Esmeralda's Road

If you haven’t read part one of the story leading up to my osteotomy for valgus knee arthritis, check that one out first. 

So, where did I leave off? Ah yes! My first surgery did not have optimal results. Actually, it was quite the opposite. As I mentioned in my first article, I am sure that there was some sort or medical contribution to the botched results, but I am also 1000% sure that my lack of proper at-home recuperation was a huge factor. And again, I live in Italy so the surgery was free (both of them). Also, see featured image for evidence of my “rest & recuperation” two weeks post surgery… in my defense, my mom was flying in from Atlanta after 24hrs of travel! 🙃

Anywho! Here is what happened. Firstly, I did not know that I was actually supposed to work on bending and extending my leg. Again, error on their part for not explaining. Secondly, given that I am suuuuch a hyperactive person, I thought that simply not leaving the house and using a wheelchair at home constituted 30 days of rest. Tee fuckin hee. I had my first recovery period at my husband’s childhood home, which is 350sq meters (3,800sq ft) see image below for the enormous living room and kitchen beyond.

That meant that  just walking to the bathroom was quite the journey. I also hadn’t thought about sitting while brushing my teeth or washing my face. The bedroom and main bathroom were upstairs, the kitchen and half bath were downstairs, so I kept the (rented) wheelchair downstairs, since that was where I needed it most. 

I figured that not driving and sitting for “most” of the day was plenty of rest! EHHH! (tha’st a buzzer) WRONG! Not only was I doing all of the above, I ALSO had the habit of merely “touching” my foot to the ground “just for balance.” Now that I’ve had the second osteotomy and have made sure to not so much as graze the floor with the affected leg, I see that setting my foot down for balance definitely does NOT count as putting no weight on it. 

I swear I thought I was resting…

I thought that sitting in the chair MOST of the time while I was cooking for myself was perfectly restful! Of course I was still reaching up for cabinets for dishes, food items, etc… all while setting that one foot down “just for balance.” I did also have regular follow ups and x-rays so I’m not sure why the damage done wasn’t caught earlier on. Again, I didn’t look into it too much since I know I would have probably botched it myself.

Anyway, whatever the reason, the point is I had to redo the surgery. I had a hankering that something was off for a few weeks prior to the actual confirmation, which was on October 31st just over two months post-surgery. I’d noticed that my leg was getting less and less straight as the weeks went on, but everyone was like “oh it’s probably just the swelling” “your leg still needs to adjust to the new upgrades (lol)” etc etc. Not to mention that I myself didn’t want to accept that something had gone wrong. 

Finally on October 17th, about a month and a half post-op, I sent some photos to my surgeon. He asked me to get x-rays done and once he saw them, he asked me to come in to check me out in-person. 

A quick exam led to him confirming that I had to have the same surgery done again. I was sad but not surprised. The nice thing was that my surgeon immediately got on the phone with a nationally renowned specialist. He got him to agree to doing the second surgery while he assisted. My first surgery was done quite a ways away from Florence. So my doctor, wanting to make the process as safe and easy for me as possible, organized to assist the expert in a town much closer to mine. 

All I wanted was to have it done as soon as possible, but we had a few obstacles to overcome. First we had to get both surgeon’s schedules to line up, second, we needed to find a nearby town, with a private clinic, where they were both allowed to operate. And finally, said clinic had to allow the surgery to happen ASAP.

First they tried a town one hour away, but given that I’m not a resident there and the surgery was time-sensitive, they didn’t grant us permission. The thing about universal healthcare is that procedures are typically done in order of urgency (life threatening) or waiting list. So they tried another town, two hours away. Luckily they said yes! But the date was December 9th, so I had to wait over five additional weeks. Over three months after the original surgery 🥲 The longest “recovery” ever.

I was dejected, yet resigned. The suckiest part was being in a never ending post-op cycle (fake recuperation 😢) But I gave into my situation and refused to wallow (save for some days, that’s healthy). I’m very lucky that my freelance work is super flexible, and most of all that my husband covers our living expenses. So I was able to remain on bedrest the entire time leading up to the second surgery. That’s also how I was able to write an article on tips for at home recuperation post leg surgery. I’ll link that here as soon as it’s posted!

If only I’d rested like this from Day 1…

Anyway, December 9th finally rolled around. I’d booked an Airbnb for three nights. The night before, the night of and the night after, since I’d be kept post-op for two nights. 

Once again, I was only given an epidural, so I was awake for most of the surgery… for the second time this year. One positive (since I’m an optimist) was that my faith in the new surgeon was doubly confirmed by the fact that there were doctors observing him. So obviously he’s good enough for his work to be studied. 

Back in my room, I woke up with a sturdy, locking-hinge, full leg brace. See image above. I’m not sure that’s the correct term but what I mean by locking hinge is that the brace allows for bending which can be limited (as is necessary) by locking the hinges at a specific degree. Mine was kept at 90° for the first two weeks. As is typical, I had drainage tubes, but rather than having them removed the following day, my surgeon’s protocol was to keep them in two days. The doctors who would check in on me morning and evening were skeptical about this practice. But in the end they were impressed with the amount of additional fluid that was drained thus majorly reducing swelling and bruising. I wouldn’t have known as much if I hadn’t had that first surgery where the back of my knee was the color of eggplant (aubergine for my EU friends) and the swelling made my knee twice its usual size.

Upon discharge, I was told that bending and extending exercises were vital to proper healing. Having not bent or extended my knee the first time around the original plaque had gotten lodged and locked my knee mostly in place. After the second surgery I was able to bend my knee MORE than I’d been able to for the several months after the first one. 

So… No Mt. Etna 2wks post op?

I’m writing this two weeks post-op, in the thick of recuperation. So I wrote some tips for at-home post-op care now that I’ve had to recuperate for the last four months. I’ll link that here when it’s posted! 

But also yes, my knee was looking more and more crooked by the day :’)

Mkay toodles!!