.

  Someone on here mentioned creaking and cracking when they bent their knee? I have it too, it's crepitus and is wear of the knee joint.
 
  Thanks for setting up this blog. This seems to be an unusual and difficult to repair injury, I've had to go miles to find a surgeon capable of and willing to do the surgery, so it's really good to be in contact with others in a similar situation.
UPDATE:
Well, 10 days post op and I've just had stitches out so it doesn't look as bad as the photo. I'm relieved to be on this side of the operation, I had all the usual doubts before - could I go through all the pain and physio, what if it didn't work etc but that's all behind me now. Still haven't got an answer from the surgeon as to whether he minds me posting my experiences, I'm seeing him on Thursday and if he doesn't give an answer then I think we'll just go ahead and use a different name, don't you?

I had a spinal anesthetic for the operation so was able to watch, really fascinating and very clever. It lasted two hours, I can give details if anyone is interested. First few days were pretty uncomfortable but morphine is a great help, down to codeine now so things are improving. Lots of numbness in my lower leg and loads of bruising to my foot, made worse because I'm on heparin injections to prevent blood clots but hopefully this will pass soon. Physio starts next week, static quads and straight leg raises I believe to begin with although I've been told to remove the brace once a day and get someone else to bend my leg to 90 degrees ( they've got to be joking!) as it stops the knee stiffening. This was meant to be done daily from 3rd day after surgery, I haven't managed to pluck up the courage to have it done daily though, every other day more like.