The Big Sign Off
Today was a big day – it’s been over one year since surgery and I went for a final checkup with my surgeon.
In the morning I went for an MRI scan. The hum of the machine is normal for me now and it was over fast.
Next was a midday appointment with Mr Bilal Barkatali. We went over my progress since the last checkup including starting running, playing Padel, kitesurfing, and all the conditioning training I have been doing.
Everything feels good at this stage, and I had nothing negative to report, except for some stifness/pain I felt during the return to sport tests with Matt.
We went over the MRI scan and everything with the new ACL is great. The bone tunnels have healed correctly, the ACL position is correct, and the strength of the graft looks good.
The meniscus repairs all look good although he did note some degradation in the posterior of my medial meniscus. This matches what I had felt a couple of months ago and put some doubts in my mind.
My biggest concern in this surgery, and previous surgeries, was the meniscus. I know the ACL can be replaced quite reliably but it’s not the same for the meniscus. If the damage is in the wrong place or the repair fails, it may need to be partially removed. This leaves the articular cartilage exposed to more stress, which can lead eventually to arthritis and total knee replacements.
I know I am catastrophising here. My concern is real and this does happen, but I have to remember I have done everything I can. All I can do now is keep training hard, slowly increase the intensity of my sports, and trust I can deal with any more issues that might come up.
Bilal has been incredible from start to finish, and in a strange way it felt a bit sad that this might be my last appointment. He is motivating with great positive energy, and understands that this recovery is much more than just the surgery.
The surgery still feels like a miracle to me. I am forever grateful that the key structures in my knee have been replaced and I can continue doing the activities I love.
We spoke a bit more about playing Padel and my plans for an upcoming snowboarding trip. We discussed some strategies on strengthening, stretching, and building up slowly.
And with that, I am now officially signed off from surgery as fully recovered.
Time for a celebration!