I’ll be going in for surgery tomorrow morning to repair a torn meniscus in my left knee. “Repair” in this case means poking a hole in my knee and slipping in some tiny surgical tools to remove the torn bits. There’s not much else they can do, but I’m told I’ll be able to resume normal activity fairy soon and will probably be fine for years — as long as I don’t take up jogging. I’ll still have padding in my knee, just not as much.
There was no dramatic injury that caused this. It’s more of a wear-and-tear injury. I had the dramatic injury to this knee when I was ten, and the surgeon believes I may have never fully healed from that one. There were no MRIs and no arthroscopic surgeries in 1968, so when I tore something inside in my knee in a backyard football game, the treatment was to put me in a cast for several weeks.
The knee felt okay for most of my adult life, but in the past few years I’ve had little spikes of pain now and then. The joint also became kind of floppy for awhile … when I walked, the leg would sometimes go beyond straight and bend backwards a bit. I saw a joint specialist about it when we still lived in California, and she recommended some physical therapy and exercising my leg muscles to keep them strong around the knee.
My legs definitely got stronger, especially after I switched to Slow Burn. I eventually worked up to lifting the entire stack of weights on the leg press and leg extension at our health club. The extra muscle tone seemed to be keeping the knee stable until a couple of weeks ago. That’s when I started getting little pain spikes again when I walked. I took to limping when the pain kicked up a notch.
I went to see a bone and joint specialist, who ordered some x-rays. I was relieved as soon as I saw them – there was a clear gap between the bones, so I knew it wasn’t a bone-on-bone situation that might require a full or partial knee replacement. The specialist scheduled me for an MRI and told me we’d look at the images when he returned from vacation. That appointment was set for later this week.
Turns out I couldn’t wait. Last Sunday I was walking down our driveway, no real pain in the knee, when all of a sudden I felt a pop followed by a sensation of something ripping. I immediately invoked an old Gaelic blessing which, to the untrained ear, could have sounded like a sailor cussing really loudly. Then I hobbled into the house. The next morning Chareva went out and bought a pair of crutches so I could go to work and crutch my way around the office.
The knee has been swelling regularly, so I’ve been applying an ice pack instead of taking the ibuprofen the doctor recommended. I did end up taking ibuprofen on two nights after the pain kept waking me up. I’ve taken to sleeping with a pillow between my knees so they don’t press against each other.
I went for the MRI on Tuesday and told the admitting nurse I wasn’t going to wait for the first specialist I saw to return from vacation. We’re supposed to be heading to Illinois next week to visit my family for a few days, then continue on to Chicago to attend Chareva’s father’s 70th birthday party, and I don’t want to be in constant pain (which I have been since the knee popped) and hobbling around on crutches.
So I saw a different knee specialist on Wednesday. He pulled up the MRI results on a monitor and showed me where the meniscus is torn. Yup, that would be right about where I felt the pop.
I’ll be under general anesthesia for the surgery, so I’ll likely be groggy for a day or two. I’ll also be taking some kind of opiate-based pain-killer afterwards. I’ll check comments when I can, but I’m not sure when I’ll be up for writing another post. It’s a minor surgery, so with any luck it won’t be long.
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Hope all heals quickly. Be careful about taking NSAIDS as there are some studies showing that they may impair healing.
Hope all goes well!
So sorry to hear that, Tom. Hope you’re back on your feet, and feeling better soon!
Oh, come on, Tom! Don’t be such a wimp. What would our Paleo ancestors have done if they had suffered a torn meniscus? They’d suck it up and move on!
;0P
They’d limp for the rest of their lives, most likely. This is one of those situation where I’m glad I have access to modern technology.
Ah yes, fun stuff. I had both mine scoped at the same time a few years back. I’ll be headed for at least one knee replacement eventually.
I only took the painkillers for about a day or two, I really didn’t think it was that bad. And I don’t remember any ill effects at all from the anasthesia. My knees were stiff for a while obviously, but they had been hurting so much before the slight soreness from the surgery was a relief.
Tom, I am a nurse, and I frequently work on an orthopedic unit in my hospital. The type of surgery you are describing normally includes a 2-4 day hospital stay (usually the day of surgery, Post-op day 1, and Post-op day 2, with some people requiring a third post-op day). Expect to be on narcotics (and therefore allowing Chareva to drive everywhere, because you SHOULDN’T DRIVE while taking narcotics) for about a week or so.
At our hospital, all the knee surgery patients get a wonderful device called a “cryocuff” where it sends icy water through a sleeve giving you a constant “ice pack.” The patients say it works great for keeping swelling down and reducing pain. God bless with your surgery, and I will pray for no complications.
I needed the drugs yesterday, but so far today I’ve been making do with an ice pack. I feel dopey and sleepy (and probably some other dwarf names) after taking the painkiller, so I wait until I really need it.
I’m glad I’m not in a hospital for recovery. Sara is a very attentive little nurse, and I like having access to my laptop and my TV remote.
Best of luck. As Richard said, following through on the rehab is more important than the surgery. As a trainer, my advice it unless it’s used specifically for rehab, do not use a leg extension weight machine! The patella (kneecap) is meant to be locked in place by the skeletal muscles, and the femur and tibia (thighbone / shinbone) are meant to float or rotate underneath the patella. As you flex and extend the joint, the two bones are rotated, locked and unlocked by the popliteus, a muscle behind the knee. When you sit in a leg extension machine, the femur and tibia are locked in place, forcing the patella to move, or float, unnaturally over the joint. This stresses the entire structure of the joint and over the long term, can cause harm. Also, the knee is meant for stability, not mobility, so work on ankle and hip mobility to take stress of the knee in the future.
No leg extension … I hope leg presses are okay.
My brother had his torn cartilage replaced in his knee after a childhood and early adulthood playing rugby. Us Kiwis are tough, but rugby is about as dangerous as it gets! We obviously are not designed for contact sports – unless it is chasing down some meat for our dinner! Good luck with it all. I agree that the anaesthetic is hardest bit to recover from. I always end up being sick for about two days after an operation.
I once read that the knee is the most unstable joint in the human body. I believe it.
and how about an edit or preview button so I can edit my spelling errors!
No idea how to make that happen.
I’ve had a meniscus injury to right knee, probably a tear, and when I finally got surgery after five weeks of crutches (the use of which my doctor disapproved of) the Surgeon came back afterwards and told me “Sorry, but you’ve been walking of the knee for too long, we couldn’t repair it.”
I’ve also had surgery to my left knee to investigate similar symptoms. But post surgery pain was not an issue either time.
Ritght knee is slightly unstable and crouching and other positions where I’m bending the knee alot requires concentration or I will enjoy a dislocation like feeling.
Walking and biking is just fine, I do several kilometer of that daily. Even the odd sprinting. You’ll be back on the disc golf course in full force in no time!
//Best wishes from Sweden.
If I can’t to play disc golf, I’ll learn to throw from a wheelchair.
Hope all heals quickly. Be careful about taking NSAIDS as there are some studies showing that they may impair healing.
So sorry to hear that, Tom. Hope you’re back on your feet, and feeling better soon!
My brother had his torn cartilage replaced in his knee after a childhood and early adulthood playing rugby. Us Kiwis are tough, but rugby is about as dangerous as it gets! We obviously are not designed for contact sports – unless it is chasing down some meat for our dinner! Good luck with it all. I agree that the anaesthetic is hardest bit to recover from. I always end up being sick for about two days after an operation.
I once read that the knee is the most unstable joint in the human body. I believe it.
I’ve had a meniscus injury to right knee, probably a tear, and when I finally got surgery after five weeks of crutches (the use of which my doctor disapproved of) the Surgeon came back afterwards and told me “Sorry, but you’ve been walking of the knee for too long, we couldn’t repair it.”
I’ve also had surgery to my left knee to investigate similar symptoms. But post surgery pain was not an issue either time.
Ritght knee is slightly unstable and crouching and other positions where I’m bending the knee alot requires concentration or I will enjoy a dislocation like feeling.
Walking and biking is just fine, I do several kilometer of that daily. Even the odd sprinting. You’ll be back on the disc golf course in full force in no time!
//Best wishes from Sweden.
If I can’t to play disc golf, I’ll learn to throw from a wheelchair.
Been there, done that…x 3.
Last time, I told them to install snaps at the 3 incision sites instead of sutures.
I didn’t take the pain killers, just anti-inflammatories. It made more sense to get rid of the problem rather than to take something that just makes me not care about the problem.
Good luck and recover fast!
Sorry, that you have the thorn meniscus. Get well soon. At least you will not be freaking out that you are quickly gaining weight during post-op while being unable to burn healthy whole grains with endless cardio.
I had to have a foot surgery (over-use injury after sticking too close to the eat less move more advice) probably 3 years ago. I actually lost weight during recovery time (eating LC of course) because I slept more hours than usual for obvious reason. I realized then that often luck of sleep was more damaging for a waist-line than lack of exercise even on the right diet. I have been LCarbing close to 5 years now. My doctor was shocked by the speed of the wound healing. People are usually prescribed an antibiotic treatment after any surgery, but I keep skipping all that relying on my immune system working much better on the right fats minus wrong carbs. I am not giving any medical advice, btw, there situations for modern remedies, as you mentioned already.
I don’t believe I’ll gain weight during recovery either. I had to fast the night before the surgery, didn’t feel like eating until dinnertime afterwards. I had no appetite this morning and haven’t eaten yet today.
Wishing you a quick and easy recovery. Good luck!
The best prolotherapy doc in the world is located in Oak Park. I had it done and was able to skip arthroscopic surgery on the rt hip and skip the hip replacement of the left hip. These were tearing injuries from an accident.
It was all those extra rounds of Frisbee golf with Jimmy! You just couldn’t let him make you look bad on the home course, could you?
🙂
(sorry – couldn’t resist)
Wishing you the very best, and hoping for a speedy recovery.
Jimmy’s probably ticked off that my knee held up until he left.
Best wishes for you, Tom. Drink plenty of bone broth.
Sorry to hear about your knee. I hope you have a speedy recovery.
I used to work in a tissue bank and we’d process cadaver knees every day. It’s pretty amazing how much joint damage some people would have at age 30, while others would be 65 with nearly pristine tissue.
Looking at that image was rather strange, considering that I’ve seen all of those various tears up close and personal.
Hope the surgery goes well, and the recovery is quick!
Been there, done that…x 3.
Last time, I told them to install snaps at the 3 incision sites instead of sutures.
I didn’t take the pain killers, just anti-inflammatories. It made more sense to get rid of the problem rather than to take something that just makes me not care about the problem.
Good luck and recover fast!
I had the same sort of accident as a 10-year-old that you describe… and similar issues that occasionally pop up when walking. Looks like I may have surgery to look forward to later in life.
I hope you can avoid the surgery, but it beats limping for life.
Sorry, that you have the thorn meniscus. Get well soon. At least you will not be freaking out that you are quickly gaining weight during post-op while being unable to burn healthy whole grains with endless cardio.
I had to have a foot surgery (over-use injury after sticking too close to the eat less move more advice) probably 3 years ago. I actually lost weight during recovery time (eating LC of course) because I slept more hours than usual for obvious reason. I realized then that often luck of sleep was more damaging for a waist-line than lack of exercise even on the right diet. I have been LCarbing close to 5 years now. My doctor was shocked by the speed of the wound healing. People are usually prescribed an antibiotic treatment after any surgery, but I keep skipping all that relying on my immune system working much better on the right fats minus wrong carbs. I am not giving any medical advice, btw, there situations for modern remedies, as you mentioned already.
I don’t believe I’ll gain weight during recovery either. I had to fast the night before the surgery, didn’t feel like eating until dinnertime afterwards. I had no appetite this morning and haven’t eaten yet today.
Wishing you a quick and easy recovery. Good luck!
The best prolotherapy doc in the world is located in Oak Park. I had it done and was able to skip arthroscopic surgery on the rt hip and skip the hip replacement of the left hip. These were tearing injuries from an accident.
It was all those extra rounds of Frisbee golf with Jimmy! You just couldn’t let him make you look bad on the home course, could you?
🙂
(sorry – couldn’t resist)
Wishing you the very best, and hoping for a speedy recovery.
Jimmy’s probably ticked off that my knee held up until he left.
Good luck with the surgery. I hope nobody along the way comes to the conclusion that bad knees are attributed to a low carb, high fat diet…or frisbee golf. 😉
If anything, a good diet and exercise program probably delayed the day I needed a surgical fix. Now the frisbee golf, on the other hand, might have been the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Best wishes for you, Tom. Drink plenty of bone broth.
Sorry to hear about your knee. I hope you have a speedy recovery.
I used to work in a tissue bank and we’d process cadaver knees every day. It’s pretty amazing how much joint damage some people would have at age 30, while others would be 65 with nearly pristine tissue.
Looking at that image was rather strange, considering that I’ve seen all of those various tears up close and personal.
Best of luck, and watch out for the glucose drip. Do they use bourbon instead in Tennessee?
Jack Daniels, but only with a doctor’s written orders.
I think you hear of more girls with meniscus tears because of volleyball (and higher levels of girls’ sports participation generally than when we were kids). I also suspect, without anything solid to back it up, that our SAD makes kids “sprout” taller and faster than their infrastructure can handle.
As for you, I’m thinking you’ve worn that puppy out with all of the Frisbee golf.
See you next week.
Cheers!
I believe he was making a pun, meniscus vs. menses. Yeah, the frisbee golf probably put the final stress on a knee that already had issues.
Hey Tom? I can’t remember if you’re a coffee addic… er… drinker… I shocked my surgeon when I told him that, unless he had a strong/good reason for me NOT to, I was going to have my best friend bring me my morning coffee on the morning after surgery.
See, it turns out (once they *finally* studied it) that the rather common “post-anesthesia headache” only happens to coffee … addicts when they’re denied their morning brew! Coffee after surgery = No post-anesthesia headache!
Chareva had coffee waiting for me in the car after the surgery.
Hope the surgery goes well, and the recovery is quick!
I had the same sort of accident as a 10-year-old that you describe… and similar issues that occasionally pop up when walking. Looks like I may have surgery to look forward to later in life.
I hope you can avoid the surgery, but it beats limping for life.
Hopefully you are going to the Franklin Bone&Joint clinic. My wife has had knee and shoulder work performed there and thinks the docs and staff are the best in the area.
Vanderbilt Bone & Joint clinic in Franklin. They were great.
Good luck with the surgery. I hope nobody along the way comes to the conclusion that bad knees are attributed to a low carb, high fat diet…or frisbee golf. 😉
If anything, a good diet and exercise program probably delayed the day I needed a surgical fix. Now the frisbee golf, on the other hand, might have been the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Best of luck, and watch out for the glucose drip. Do they use bourbon instead in Tennessee?
Jack Daniels, but only with a doctor’s written orders.
I think you hear of more girls with meniscus tears because of volleyball (and higher levels of girls’ sports participation generally than when we were kids). I also suspect, without anything solid to back it up, that our SAD makes kids “sprout” taller and faster than their infrastructure can handle.
As for you, I’m thinking you’ve worn that puppy out with all of the Frisbee golf.
See you next week.
Cheers!
I believe he was making a pun, meniscus vs. menses. Yeah, the frisbee golf probably put the final stress on a knee that already had issues.
Hey Tom? I can’t remember if you’re a coffee addic… er… drinker… I shocked my surgeon when I told him that, unless he had a strong/good reason for me NOT to, I was going to have my best friend bring me my morning coffee on the morning after surgery.
See, it turns out (once they *finally* studied it) that the rather common “post-anesthesia headache” only happens to coffee … addicts when they’re denied their morning brew! Coffee after surgery = No post-anesthesia headache!
Chareva had coffee waiting for me in the car after the surgery.
Hopefully you are going to the Franklin Bone&Joint clinic. My wife has had knee and shoulder work performed there and thinks the docs and staff are the best in the area.
Vanderbilt Bone & Joint clinic in Franklin. They were great.
you will be fine – both knees had that operation – have run multiple marathons since – keep up the awesome work – Im your best salesperson btw – have sold at least 20 of your dvd’s to coworkers
btw – the suck it up comment could only come from someone who never had that surgery – horrible pain prior – very little after –
He was joking.
you will be fine – both knees had that operation – have run multiple marathons since – keep up the awesome work – Im your best salesperson btw – have sold at least 20 of your dvd’s to coworkers
btw – the suck it up comment could only come from someone who never had that surgery – horrible pain prior – very little after –
He was joking.
I too hope you’ll recover quickly. It’ll be a safe bet that on your paleo diet, you will recover faster. Take care.
I too hope you’ll recover quickly. It’ll be a safe bet that on your paleo diet, you will recover faster. Take care.