May 9, 2003

•      My son's appointment with the orthopedic surgeon didn't go so well today. He poked, pressed & manipulated his leg, then went into his diagnosis & treatment recommendation.

  
  

       He carefully explained each of the ligaments in the knee, showing them on a plastic model. He also pointed out the meniscus... the cushion between the upper (femur) & lower(tibia) leg bones.

  
  

       What the doctor said was that he believes my son tore the meniscus in one or two places. Also that he tore the anterior cruciate ligament. The former he said normally heals well on its own, barring strenuous use, especially at my son's age. Unfortunately, that ligament NEVER repairs itself!

  
  

       He said my son has two options. First, he could do nothing, allowing the body to heal as well as it can. This means NO skateboarding... EVER AGAIN! Or, he can opt for surgery, which would mean barring him from skateboarding  (& similar activities while in therapy & healing) for 4-6 months.

  
  

       The surgery would involve stealing tendon tissue from either his patella (ligamentum patellæ) or hamstring. This would then be strung through the knee area, replacing the ripped ligament. The doctor had explained previous methods & replacement materials that have been tried in the past (including cadaver donor tissue) & since discarded. He also described what happens to the ligament when it rips as my son had done to it.

  
  

       Apparently, as the doc mentioned, this was the day for the same injury with several of his patients... 3 of them before my son! Not good. I asked about my son having an MRI. He 'harumphed' that quickly. Like a dummy, I asked, "You're that sure?" We were dismissed.

  
  

       This doc looks alot like a former State Representative for this island, & since his last name is the same, I asked if they were related at the beginning of the consult. He said yes, but he was the better-looking one. After I mentioned that the one I knew was in politics, he said yes, as well as their dad, who passed several months ago.

  
  

       I learned from someone that the woman who helped us with the referral to this doctor has a kid who had surgery by this doctor. It wasn't her place to recommend any doctor specifically, but other than the orthopedist who now owns the house I grew up in, I had no knowledge of any of them. The one I do know is on vacation through the end of the month & also no longer does surgery, working his way to retirement. She only said that this doc seems good, especially with teens. I'm thankful for her stepping close to the line for us.

  
  

       My son has one week to decide what he wants to do or not. If he wants to continue to be as active as he enjoys, I have to agree that surgery is the answer, but I will allow him to make that decision, since he knows to not have the surgery could mean totally ruining his knee joint, if overworked or from another such incident, making it irreparable.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  The affected area in my son's knee is highlighted in green. Image borrowed from Gray's Anatomy online.

  • 4:30 am
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