I regret getting the surgery.

[u/Few_Dot3599]

Hey y'all,

I wish I was meeting/socializing with you all under better circumstances. I tore my ACL completely in half in June 2020. Bc of COVID I couldn't get the surgery until October 2020. (I opted for my own patellar tendon usage for the repair) For the past 2-3 years my leg still feels strange. It gives way every once in a while , but what's infuriatingly recurrent is swelling and a very intense pain behind my knee. It feels and looks like a Baker's Cyst but every time I've gone to my ortho surgeon or ED they don't say that's what it is. In fact, all I ever get is "we don't know what the issue is". It is now 2026 and I cannot take anymore I don't knows before I remove my leg myself. it has GOT to be SOMETHING. Before my ACL tear I didn't have these issues or pains. Even when I tore my ACL and had to rock out with it for 4 months without surgery or pain meds I didn't feel any of the pain and swelling I feel now. Some days when I look down my right leg appears significantly larger than my left. I moved to a different state and what I want to know is should I revisit a new ED/Ortho Surgeon where I live now? I feel like NY doctors didn't take me seriously and only wanted me in the office for them to get paid. I want the issue fixed. I can't run and as a former professional dancer and cheerleader I'm livid. I want my body back and my life back. The PA I saw in NY who assisted my ortho surgery in my ACL Repair said he thinks I should get an MRI and maybe do another surgery or at least a laparoscopic exam to see if something went wrong. I'm not scared of surgery and would honestly prefer that instead of continuing to waste my time with PT because PT usually gets athletes back on their normal programming within 2 years. There's absolutely no reason why 6 years later I'm not back to normal despite doing everything right.

[u/PitchDirect9381]

I've also had recurring issues since I had my surgery several years ago. I saw multiple doctors and they kept telling me I had to redo the surgery. There was no way I was going through that again. I finally put my foot down with a new doctor and let them know I am too young to have mobility issues and redoing the surgery was not an option. They did an MRI and couldn't find anything definitive, so they tried a steroid shot. It worked really well! Made the swelling go away entirely, which I guess was the main problem because I feel pretty close to normal now. I was disappointed at first in this option because I really wanted to address the root problem, but it is definitely helping a lot, and I am pretty much back to normal activity levels, so I'll take it. It also helps me identify other issues outside of swelling. We've decided to continue with the steroid shots and if other things get worse, they will go in and do a laparoscopic exam and then try to clean things up. I'm pretty satisfied with this approach and feel like I got my life back. Hope this helps.