At the time, I thought I had just dislocated it. It scared me when I fell more than it hurt, but it still hurt. I didn't hear any pop or anything and I could bend it slightly enough to where I naively thought it wasn't my ACL. At first, I thought it was. I laid on the hard gym floor and thought, "This is what it's like to tear your ACL. This is what my teammates have gone through." Yet I still hoped it wasn't. Fast forward to August 30th, and my surgeon was the bearer of bad news. During all of this, I was doing physical therapy, shocking my leg once a week and doing seemingly useless stretches everyday that in 2 weeks, got my leg to 135 degrees, which is normal even with a torn ACL.
My surgeon wanted to wait another two weeks to give my MCL time to heal and at the next appointment, we scheduled surgery for September 26th. I was nervous, admittedly. He explained that he'd take a tendon from my hamstring and quadruple it and that'd be my new ACL. If it tore during the procedure, they had another one they could use, but it'd be better to use my hamstring instead of someone else's.
It would be the first time I had ever had surgery. I was confident in my doctor. He seemed like he knew what he was doing. I googled him and spent a few hours reading about his background and that settled my nerves a little bit.
I couldn't shave my legs up to 2 days prior to having surgery. I shaved them Saturday morning and of course nicked myself all over because my hands were shaky. Sunday, the 25th, came faster than I wanted it to and as I showered with the annoying anti-bacterial soap, I fought with myself not to cry. I thought about all the plans I had for my senior season, and even college.
Getting ready for bed, I couldn't sleep, obviously. My mind was on edge, running a million miles a minute and it seemed like I wouldn't ever go to sleep. Around 2:15 I finally dozed off, only to wake back up around 3:45 to get ready to leave my house. I changed into clean clothes, a red pullover for warmth and a little comfort. My mom, a friend of mine, and I pulled out of the driveway a little after 4 and headed to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville. My surgery wasn't until 8:15, but I had to be there at 5:30.
We got there at 5:09, my anxious self getting out of the car and yes, taking a snapchat of the front of the building. By the time I got in, it was around 5:15 and the security guard looked at me.
"You must play basketball," he laughed.
"Yes, sir. Well, I did before this happened." I wasn't really up for talking.
"ACL?" I only nodded.
"Where you going for college?"
"I'm not sure yet."
"Tennessee?" I laughed. I laughed the first really good laugh I'd had in a while.
"I can keep dreaming."
"You'll get there." By that time, my mom had made it in and we made it up to the second floor, numerous eye rolls at her jokes by the time we sat down. I remember the woman at the desk asking me if I only had two visitors.
"I got more coming, but two will work for now." My friend and I laughed. There was a cute guy across from us when we sat down. I was too tired to say anything either of them, but man.... he was cute. I was cold, tired, hungry, and scared. More scared than the time I watched American Horror Story alone at night. They finally called me back and the nurse greeted me with a smile.
"This is for you," she said, handing me a gown, socks and wipes. "Take off everything that comes off." The only thing that made this more awkward: it was my time of the month. Yeah. I know.
All was not lost, however. The nurse acted like she saw this on a regular basis and I still changed. I had to call my mom to come tie the gown and a woman opened the door while she was tying it. I was having a great day so far. The socks they provided kept my feet warm as I waited for the nurse to put the IV in. I hate needles, so I was freaking out. I almost passed out the first time she stuck me and then my mom said, "Think of her as one of your teammates." I calmed down a little bit and she stuck me. They gave me the medicine that dopes you up to where you don't care and all I remember after that, is talking about Tennessee with my Anesthesiologist, going back to the operating room (WHICH WAS FREEZING), the woman telling me to take 2 deep breaths, starting to cry, taking one, and I was out.
I woke up, my surgeon at the end of my bed and all I got from what he said, "No weight on your leg." I couldn't feel my left leg from my hip down and I was still very drugged up. They took me back to where people could visit me and I saw my mom and friend happily smiling at me.
"Coach Earnhardt and Teka are here, Coach Wright and Coach Provine too," my mom beamed. She makes me laugh, guys. I don't remember what I said, but soon Coach Wright and Coach Provine came to see me.
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| Left to Right: Coach Wright, Me, and Coach Provine |
"I'm okay. Apparently, I told my Anesthesiologist I loved him and my surgeon I googled him."
"Well, at least you didn't say he was an a-hole," Coach Wright laughed. The three of us kind of laughed together. Before they left, I kind of slurred, "We gotta take a selfie!" I laugh about it now, but at the time, if they had said no, I would have cried. We took a selfie, and I didn't realize how bad I looked until a few days later, but hey... nobody looks great after surgery. Coach Earnhardt and his wife, Teka, came next, I was excited to see them. The nurse came in when they were there, and I smiled, "This is my coach and his wife. My mom and dad away from my mom and dad." You guys, even drugged up, I love them both so much.
Anyway, they left after a couple jokes and small talk. I kind of teared up at the fact the four of them came to see me. That and the nurse brought me some coffee. It was a pretty solid day. By the time I got home, I was still out of it. Having a huge fiasco trying to get in my house, I eventually scooted across the porch on my butt and finally got inside.
This was just surgery day, guys. Check back tomorrow for more updates and if you're going through an ACL injury right now, I'm right here with you.
Happy healing,
Alyssa
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