Seven Surgeries Later
I have to be honest about something. I’ve talked at length about my limb-lengthening procedure when I was a teenager, but what I haven’t spoken about is the additional surgery I needed as a young adult.
After my surgeries as a teen, I thought I was in the clear. After many months of rehab, I made a full recovery, and was able to resume high school sports my senior year. I then went on to play four years of college soccer (which was incredible). All throughout my college career, in the back of my mind, I had a sense of that lingering right knee pain that I was all too familiar with, but I tried to ignore it. Chalked it up to quad tendinitis, overuse injuries with soccer, etc. Post-college I continued with maintaining my physical fitness and health routine. The only thing was, I noticed that persistent, nagging anterior knee pain didn’t go away post-soccer. When Covid hit and forced the world to slow down a bit, I said enough is enough. I scheduled an appointment with my surgeon.
I was hopeful going into that appointment. I was working as a PT, so I was really, really hopeful that he was going to tell me to see a physical therapist and work on my muscle imbalances. Spoiler! that’s not what happened. I had my Xray’s taken, then I saw my favorite surgeon after 9 whole years!! We caught up, and then he delivered the news I was hoping wouldn’t come. Surgery again? Really? Unfortunately, with the specific limb-lengthening procedure I had as a teen, there was quite a bit more variance with the accuracy than in more recent procedures. My surgeon told me my femur was still slightly flexed, creating almost a hard stop between my knee cap and my thigh bone (hence the anterior knee pain). Was this the end of the world? No. In that moment, though, it felt like a gut punch. The thought of another surgery, of “starting over” again was just overwhelming. It just meant that I had to have a lil’ tune-up on my leg. My “fun fact” with get-to-know-you ice breakers is that I’ve broken my femur 3 times (technically only once by injury and twice surgically), still true though.
This experience taught me something important: as a young adult, I had to face the trauma of my past. That lingering feeling, looming over me knowing what another surgery meant. Time off of work, physical therapy, re-starting my fitness journey, limited activities, mental hurdles, having to be taken care of by my mom. I remember one specific night when I let myself cry. It had been an overwhelming day full of PT exercises, walking, the sheer exhaustion of it all. But the next morning? It was a new day. I reset my intentions, reminded myself of my long-term goal, and kept going. This time around, I had this sense of “I’ve been here before,” and if I had overcome it once before, I could do it again. This outlook gave me a sense of peace and resilience to get through yet another leg surgery. My support system, past experiences, being diligent with my exercises, getting my rest, and enjoying the slower pace for a while is what allowed me to get through that hard time with a bit more ease. Were there tears, frustrating moments, and sleepless nights because of pain? Absolutely. But I also knew that these things were a normal part of the healing process.
At the end of the day, my past experiences allowed me to get through another surgery with greater ease than before. Have you ever faced something you thought you couldn’t handle, only to realize you were stronger than you knew? I hope this can be a lesson that whatever challenge you are currently going through, or have gone through, is a lesson to allow you to handle future challenges with much greater ease. The future you will thank the current you for your strength and grit. Keep going, you’re stronger than you think.
With strength and love,
Michaela
