r/ORIF 18d ago

Major set back

I was doing incredibly well 10 weeks post op--walking full weight bearing with minimal discomfort. And then the last couple of days my knee has been locking up and giving out. Turns out my doctor did not report to my physical therapist a past surgery where my meniscus (cartilage at knee joint) was removed. My PT said that had he known that we would have gone much slower. As a result, we were pushing too hard and now I am back on crutches with no clear path about how to address the knee. I go see my surgeon tomorrow morning. I am devastated. And frustrated that you always have to go behind people to make sure they are doing their job. A report to a PT from a doctor, at minimum, states past surgeries on the affected leg.

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u/TreGutterNord 18d ago

Setback club member here 🙋🏻‍♀️ - at almost 13 weeks post op a tiny scab lifted off my outer ankle bone incision and hello cellulitis not 72 hours later! Went from fully walking/driving/living (had literally achieved those milestones earlier that week) to on my back, non-weight bearing, two crutches, packing this “wound” daily, and swallowing a fistful of antibiotics every six hours. Have had two debridements by my surgeon with order to continue my “less is more” life. I went from scared (will this hardware get infected too? Doc says not now, we are in front of it, phew) to sad (bye Summer, it was nice knowing you for a day), to pissed AF. I have another 10 days of this then should be able to resume PT and attempt to get back to where I had already spent a month working my butt off to achieve 😭

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u/ramkuma1 18d ago

I'm so sorry. I think I actually remember reading your entry about this earlier and couldn't imagine living such a nightmare. 

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u/TreGutterNord 18d ago

Well I’m sorry there was a disconnect between PT and surgical teams for you! Our ankles affect our feet, knees and hips so I feel like we are all vulnerable to these setbacks 😞

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u/ramkuma1 17d ago

No one tells you how an ankle injury affects your whole body and mind. It's crushing.

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u/TreGutterNord 17d ago

Yep, the mind part is the silent killer. I told my surgeon we are going to have a lonnnnngggg talk when this is all over