Thank you for the kind words and well wishes surrounding Ryan’s ACL surgery yesterday. According to Ryan’s doctor, the surgery went well and Ryan is now hanging out on the couch with his knee elevated and Sadie by his side!
Ryan’s surgery wasn’t scheduled until 2:30 p.m. yesterday but the doctor asked us to be there two hours early for surgery prep and all that jazz. After we arrived, a nurse immediately escorted Ryan back to a room and I waited for about 20 minutes until they called me back to sit with him for a while.
When I walked into the room, Ryan was joking around with the nurses (one nurse is also pregnant with her first baby and she is due in June so we had a lot to chat about!) and I was happy to see him in good humor! I am so bad with anything medical and Ryan is always such a trooper in these kind of situations. (And yes, I did tuck Ryan’s hand with the IV in it underneath the blanket while I was in the room so it didn’t make me queasy. Wish me luck with childbirth!)
I’m so glad I was able to wait with Ryan because the two hours we spent together in that little room passed by quickly. Ryan felt a little spoiled because he was able to watch ESPN while we hung out which we don’t get at home since we don’t have cable!
I also told him to be sure to hang onto his snazzy hospital sticky socks in case he ever wants to join me for a Pure Barre class in the future…
I could tell Ryan’s nerves kicked in a bit as surgery time drew near, but he always kept his attitude upbeat and positive. A little after 3 p.m., we changed rooms and 20 minutes after that, the nurses were taking Ryan back for surgery. I kissed him and wished him good luck before heading into the waiting room to set up camp for a few hours.
Ryan’s surgery ended up taking a little longer than expected, but there weren’t any complications and when the doctor came out to chat with me around 5:45 p.m., he said everything went very well! That’s all I needed to hear to feel a lovely sense of relief!
A nurse then brought me back to see Ryan and I found him wide awake, sipping on his second can of ginger ale. He was doing well but experiencing some pain in his hamstring which was to be expected since his surgeon used grafted tissue from his hamstring tendon to repair his right ACL. They gave him some oral pain medication and took us through a long “what happens next” list. And then we were on our way!
I took Ryan home and got him set up on the couch and it took Sadie all of 2.5 seconds to join him for some cuddles.
While she kept him company, I headed out to get his prescriptions filled around 7:30 p.m. Once I made it back home, Ryan said he was ready for the little surprise treat I told him I picked up earlier that morning.
The mini bundt cakes from Nothing Bundt Cakes are so, so delicious and I bought a small lemon cake for Ryan as a post-surgery pick-me-up.
And now the main focus is recovery! Ryan is not supposed to put any weight on his right leg for 48 hours and has his first appointment with a physical therapist on Friday afternoon. I’m doing my best to be as helpful as I can since he isn’t exactly mobile at the moment and am proud of how great he’s been doing so far! I know this isn’t an easy surgery and that the recovery can be quite long, so if those of you out there who have been through something similar have any words of wisdom to share, we’re all ears.
Thanks again for your thoughtful words and kind wishes!
Now I’m off to the gym to teach but home to be back to check in on Ryan around lunchtime today. Have a good one!
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Just don’t let him get behind on the pain meds! When my guy had the surgery he was trying to be stoic and stopped the pain meds way too early. Long story short we ended up in the ER one night because we couldn’t get the pain under control. He has the highest pain tolerance of anyone I know too!
1. We’re wearing matching TOMs today.
2. High five to Ryan for being such a trooper! If you need post-surgery entertainment ideas, you know I’m yo girl.
3. If Ryan is “that person” at PB with his hospital grippy socks…. hehehehe #thatmentalimage (people really do wear them sometimes).
I have also had 2 knee surgeries and agree with all these comments, stay on track with the pain meds! (and eat with them..I got very sick when I didn’t..) and ask your physically therapist which appointment starts the forced bending (can be very painful) and time it around when you take the pain meds to make sure they are in his system to help ease the pain. After my first knee surgery I did this for the second recovery and it was less traumatizing :p
also, wrapping hand towels or dishtowels around the top of the crutches adds a little cushion! and vitamin e helps with the scarring to make it less visible.
Hope he feels better soon 🙂
I’m glad it went well. My husband had hernia surgery a couple of months after we were married. It was so weird being “the responsible person” and waiting out in the lobby alone while he was in surgery.
I got through the recovery (had surgery on Friday and recovered over the weekend) by helping out as much as I could and staying home to help him hobble to the bathroom or buying what he wanted for food.
Good luck! I bet Sadie is happy to have him home all day!
As a PT- the healing of the hamstring is what is going to take the longest and be the most annoying in his recovery. It can be a long healing process but with the help of an awesome PT, he will be back to playing as soon as possible! I had my ACL replaced 6 years ago and Ive done a couple of Ironman triathlons and marathons and I can’t feel a difference between my two knees at all!
thank you for weighing in! so far his hamstring is causing him the most pain, so this definitely makes sense to me. i’m so glad you’ve had such a great recover!
ryan was also wondering if you still have to wear a brace during your training/triathlons/marathons?
I wore a brace for my first few months of returning to sports but now I don’t at all! I live in Colorado so I am super active with hiking, skiing, etc and I never wear a brace. Some surgeons suggest wearing a brace for sports such as soccer and other multidirectional movements, but if you have a great PT who works on those activities during recovery, I don’t see a need to wear a brace once you have healed.
Keep us posted on the recovery!
this made ryan happy!!! thank you so much for your insight!
I wore a brace about two years post-surgery, but that was mostly because I was super freaked out about tearing it again. 14 years later and I do anything I like! Rec soccer, ski, swim, tennis, golf, volleyball, its all good!
I am also a Physical Therapist! I have also had ACL surgery! I never wore a knee brace, if you have a good PT who pushes you I believe you will not need one if his muscles are strengthened properly **unless his surgeon wants Ryan to wear one. It is more for psychological comfort I think.
Ryan’s PT should give him a home exercise program to do on days he does not have PT. Ask for exercise recommendations at EVAL. If Ryan keeps up with exercises he will recover quicker and have less pain at PT. Ryan can still do upper body exercises and some ab workouts such as crunches. Since he is so active I would encourage upper body workouts when seated!
Last thing! I liked keeping a journal of my rehab progress because it helped me see how much I was improvng. It also helped me mentally! Surgery is also so mental/ emotional when you are used to being active!
Thank you! Love the journal idea!
Glad to hear all went well with his surgery!!
Glad to hear everything went well! I am so wary of anything medical too. I admire anyone who can stay in good humor in these situtions. Speedy recovery to Ryan!
None other than he is going to feel fine to get back into soccer and working out WAY before he actually should. Pay attention to the docs and PT’s, they know what they are talking about! Also – PT hurts pretty badly and it isn’t easy. But if he works hard, listens to the doc and doesn’t get out before he should, he should make a full recovery 🙂
For someone as active as Ryan is I guess that ACL is common … best wishes on a speedy recovery … and lots of Sadie kisses will help!!!
That’s a tough surgery! Hope you two (plus the pup, of course) have a relaxing weekend in!
Hope Ryan Feels better.
On an unrelated note I stumbled upon this video and thought you may enjoy since you are expecting. Its very sweet!
http://elitedaily.com/news/world/parents-say-wish-knew-kids-video/1011226/
Glad he is doing well! I have known so many people who have needed ACL surgery and I’m glad his went smoothly!
Hi Julie!
I hope Ryan is feeling well today! I tore my ACL about 5 years ago from playing field hockey. My best advice is that ice is your friend. Even years later I still ice my knee after running or intense exercise. Makes me knee feel much better. Good luck in all the recovery and physical therapy! It’s hard but worth it 🙂
So glad his surgery went well! Hopefully he will have a speedy recovery!
Awe Sadie is so sweet 🙂 Wishing Ryan a fast recovery!
Wow – I had ACL reconstruction 30 years ago. I was in the hospital 4 days and on crutches 12 weeks. The process and recovery are so much better now, but it still a challenging process (PT is never easy). I was in pain for so long, and built up so much scar tissue that I had to have a second surgery. Best wishes on his speedy recovery!
The picture of Sadie by his side on the couch almost brought tears to my eyes!! Sooo precious!! Glad he’s doing well. Ice and pain meds on a regular basis to not get behind on the meds. wish you all the best.
Thank you, Dee!
Glad to know Ryan is in good spirits. Nurse Julie seems to have everything under control! Especially with that lemon bundt cake 🙂
I had my ACL reconstructed 4 years ago and also used my hamstring as a graft. I’d say the most important thing he can do is stick to Physical Therapy VERY strictly. Do all the exercises they give you, don’t ever skip. It really helped me get my mobility & range of motion back quickly. For the most part, my surgeon rocked and I have had no problems since. But I can still tell my hamstring is weak on that leg. Definitely get moving as soon as he’s is cleared. I was lucky in that it wasn’t too painful of a recovery, I hope his is easy too!
You joke about the socks, but my husband had ACL surgery a couple years ago and couldn’t comfortably wear shoes for a little while. I got him an extra pair of sticky socks for walking around the house, and he loved them! These are the ones: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004DEHIHM/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Feeling Ryan’s pain … Had the same surgery 6 months before my wedding ! The biggest thing that save me was the ice man ice machine … It continually pumps cold water through tuning into a pack that you wrap around your knee ! It’s unreal and amazing because you can just turn it off and on when you want instead of using tons of ice packs ! We just stocked up on big bags of ice to keep the ‘cooler’ cold and we were set! My husband had torn both his ACL’s so we are veterans of the surgery! Here’s to a Quick recovery!
Hi,
I just had the same surgery on my left leg in February (with the hamstring graft). I did prehab before surgery and the BEST thing I was told was NOT to prop the pillows under your knee, but instead under your foot. Let the knee hang down a little. Although it is not as comfortable post surgery you will be so much happier in a few weeks. The knee can get stuck in slight flexion and thus make it very difficult to get back to full extension. You don’t want to have the PT manually push it back into extension. It will be way more painful! It is a slow recovery, but I am already feeling so much better. Enjoying lots of walking with my family and dog!
Yes, knee hang! I tore both my ACLs last year (yeah…) and I was more focused on the knee hang after my 2nd one. It helps so much with getting the leg straight. The first week is the most rough. It does get better. My other life savior was a shower chair! You are very unsteady on that leg for a while and it made things alot easier.
No good anesthesia stories?? My husband had knee surgery last year, and as he was coming out of anesthesia and I had met him in the recovery area, he very loudly asked me if I would give him a “groin massage.” He has zero recollection of this incident, but I think the nurses are still talking about it.
LOL!!! Not this time! But when I picked Ryan up after his wisdom teeth surgery, he came out with bloody gauze in his mouth and when he saw me yelled, “Hey BABY!! I’m F-ed up!!!” SOOOO LOUDLY that everyone around us cracking up!
Glad the surgery went well!
I tried Nothing Bundt Cakes a couple months ago, soooo good! I’m rallying to have that for my nephew’s birthday in June.
Just follow the standard protocol! Ice and keep the leg wrapped for the time being to control edema in the area. Generally hamstring grafts heal quickly and easily. Just no resisted hamstring curls for awhile! Quad sets will be his best friend and I hope for a speedy recovery!
Lots of positive thoughts for Ryan!
I had my PCL and MCL done and PT took about 4 months to complete. And I am happy to say…. I AM GOOD AS NEW! I have ZERO problems with my knee now. Doing everything your PT tells you to do (in and out of the PT office) is crucial. It may hurt but just follow their instructions. Doing the at-home “workouts or stretches” definitely helps!! 🙂
Good luck and prayers for a strong recovery for Ryan! One note of encouragement: one of my best guy bffs had this identical surgery a couple of years ago, and I can’t remember how long the recovery was, but I DO remember it “felt” shorter than we’d anticipated, and now he’s so, so, active (he’s a competitive cyclist, plays golf and basketball, and a number of other sports). So prayers and well wishes sent! 🙂
Oh no! I hope Ryan has a fast recovery! I tore my ACL playing soccer in high school and made the HUGE mistake of being impatient and went back to playing soccer 6 months after surgery (after my physical therapists & doctor said I wasn’t ready). Ended up reinjuring my knee pretty badly. I wore a brace with physical activities for about a year-a year & a half after surgery. Still do if I play soccer or anything like that. But I run, walk, spin and do light activity without needing it. Just make sure he listens to his physical therapists (torturers i call them) and make sure he does his at home conditional/strengthening!
-Priscilla