Before the Snoopy Rod Classic my left knee was getting sore , during the Classic I was having a hard time bending it far enough to get in and out of the driftboat easily--- as Dogfish and Seastrike can attest to. Now after 6 months of ever increasing pain I had an MRI and the Dr. says that I have, in medical terms, a shredded miniscus on the inside of my left knee and they need to clean it out and that at sometime in the future I'll be a candidate for knee replacement. Has anybody here have had there miniscus completely removed and has does the knee feel after that? The Dr. said that my recovery should be a couple of days off the knee, a few days on cruthes and then about three weeks until I should be ok. Would the knee be more unstable? I have a Craig Alaska trip the end of July, would I need a brace of some kind?

I don't know crap about that surgery but I do know that diligent rehab is the key to success.

Stick with whatever rehab regiment they give to you and keep doing it, no matter if it sucks, hurts, etc. Pretend that your NFL career is on the line and that the only way back is your rehab....

I know 4 people who have had knee surgeries. 2 stayed on their rehab and are at 100%, if not better.

The other 2 were retards and gaffed off, or whined about their rehab and basically quit. Their knees still suck.

I'm going to guess that you'll still be in some form of a knee brace in all or most of July. Even if not, a rolling boat would seem to be a bad idea on a knee. A brace would probably be a good idea, regardless of what stage of rehab you are in at the time you are up there.

Oh yeah, talk to your doctor. Not the internet.

Sorry to hear that JG. I had 1/2 removed from a B ball injury in 83' I have had no problems at all, yours sounds worse though. Like Parker said rehab is the key....good luck!

There is ONE upside to having this knee surgery Jerry... lotsa good pain medication!

I hope it goes smoothly for you.

Jerry,

I've had four knee surgeries due to football, racquetball and kick boxing. Three on my right, the first an ACL zipper job, then two scopes since. My left knee has had one, just a scope. Scopes are a piece of cake, just take it easy afterwards. But if you intend to go fishing soon, get a brace. Spending a day in a rocking boat will have your knee throbbing in no time. The brace will help stabilize your knee against that rocking motion. Ice it down afterwards and take some Advil...........a little tequila won't hurt either.

But don't reply on the brace all the time when you're not fishing. I play racquetball 3 days a week, two to three hours at a time..........no brace. You need to strengthen the ligaments and muscles around the joint and not rely solely on the brace.

Hope it all goes well.

Snake

Parker's got it all wrong, as usual.

Get a filet knife, some fly tying glasses, a tube of super glue, a bullet, and some paper towels. The bullet is to bite on.

My dad had arthroscopic surgery on both knees, and is doing well. As Parker stated, the rehab is what helped him through the recovery.

When are you going to be up in Craig? I'll be staying at Ruth Ann's in downtown Craig August 2-5. I'll buy you a beer or two.

Hate to break the bad news to ya, bro, but arthroscopic surgery to clean up a shredded maniuscus is about equivalent to flossing and brushing a rotten tooth. You need a root canal (knee replacement).

Removing the shredded shi% will stop some of the pressure, but your still bone on bone. The pain will still be something of an issue.

Jerry,I had my medial meniscus removed due to a bucket handle tear in 98.I was off work for 2 weeks ,then right back at it and I am on my feet and up and down stairs most of the day. I was also told that I would need an artificial knee in 7-10 years. Well it's been 10 years and only lately have I been getting a little pain now and then[I think it's the weather though] I was told to just work on straightening my leg on my own after surgery and it was fine. I was also told if I had went for surgery right away they would have been able to repair it. How about you? Good luck with the knee and also up in Craig. I would wear one of the neoprene supports while your fishing..... Rod

ohhhhh, i'm also part of this bum knee team. throbing right now as a matter of fact. its been scoped and black&deckered. screws, pins and 2 16penny nails. every knee doc says i qualify to get a artificial. but still say i'm to young.

I didn't have the whole miniscus removed but I did have a portion that was torn cut out. I have to say that the whole thing was simple. I was in and out of the office in a few hours and actually walked to the car afterward. I went through about 2 weeks of "weakness" but very little pain. Now, I have to look closely to even see which knee was done. I ended up with only 3 very small dot type of scars around the knee. Modern medicine is amazing.

Removing the whole miniscus would be a bigger deal but on the scale of surgeries, this one is fairly low on the list. Good luck. If nothing else, it is a good excuse to lounge around for a week or two.

-Kaiser D.

Mine was torn and folded under. They cut it off at the tear and cleaned it up. I waited too long to have it done so now I show some degeneration of the hip from compensating. I recovered quickly, they wanted me walking the next day. However, before the surgery my knee would lock up when bending it now it feels loose side to side and the pitch of a roof, etc can cause extreme pain like a rubber band ready to snap.

I saw what they did so if you want to save some coin I have:

A pressure washer.
An optical scope.
And a drill with various small tools.
You'd have to provide your own Alaskan Amber though.

With those tools I might step up to Patron. I'll keep your offer in mind. Mine would lock up but with the anti-inflamitories that I'm on locking is not an issue--- it just pops all the time. The anti-inflamitory is well known for causing bleeding in the stomach so I'm cutting down on them some.

Jerry,

I have always had bad knees, soft meniscus. In the mid 80's had to have lots of meniscus removed due to ski injuries. The last few years both knees bone on bone. Really sore and unstable, unable to make down to the river bank. 2 months ago had a total knee replacement on the right one. So much better. The operation/recovery was much easier than the horror stories I heard. Will have the other one done this fall, after the cataracts get taken care of. It sucks, this getting old stuff! Anyway my advice as others have said do the PT that is recommended and keep the muscles etc strong. Good Luck

70 % medial miniscus ? removed 22 years ago. The high price of gas has me bicycle commuting, and the legs have not felt this good in a long time. Don`t be a couch potato.

JG -- my father in law is an orthopedist, I can get you detailed answers to any specific question if you have them. I've also had ACL reconstruction and know a good local (seattle) guy if you want him. He is (for as long as they're in Seattle) also the Sonics team orthopedist--a good and talented guy.

Re: the arthroscopic surgery to clean up the meniscus -- will it be a complete removal, or removing only the damaged part (which seems much more likely). Get them to estimate the percent they're removing, it'll help you evaluate options.

Total knee surgery has come hugely far in the last 10-20 years, I know both doctors and patients who swear this surgery is borderline magic at this point. Most people are afraid of the surgery (it does, indeed sound scary) but the vast majority kick themselves afterwards for waiting so long, because the results are very good.

My 2c, knowing next to nothing about your specific situation, is to have the scope/cleanup done and see if that buys you a few (10?) years. The total knee prosthesis and techniques are only getting better and better... Postponing so long as you're comfortable seems reasonable. But even if you have to or decide to do the total knee sooner than later, I believe you'll be happy with the results.

I believe it will be a total removal as the menicus is pretty shredded. I have my pre-op physical this afternoon and when I make my appointment tomorrow I'll find out the percentage but my feeling was in the exam that it would be a total removal. I do have a recumbent exersize bike that I use everyday so the rehab should be very doable.

Good Luck on the surgery JG.

I don't know [censored] about a lot of things but have the knee surgery deal down solid. I beat my knees to quivering goo with dirt bikes. Both ACL's have been replaced, 50 % of my meniscus has been removed in each knee, and a collateral that will always be torn. The best advice has been given.. its all about how hard you work after the surgery. I feel what you do in the first couple of weeks is critical. Tempting to lay around but you have to move it and work it.

I don't know if you guys will remember this but in sept 03 after my last ACL replacement, I got a large blood clot. Long story short a piece broke off and I caught it in the lung ( pulmonary embolism x 2 in 10 hours) I should have died. A week sleeping in a hospital bed getting heprin shots in the gut 3 times a day, and blood thinners for a year cleared that right up. On the up side, I don't ride much any more and I feel pretty good these days

I hope your surgery goes good. I don't have any experience with knee surgery. Thank God! However they'll hook you up with some good drugs that will dull the pain. One of my fishing buds is having his knee scoped next week the day before we're meeting up to fish. He'll probably be on all sorts of painkillers.

Should put you two on the same level then. Numb, dumb, steelhead fun!

J.G. - I've had a nice portion of my miniscus taken out of the inside/front part of my left knee. Felt better right away to get that flap of torn miniscus out of there. Yes, I had it drained a couple times afterward, but I was on a plane to Alaska 2 days later, fishing on the banks of the kenai and with Bob for the next few days, out on the ocean for Halibut, then back on the banks of river again. Ditching the crutches by the time I was heading home. Running and water-skiing 2 weeks later. Easy surgery. BUT, a complete removal of the whole miniscus would be a bigger deal, must be torn or worn in several places, replacement will be your friend soon I suspect if that is the case.

J.G.
I've had two meniscus surgeries done to me in the last eight years. Left knee both times. My advice follow the rehab plan diligently. Parker said what my experience was. The first surgery I waited too long to start rehabbin my knee and it took damn near a year for it to work right. The second one I began 'habbin it the day of the surgery. Recover was like three weeks. Playing softball after 5 weeks. By the way the second one I watched the doctor do on a big screen. I was told after the second one I was on the 5 year plan for the scope, if I continued an active life stlye. You should be good for a trip in late July if you go soon to get it done. Good Luck
-Todd M.

It all sounds good--- with the recumbent exersize bike I can give the knee a good workout without putting much weight on it. I plan on watching the procedure on the screen as I find that kind of stuff really interesting. The pre-op physical went well so I make mtyappointment today and hopefully get in the the next couple of weeks.

What can I say Marsha, who am I to turn them away.

Yes Aunty, that trimming is called a circumcision

Richard, I have had the medial miniscus removed from both of my knees. Had the right one removed about 16 years ago followed by the left one two years later. Each removal was proceeded by a repair that lasted about a year. The repair required a long incision on the inside of the leg and the removal required three small holes in the knee area. There are some other options to knee replacement before you go that route. They now have a synthetic replacemant material that wasn't available 14 years ago. My knee started to ache last fall and I went to see the Doc. X-rays showed some arthritis starting in the knee joint but that was at 50 y.o.a. and 14 years after removal. Now after all this time I had a cortizone shot in one knee joint last year and that helped a lot. I take the glucosamine tablets daily now and that also helps.

Thanks Steve. I take the glucosamine everyday also. My x-rays showed some arthritis starting. Dr. said it would be three small holes. He also said there was an injection of some acid that is normally present in healthy knees but seems to be lower in people with knee problems. So was your knee in good shape a month after the removal?

I was walking on it with in 24 hours of the removal with out anything but an ace bandage. When I had the repairs it took several days plus I was in a rigid brace for several weeks, the kind with dial indicators on each side. Each week I would adjust the range of motion. The removal was much easier than the repair (which didn't really work).

Thanks Steve.

Jerry, odds are you'll feel like someone knee capped you with a crow bar but they will want you up and starting to walk the next day. You'll be real stiff but they even wanted me climbing my stairs the next day. It's more of not being able to bend it thing. Like said in about a week you'll feel a lot better and three weeks all's pretty good. I feel jipped that I didn't get injected with acid though. Maybe they felt there was enough left over in my system from the 1970's. Oh, one thing that was kind of weird....they gave me a marker and I had to write YES on the leg to be scoped and NO on the good leg. Glad I got it right.

Thanks stlhead--- as long as they give me a script for some Vicoden I'll be OK.

You have to watch out if you are taking the V. You will need help taking a dump.

If you come up short on vicodin, I have a bunch left over from dealing with my neck injury. I must have high resistance; it takes a bunch to get me loopy.

Sg

Thanks for all the replies guys and Auntie should find out my date today.
Expect a call from Joe Salmo.

Salmo g:
My knee hurts!