We took Tanner to a new Ortho Dr yesterday. When I took Tanner to the pediatrician on Monday, I talked to her a long time about Tanner's knee. She suggested that we look at getting a second opinion just to make sure that everyone was on the right/same track. I went home and talked to Steve (and Mike too) about it extensively and we decided a second opinion was a good idea.
Long story short-Tanner is scheduled to have arthroscopic surgery on her knee on July 6, 2009. He will drill three holes in her knee and take out the plica. Dr Powell feels like Tanner's problems stem from plicasyndrome. (Click on that and it'll take you to a website that explains more about plica syndrome)
The plica is a tendon that goes across the top of your knee and quite frankly-it's useless. You don't need it. When it gets mad and inflamed, it stays mad and inflamed. If it's not in the right position/spot, it causes pain as well. In fact, my understanding is that it mimics a meniscus tear.
Dr. Powell said that in adults, he'd give them a cortisone shot before doing surgery to see if that helps. But you can't give kids a cortisone shot. Sometimes it can heal on it's own-most of the time it doesn't. You can try PT sessions and see if that helps, but he said typically it doesn't. I asked him if it were going to heal on it's own, how long would it take. He said about four weeks. We are six weeks post injury.
Therefore, we are doing surgery. It'll be outpatient and recovery time is 3-4 weeks, so that's not bad at all. She should be completely healed and done with PT by time school starts in August.
He said he is concerned because she's not putting any weight on it. He said he's not sure what that's about until he gets in there and looks around. It may just be she's guarding pain or something like that.
He put her in a brace in the meantime. We asked the other Dr twice about a brace and he said she didn't need one. Dr. Powell said that a brace would just stabilize her knee and keep her from torquing it. Tanner said she feels more stable with a brace on, but still walks with her heel off the ground-she said it hurts more if she puts her heel down and puts her full weight on it.
When Mike asked her yesterday what she wanted to do -surgery or no surgery-she just said "I want to get better." We explained to her that surgery isn't 100% certain to make her feel better, but that odds were that it would. She doesn't like the idea of surgery, but she said again that she just wants to feel better.
I am very comfortable with Dr. Powell doing the surgery as is Mike. I loved Dr. Powell because of the way that he examined Tanner. He pushed, pulled, grinded....you name it, he did it. He was very hands on and thorough. It wasn't always comfortable for Tanner, but at least he examined her from all angles and aspects. (The last time I took her to the first Dr, he didn't touch her or examine her one bit, which was kind of frustrating) He was very matter of fact with us and answered all our questions.
Mike asked Dr. Powell about camp and he said as long as she wears her brace, she could go. Mike agreed to let her go after hearing that. Needless to say, Tanner is WAY excited!
So that's the plan.
For the first time in six weeks, I feel comfortable with what we're doing. Not because she has to have surgery (like I was accused of earlier in the week), but because we finally have an answer. I have prayed and prayed that we could just find out what exactly was wrong. I feel like that prayer was finally answered on Thursday. I don't like the idea of someone cutting on my girl, but if that's what it takes to get her better, then I have to trust that she'll be ok.
That's all I know for now. Thank you for praying for her. Please don't stop.
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