I'm still trying to wrap my brain around the fact that here in 2 days, I won't be able to walk without crutches. I'm thinking that yes, it is going to be painful, but more than that, I'm going to be so frustrated that I won't be completely independent. I'm not good having to have someone help me, but we'll see how it goes.
I have been in the process of making sure all of the deep cleaning things that need done every so often are done around my house. I figure the last thing I'm going to want to do is clean while I'm healing up. Pretty sure my Mom won't want to live in a dirty environment even for a couple days either. My floors are all swept and mopped, all of my laundry is done and put away, my spare bedroom has been cleaned out, all the sheets are washed and beds are made, the lawn is mowed, and everything is in it's place. Hopefully I won't have to do any house cleaning for at least a little while. I'm also trying to finish up the last few details at work. Thankfully my case load is relatively low, but I'm getting a new client tomorrow and starting up another existing client on Friday when I'm not here (I'm a QMRP). I hate being away from work and not having access to my e-mail. When I went on vacation a couple months ago, I tried to get my work e-mail forwarded to my personal e-mail (because it is taking them forever to get work e-mail on my phone...), but it took FOREVER for the e-mails to be forwarded over, it wasn't immediate. Hopefully this time around is better. I'm REALLY hoping that I don't have to take any more time off than just a week...but I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
I'm getting more and more nervous as the day gets closer. I know it isn't that big of a deal, but still...this is not something that I'm going to enjoy going through...
Monday, August 30, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
D-Day is quickly approaching
I am having such a hard time realizing that in about 5 days, I'm going to go from being able to get around and do whatever I want to being stuck in that God awful brace for 6 weeks. I'm still undecided about going to Mom's or staying at home, but as it looks now, I'm going to try to stay at home.
On another note, I despise insurance companies. Note: I am glad I have a job with insurance. I called the surgery center to ask if they had notified my insurance as the insurance told me the doctor should. They told me to call the doctor. I called the doctor and after waiting around, they finally said that they had pre-certified me for the surgery and the insurance had been notified. Then I call the insurance just to double check and they were showing no history of it. Great... I get transferred to another person so that I'm able to notify them. They get the procedure codes from me and say that I didn't have to pre-certify OR notify them of the surgery. That scares me because my policy states "reconstruction procedures" under the things that the insurance has to be notified about. I would think that an MPFL reconstruction would be under that, but maybe not. Heck, I don't know. All I do know is that I've written everything down so that if there is any question down the road, I hope to have no problems getting the insurance to pay. I'm estimating that the total procedure will cost around 7-8,000 and hopefuly my portion is1,000-1,500 or less. That may be something else I post about once it all gets settled. Again, just so that people can estimate what they're looking it. My insurance covers 80% of eligible expenses after the deductible is met, which it has been. Since my doctor is in-network, I'm estimating that there will be in-network deductions from the original cost as has been the case with every other medical claim that has been submitted. I guess I'll just have to wait and see on that one. Oh, make another note...if there is absolutely any way to find out what kind of brace you are going to have after surgery, see if you can find out what kind of brace it is and order it online! The total cost for the post-op telescoping Breg brace that I got according to my claim was about $700!! Since I have a 250 deductible for those things, the brace and crutches are costing me 291 right off the top! I found the exact same brace online for less than 200 dollars. I also found ergonomic crutches that had I known about, I probably would have purchased on my own for about 50 bucks and if they help with the underarm pain at all, that 50 dollars would be worth it. Since I have now met my deductible, it really isn't THAT big of a deal that the brace cost so much, but if you have a higher deductible and don't want to pay out the rump, get one online if at all possible.
Anyway, that is where I'm at right now. The surgery center called today to get some medical history and whatnot and they told me to wear comfortable clothing to the surgery. I really wanted to say "No s**t Sherlock". It worries me that they actually have to tell people "Hey, you're having knee surgery, please don't wear a three piece suit". I have a feeling I'll be living in basketball shorts for the next couple weeks, but hey...no problem with me on that one at all. Work will probably consist of skirts if I'm unable to wear the brace over clothing in the later stages of recovery. If I could get away with basketball shorts at work, I may try that as well. Hey, my boss has only been in my office once in the last 6-8 months. It might be worth a try. :)
In closing, I'm still in good spirits and not really too nervous yet. My knee went out the other day just as I was walking around my house and it pissed me off enough to want the surgery right then and there. It has gotten to the point that yes, it hurts when that happens, but now it just makes me mad. Bring on surgery...I think I'm ready. Feel free to ask again in a couple days if I still feel the same way. :)
On another note, I despise insurance companies. Note: I am glad I have a job with insurance. I called the surgery center to ask if they had notified my insurance as the insurance told me the doctor should. They told me to call the doctor. I called the doctor and after waiting around, they finally said that they had pre-certified me for the surgery and the insurance had been notified. Then I call the insurance just to double check and they were showing no history of it. Great... I get transferred to another person so that I'm able to notify them. They get the procedure codes from me and say that I didn't have to pre-certify OR notify them of the surgery. That scares me because my policy states "reconstruction procedures" under the things that the insurance has to be notified about. I would think that an MPFL reconstruction would be under that, but maybe not. Heck, I don't know. All I do know is that I've written everything down so that if there is any question down the road, I hope to have no problems getting the insurance to pay. I'm estimating that the total procedure will cost around 7-8,000 and hopefuly my portion is1,000-1,500 or less. That may be something else I post about once it all gets settled. Again, just so that people can estimate what they're looking it. My insurance covers 80% of eligible expenses after the deductible is met, which it has been. Since my doctor is in-network, I'm estimating that there will be in-network deductions from the original cost as has been the case with every other medical claim that has been submitted. I guess I'll just have to wait and see on that one. Oh, make another note...if there is absolutely any way to find out what kind of brace you are going to have after surgery, see if you can find out what kind of brace it is and order it online! The total cost for the post-op telescoping Breg brace that I got according to my claim was about $700!! Since I have a 250 deductible for those things, the brace and crutches are costing me 291 right off the top! I found the exact same brace online for less than 200 dollars. I also found ergonomic crutches that had I known about, I probably would have purchased on my own for about 50 bucks and if they help with the underarm pain at all, that 50 dollars would be worth it. Since I have now met my deductible, it really isn't THAT big of a deal that the brace cost so much, but if you have a higher deductible and don't want to pay out the rump, get one online if at all possible.
Anyway, that is where I'm at right now. The surgery center called today to get some medical history and whatnot and they told me to wear comfortable clothing to the surgery. I really wanted to say "No s**t Sherlock". It worries me that they actually have to tell people "Hey, you're having knee surgery, please don't wear a three piece suit". I have a feeling I'll be living in basketball shorts for the next couple weeks, but hey...no problem with me on that one at all. Work will probably consist of skirts if I'm unable to wear the brace over clothing in the later stages of recovery. If I could get away with basketball shorts at work, I may try that as well. Hey, my boss has only been in my office once in the last 6-8 months. It might be worth a try. :)
In closing, I'm still in good spirits and not really too nervous yet. My knee went out the other day just as I was walking around my house and it pissed me off enough to want the surgery right then and there. It has gotten to the point that yes, it hurts when that happens, but now it just makes me mad. Bring on surgery...I think I'm ready. Feel free to ask again in a couple days if I still feel the same way. :)
A few things I discovered yesterday...
So, after visiting my doctor last week, I came home with crutches and the hip to ankle brace I'll be in for 6 weeks. They told me not to adjust it and that I will wake up from surgery with it on just as it is right now. I thoughy, "well, it might be a good idea to try and get used to this bad boy so that it doesn't such NEARLY as bad as when they just slap it on and send me on my way." I have come to realize over the past week that it really is going to suck no matter how you look at it. The two major break-throughs of understanding that I discovered yesterday is that 1)there is no way on God's green earth that I'm going to be able to sleep comfortably with the brace locked at 0 degrees and 2)my bathroom is NOT set up to have one's leg straight out in front of you. When on the toilet, there is a wall approximately a foot MAYBE a foot and a half in front of your bent knees. Haha...funny joke trying to see me sit on the toilet with the brace on last night. I tried sitting on it sideways and that was a joke as well. If I stay at home, I have NO IDEA how I'm going to do it. All that is secondary to the fact that the part of my bathroom where my toilet and shower is really isn't big enough to accomdate the crutches either. I can see another injury following closely behind this surgery.
My only other option aside from staying home (my mom has volunteered to stay with me for a couple days before I go to the boyfriend's to be waited on hand and foot..note:can't wait for that), is to go back home with my mom. Her house is much larger and more open than mine is, BUT there are about 5 steps to get inside and then the bedroom where I stay is in the basement so we're talking another flight of stairs to sleep in a nice bed OR sleep on the couch which probably won't work well. Staying at my Mom's also means having to take my dog with me who is normally an inside dog and at Mom's, he would have to be outside. I'm honestly trying to do whatever I can to stay at my house, but there are pros and cons to both situations and I'm a TERRIBLE decision maker.
My only other option aside from staying home (my mom has volunteered to stay with me for a couple days before I go to the boyfriend's to be waited on hand and foot..note:can't wait for that), is to go back home with my mom. Her house is much larger and more open than mine is, BUT there are about 5 steps to get inside and then the bedroom where I stay is in the basement so we're talking another flight of stairs to sleep in a nice bed OR sleep on the couch which probably won't work well. Staying at my Mom's also means having to take my dog with me who is normally an inside dog and at Mom's, he would have to be outside. I'm honestly trying to do whatever I can to stay at my house, but there are pros and cons to both situations and I'm a TERRIBLE decision maker.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
T-minus 1 week until MPFL Reconstruction
This is officially my first blog, my brother as an avid blogger will be proud. The main reason I started this blog is because I am set to have a MPFL reconstruction using a hamstring autograft on September 1st. I have searched and searched for some ideas of what to expect after the surgery. Though I found some things, most were outdated or did not apply to the same problems I am having prior to surgery. So, I'm writing my story of what got me here specifically and how the recovery process goes.
For starters, I am a 26 year old female who has been an athlete all of my life. I am overweight, but still have been able to compete relatively well in sports; most frequently softball, volleyball and basketball. For 4 years now, my kneecap constantly feels like it is going to completely dislocate, but to my knowledge, it never has. I did have a knee injury 10 years ago in high school while playing basketball that may have contributed to my problems. I slipped and almost went into the splits. Since I couldn't get up from that position, I tried to turn on my heels and make my feet and my body face to my left. My left foot twisted as it should have, my right foot stayed put. As a result, my knee twisted and it smacked the hardwood floor. I was diagnosed with a MCL sprain/strain. I'm still uncertain if that was correct or not, but regardless, I was back to playing ball in a week. Since high school, I play sports at a recreation level. I play softball most often. For the past 8ish years, I have played softball every season I could and I play anywhere from 3-7 nights/week, depending on the season. Due to the knee problems now, I am forced to take a season off. Prior to making the decision to take a season off, I was down to playing 2-3 nights a week, which during the summer, is very atypical for me as I would normally be playing much more. I have only played in one tournament this summer and that one tournament is what caused me to finally make the decision to go to the doctor after 4 years of knee pain that has only progressively gotten worse. After playing 6 games of softball back to back, I was physically unable to walk without excruciating pain. I was in my family doctor's office a week later to be diagnosed with patellar tracking disorder. Since I had never been treated for these issues before, physical therapy was tried first. When I went to the physical therapist that day, I did not receive a very good feeling. She said that my IT band was too tight and there really wasn't much I could do aside from stretching it. She then felt my kneecap and explained how loose it was and immediately referred me to someone specializing in sports medicine to see if I was a good candidate for a MPFL surgery. A couple weeks after that, I was seen by the sports medicine doctor. He explained that 10 years ago when I had a knee injury in high school, I likely tore my MPFL and that is the main thing that keeps my kneecap in place. Even when looking at the X-ray, and I'm no doctor, it was very obvious that my kneecap wasn't where it was supposed to be. He explained that I had a couple options. I could stop being active (I can't lie, I laughed a little), I could wear a brace from now on which really would just mask the problem (I wear a brace and it doesn't help), or I could go ahead and have the MPFL reconstruction. He said that the surgery is the only real way to fix the problem. I choose to go for it. I was given the option of using tissue from a cadaver, but the idea absolutely grosses me out and would be stressful for me, so I chose to use a hamstrings autograft.
I am told that I will be in a brace from hip to ankle for at least 6 weeks. I asked how long I would be on crutches and was not given a clear answer. I was told that whenever I wanted to discontinue the crutches, I could. I was given the same answer for returning to work. Since I am basically a professional desk jockey, my job requires more of being on my butt than it does on my feet. The surgery is planned for a Wednesday afternoon and I plan to return the following Tuesday. Time to return to sports is 16 weeks minimum. That is where I'm at right now.
I have no idea how long it'll be before I can drive again which is something I'm concerned with. My commute to work is 40 minutes each way and I live by myself. We'll see how that goes since it is my right knee that I'm having surgery on. I'm also concerned with stairs because lets just say that even though I'm an athlete, I have never been known to be a graceful one. Hence my list of ridiculous sports injuries that appears to be getting longer and longer. I can see myself very clearly face planting, or more likely, falling off of my deck backwards.
Right now, I'm enjoying being able to walk and bend my knee. I'm enjoying being able to sleep in whatever position I want, and I'm enjoying being able to take a plate of food as well as a drink to the table at the same time and with no problems. Those days will be gone here shortly. I hope I don't regret this decision, but if it means that I can play sports without fear of dislocating my knee, then it'll all be worth it in the end. I will try my best to keep this updated just to let others know what I've experienced during this process. Hopefully it'll be a source of knowledge, or at least comfort for someone facing the same situation.
For starters, I am a 26 year old female who has been an athlete all of my life. I am overweight, but still have been able to compete relatively well in sports; most frequently softball, volleyball and basketball. For 4 years now, my kneecap constantly feels like it is going to completely dislocate, but to my knowledge, it never has. I did have a knee injury 10 years ago in high school while playing basketball that may have contributed to my problems. I slipped and almost went into the splits. Since I couldn't get up from that position, I tried to turn on my heels and make my feet and my body face to my left. My left foot twisted as it should have, my right foot stayed put. As a result, my knee twisted and it smacked the hardwood floor. I was diagnosed with a MCL sprain/strain. I'm still uncertain if that was correct or not, but regardless, I was back to playing ball in a week. Since high school, I play sports at a recreation level. I play softball most often. For the past 8ish years, I have played softball every season I could and I play anywhere from 3-7 nights/week, depending on the season. Due to the knee problems now, I am forced to take a season off. Prior to making the decision to take a season off, I was down to playing 2-3 nights a week, which during the summer, is very atypical for me as I would normally be playing much more. I have only played in one tournament this summer and that one tournament is what caused me to finally make the decision to go to the doctor after 4 years of knee pain that has only progressively gotten worse. After playing 6 games of softball back to back, I was physically unable to walk without excruciating pain. I was in my family doctor's office a week later to be diagnosed with patellar tracking disorder. Since I had never been treated for these issues before, physical therapy was tried first. When I went to the physical therapist that day, I did not receive a very good feeling. She said that my IT band was too tight and there really wasn't much I could do aside from stretching it. She then felt my kneecap and explained how loose it was and immediately referred me to someone specializing in sports medicine to see if I was a good candidate for a MPFL surgery. A couple weeks after that, I was seen by the sports medicine doctor. He explained that 10 years ago when I had a knee injury in high school, I likely tore my MPFL and that is the main thing that keeps my kneecap in place. Even when looking at the X-ray, and I'm no doctor, it was very obvious that my kneecap wasn't where it was supposed to be. He explained that I had a couple options. I could stop being active (I can't lie, I laughed a little), I could wear a brace from now on which really would just mask the problem (I wear a brace and it doesn't help), or I could go ahead and have the MPFL reconstruction. He said that the surgery is the only real way to fix the problem. I choose to go for it. I was given the option of using tissue from a cadaver, but the idea absolutely grosses me out and would be stressful for me, so I chose to use a hamstrings autograft.
I am told that I will be in a brace from hip to ankle for at least 6 weeks. I asked how long I would be on crutches and was not given a clear answer. I was told that whenever I wanted to discontinue the crutches, I could. I was given the same answer for returning to work. Since I am basically a professional desk jockey, my job requires more of being on my butt than it does on my feet. The surgery is planned for a Wednesday afternoon and I plan to return the following Tuesday. Time to return to sports is 16 weeks minimum. That is where I'm at right now.
I have no idea how long it'll be before I can drive again which is something I'm concerned with. My commute to work is 40 minutes each way and I live by myself. We'll see how that goes since it is my right knee that I'm having surgery on. I'm also concerned with stairs because lets just say that even though I'm an athlete, I have never been known to be a graceful one. Hence my list of ridiculous sports injuries that appears to be getting longer and longer. I can see myself very clearly face planting, or more likely, falling off of my deck backwards.
Right now, I'm enjoying being able to walk and bend my knee. I'm enjoying being able to sleep in whatever position I want, and I'm enjoying being able to take a plate of food as well as a drink to the table at the same time and with no problems. Those days will be gone here shortly. I hope I don't regret this decision, but if it means that I can play sports without fear of dislocating my knee, then it'll all be worth it in the end. I will try my best to keep this updated just to let others know what I've experienced during this process. Hopefully it'll be a source of knowledge, or at least comfort for someone facing the same situation.
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