Surgery here I come!

The final verdict...surgery is scheduled for November 12th. It is a same day surgery so I will not be in the hospital. In and out the same day. It will be at the Central Utah Surgical Center so it's not even at the hospital. I was impressed with the PA that works with the surgeon because he explained the whole process of how the surgery goes, estimated recover time, etc. Brian made a list of questions to make sure to ask so we think we covered everything we were wondering about. The surgeon was nice too. He came highly recommended so I hope this goes smoothly.

For those curious like me of how they fix a torn ligament, I will explain. Apparently there are 2 ligaments (or tendons, I don't remember which) in the bottom of your hamstring that aren't really used. They will take those out, fuse them together, and then put them where the ACL goes. They assured me there would be no loss of function in the hamstring just a little bit of soreness for the first little bit. There will be one incision to take out the parts of the hamstring and then the knee surgery will be arthroscopic. It's amazing what they can do these days with technology.

Two days after surgery I start physical therapy...3 times a week! I have to stay in a big metal knee brace for 6 weeks at all times. The only time I can take it off is to shower. I will be on crutches for the first little while until I feel comfortable enough to bare weight on it. Right now I am estimating to be gone from work for a week but we'll see how things go along the way. After the 6 weeks the knee brace goes away and my physical therapy increases. It increases in what they have me do, not in how many times I go. The doctor even said that at that point they may let me do it on my own if I'm motivated enough to get in to a gym. I sure hope they let me do that so I don't have to pay more to do things that I could be doing on my own. I think the financial part will motivate me! My total recovery time is about 6 months. There's a long list of things I won't be allowed to do during those 6 months. I sure hope my husband can handle doing most everything around the house and whatever else I need help with. My parents will be here for Christmas so that will be helpful too. I think the first 6 weeks are going to be the worst though. That's all I can remember from my Thursday appointment with the surgeon. I have a feeling I may get very bored while I'm home recovering so if anyone wants to visit...feel free. :)