Phew, the battle is over. I have survived the ~2 hours surgery for my left knee. I had attained a slight tear on my Anterior Cruciate Ligament, which is commonly known as ACL, as well as my meniscus on my left knee when I was in a Netball competition in my college days. So, what happens is on and off, I get my left leg bending in sometimes and then bending out again because the ligament is torn and it can no longer hold the entire knee structure in place. At first my condition improved with about 6 months of physiotherapy and I could walk, run, jump and even wear heels again.
But just one fine day, while I wearing my little red wedges (~2 inches only) that I bought from Hong Kong for about S$8 I think, the shoe strap suddenly broke and wala, I tore my ACL completely. Went to the doc’s and 2 doctors said that I have to go for surgery so I picked up my courage and went for it.
So this is a photo of me pre-surgery:
(I look like I’m in a going to bathe with the shower cap and bathrobe)
And after just a blink of an eye (to me it was pretty short because I was under General Anesthesia (GA)), I was back in the ward! GA made me very nauseous and drowsy so I kind of slept the whole day but in between with my family and friends visiting me.
(I know I look hideous without make up and with all that messy hair. And hahaha I look bug-eyed.)
Dr Lim Mui Hong is the surgeon who operated on me and really gave me very comforting words before and after the surgery. I still remember how he held my hand firmly telling me not to worry and that I was in good hands. It was really comforting :’) Oh and to all of our surprise, after trimming the meniscus, he gave the trimmed meniscus back to me:
(Looks a lot like a piece of squid. Just a piece of meniscus :/)
During the time in the hospital, a my family members and a few of my good friends came to accompany me and talk to me. They even bought me my favourite macarons from Canele and Laduree! I was so touched (:
(Here’s Cuddles who accompanied my throughout my time in the hospital)
Then when it was time to go home, I was so excited because I could finally get into the comfort of my own home!
My lovely brother let me have his room for this period of time when my leg is not functional, and beloved mummy decorated it with all my soft toys and even changed the bedsheet to my favourite purple colour!
So, surgery’s done. All that’s left to do now is recover. Having a bulky robotic leg now isn’t easy at all especially trying to maneuver everywhere. Even shifting the leg on the bed has become a difficult task to do. I just wish that I can get back my leg again soonest possible..
Take good care of your legs people! Like me, you really never know when you will encounter these things. I used to think such stuff will never happen to me and it did. It’s really important to take care of yourself especially your own body.
Singapore's Beauty Blogger.
ParadeOfLove, a parade of all the things, I, as a beauty junkie love. Bound by wanderlust, I get inspired through my travel adventures from time to time too!
Watch this space for beauty reviews and makeup tutorials.
Hi Roanna, thanks for sharing your experience. I tore my ACL last month and it's high grade partial tear. I was wondering how your progressing now that it's a few months down the line? I am a keen footballer and just want to get back to playing as soon as possible. Are you back on the netball court?
Hey there! Mine was a complete tear on my ACL and a tear on the meniscus too. I am currently on my 4th month in physio therapy and I can say that the journey hasn't been easy but going for physio really helped me in recovering! I can do light running now but it would take me another 5 months to go back on court. Some of my fellow ACL physio classmates have actually graduated from the physio class and are back to their sports as I see them doing agility drills and sprints in the class. I would advise going for the surgery no matter what because it is worth it to fix the leg especially for the journey ahead of us. Jiayou okay? Do leave your name next time so I can better address you! (:
hi Roanna, I am in the process of choosing a surgeon for my complete ACL tear injury. How are you doing now 11 months post surgery? Would you recommend the same surgeon?
Hello dear! 🙂 I actually went for only 6 months of physio and I stopped prematurely because of work commitments, kinda lazy to go back now since I can now walk and jog. I know I should complete the course of physiotherapy but I am pretty much procrastinating. Anyway, Dr Lim from Tan Tock Seng is really a very dedicated and skilled surgeon I would say. The surgery went well and there are no implications thereafter. I would say, the path to complete recovery still rely very heavily on physiotherapy. Hope this helps dear! Let me know how do I address you!
Thank you! 🙂
Jiayou and hang in there, you'll get through it. Stay strong!
(I look like I’m in a going to bathe with the shower cap and bathrobe)
4 comments
Hi Roanna, thanks for sharing your experience. I tore my ACL last month and it's high grade partial tear. I was wondering how your progressing now that it's a few months down the line? I am a keen footballer and just want to get back to playing as soon as possible. Are you back on the netball court?
Hey there! Mine was a complete tear on my ACL and a tear on the meniscus too. I am currently on my 4th month in physio therapy and I can say that the journey hasn't been easy but going for physio really helped me in recovering! I can do light running now but it would take me another 5 months to go back on court. Some of my fellow ACL physio classmates have actually graduated from the physio class and are back to their sports as I see them doing agility drills and sprints in the class. I would advise going for the surgery no matter what because it is worth it to fix the leg especially for the journey ahead of us. Jiayou okay? Do leave your name next time so I can better address you! (:
hi Roanna, I am in the process of choosing a surgeon for my complete ACL tear injury. How are you doing now 11 months post surgery? Would you recommend the same surgeon?
Hello dear! 🙂 I actually went for only 6 months of physio and I stopped prematurely because of work commitments, kinda lazy to go back now since I can now walk and jog. I know I should complete the course of physiotherapy but I am pretty much procrastinating. Anyway, Dr Lim from Tan Tock Seng is really a very dedicated and skilled surgeon I would say. The surgery went well and there are no implications thereafter. I would say, the path to complete recovery still rely very heavily on physiotherapy. Hope this helps dear! Let me know how do I address you!
Thank you! 🙂
Jiayou and hang in there, you'll get through it. Stay strong!