second opinion

i got a second opinion on my knee today and confirmed what i expected: i need to get ACL reconstruction surgery. according to both my first orthopedist and my second one, my ACL in my left knee is completely ruptured (as in, it doesn't exist anymore). the only way to fix a complete rupture is to remove the old ligament and replace it with a new graft (more on what kinds of grafts are available at a later date). the doc said that the surgery is really quick because it's arthroscopic - they don't need to cut the whole knee open, they can make a few small incisions and insert a scope and some instruments into the leg and do the surgery via video camera - neat stuff.

additionally, my medial meniscus is torn. the medial meniscus is the cartilage cushion on the inside part of the knee joint, and it likely got damaged during the accident. the doc will clean up and repair the meniscus damage while he reconstructs the knee.

right now, i'm deciding between a surgery date on august 7th or august 10th. i'd prefer the 7th because that way i will have two weeks of recuperation time at my parents' house before i need to head back to school. tomorrow i will find out whether the surgeon can get time in the operating room on august 7th. either way, i have a couple of weeks to countdown before the surgery date - yikes . . .