ACL surgery

momosa

Hi All,

I hope this is the correct thread, apologies if not. I have just received word form the physio that I need ACL reconstruction and will hopefully attend Santry Sports Clinic. Does anyone know how long the waiting list is there; booking a consultation and then the actual operation? Thank you in advance.

MartyMcFly84

I think if you are going full private its fairly quick.

My team mate paid for his in cash and I think he had a three week time until the operation.

I had mine through my insurance in a public hospital with a surgeon from the Santry Sports clinic and was waiting 6-8 months.

redzer_irl

I have had ACL Reconstruction on both knees in SSC covered by health insurance. Both times there was a wait time of ~3 weeks for the appointment to see the surgeon/to get MRI and ~3 weeks wait after that for the operation.

momosa

Thanks guys, appreciate that! Just received word this afternoon that I have a consultation in 4 weeks so hopefully shouldn't be too long after that, thanks again.

ESBPadraig

Do your rehab every day and you will be stronger than you were before the injury, I severed my acl 4 years ago and went on to play some of my best football after it. I haven't had any bother from my knees since the operation thankfully but I am still concsious of it and try to mantain a certain amount of rehab all the time.

dceire

Hi All,

Good to read your stories and experiences with ACL surgery as I have it all ahead of me. Tore mine in June and met it a consultant in Santry today. I tore it playing for my football team who only have basic cover and I've none of my own. They're happy to take me in out in Santry but the insurance company are saying they'll only pay half if I go there; leaving me to stump up €2.5-3k myself. They're pushing me to go to the Beacon clinic and say they'll cover the entire cost if I go there.

My only concern is all the references I've gotten from my doctor, physio, club members etc. have been to get it done in Santry as they're the best; this is what I ideally want. I have no frame of reference for the Beacon and cannot find much information on the Beacon as far as ACL surgery is concerned. Has anyone on here had ACL surgery in the Beacon or have any knowledge of it?

I want to give myself the best possible chance of a full recovery with little or no long term effects and am willing to pay for it if I really have to.

My consultant also works out of Cappagh hospital and it work's out slightly cheaper there but with more of a waiting list. Any ideas how long I might have to wait as a private patient in a public hospital?

Thanks in advance for any info on this.

redzer_irl

Hi dceire,

Santry has a very good reputation because it's a modern hospital with good facilities (rooms, MRI, physio department) but most importantly it has surgeons who have a huge amount of skills and experience in ACL reconstruction.

If the surgeon you are looking to go with works out of Cappagh also, it will probably be cheaper as they generally do not have private rooms in Cappagh.
Your best bet would be to phone the admissions department in Cappagh and they will be able to give you the latest waiting times.

MartyMcFly84

I had mine done in Cappagh by Niall Hogan who also works out of the Santry Sports clinic also.

I only had a basic insurance cover but it was all completely covered by my insurance if I had it done in Cappagh.

I got a private room out of it also. But not sure if this is the norm. The hospital was very quite with few patients when I was there so I got great attention from nurses.

Really its the surgeon that counts not location. They have the same instruments its just in a different place. I was treated really well, I suppose the place is not as modern or aesthetically as nice as Santry but there is nothing wrong with it.

The down side was I was waiting 6 months after the consultation at least. Consultation was done in Santry Sports clinic and the Surgery in Cappagh. However you will find in the mean time you can actually do quite a bit once the swelling goes down, It also gives you a chance to build muscle pre surgery so your recovery time coming back is faster.

dceire

MartyMcFly84 wrote: »

I had mine done in Cappagh by Niall Hogan who also works out of the Santry Sports clinic also.

I only had a basic insurance cover but it was all completely covered by my insurances if I had it done in Cappagh.

I got a private room out of it also. But not sure if this is the norm. The hospital was very quite with few patients when I was there so I got great attention from nurses.

Really its the surgeon that counts not location. They have the same instruments its just in a different place. I was treated really well, I suppose the place is not as modern or aesthetically as nice as Santry but there is nothing wrong with it.

The down side was I was waiting 6 months after the consultation at least. Consultation was done in Santry Sports clinic and the Surgery in Cappagh. However you will find in the mean time you can actually do quite a bit once the swelling goes down, It also gives you a chance to build muscle pre surgery so your recovery time coming back is faster.

Yea, I actually had my consultation with Niall Hogan yesterday and he came highly recommended. He had mentioned that he works out of Cappagh which seems to work out €750 cheaper than Santry but he said he didn't know how long the wait would be; I see you said it was 6 months for you. He can get me in for surgery in Santry in the 2-4 weeks region. It's been about 8 weeks since I've done the injury and I've been doing a lot of exercise over the past month or so, mostly cycling and swimming along with the work my physio gave me. I feel in very good shape and would really like to get the op ASAP.

Niall mentioned that it could be done as a day case in Santry which would bring the cost to within €250 of Cappagh but I probably would feel more comfortable being there overnight. As I mentioned, the insurance company say they'll only cover about half of the Santry/Cappagh rates leaving me looking at stumping up somewhere in the region of €2-3k. They only say they'll cover me fully for the Beacon but I've no idea of the quality/experience of their surgeons for ACL surgery. I'm sure none of them are bad a such but it just seems that some seem to almost specialize in it.

MartyMcFly84

I don't know what your personal finances are like but if the difference is 750 and will ensure you get the surgery in 2-4 weeks I would probably go for that. As opposed to waiting up to 6 months.

I think the over night is a good idea if you can afford it. You will be pretty whacked out on morphine and pain killers afterwards, and its nice to have a nurse and doctor checking on you and your bandages.

In my case if was the difference of 7k so it made sense to wait.

Strange that they will only cover you in the Beacon but not in another public hospital.

dceire

MartyMcFly84 wrote: »

I don't know what your personal finances are like but if the difference is 750 and will ensure you get the surgery in 2-4 weeks I would probably go for that. As opposed to waiting up to 6 months.

I think the over night is a good idea if you can afford it. You will be pretty whacked out on morphine and pain killers afterwards, and its nice to have a nurse and doctor checking on you and your bandages.

In my case if was the difference of 7k so it made sense to wait.

Strange that they will only cover you in the Beacon but not in another public hospital.

Yea, I'd be inclined to agree with you as far as paying the extra €750 is concerned. I haven't been impressed at all in my dealings with the insurance company, they're not one of the larger ones. While I'm not exactly a high roller I do have some savings that I had put aside, this will cover the procedure in Santry or wherever but obviously it would have been nice if the insurance actually covered it all.

They were very unhelpful when I tried to discuss the various options with them and were very persistent in pushing me towards the Beacon; even offering to get me seen in 2-3 days for an assessment. They obviously have some sort of agreement in place with them, although, I do find it strange as you said.

Alf Veedersane

MartyMcFly84 wrote: »

Strange that they will only cover you in the Beacon but not in another public hospital.

Not unusual though.

My old man was looking to see what he was covered for in certain hospitals the consultant he is going to works out of and he wasn't covered for some but was covered to the tune of 60% for others so there are instances where the level of cover from insurance across different hospitals.

dceire

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Not unusual though.

My old man was looking to see what he was covered for in certain hospitals the consultant he is going to works out of and he wasn't covered for some but was covered to the tune of 60% for others so there are instances where the level of cover from insurance across different hospitals.

I think the only thing that's strange (mostly annoying) is that I've spoken to the insurance company 3/4 times now over the past 6 weeks or so and up to yesterday they never mentioned the Beacon; just that they'd cover a certain amount but it didn't really matter where I went. Yesterday it seemed to matter a lot and they were really pushing the Beacon. Am I right in thinking that the Beacon as a whole is fairly well regarded?

elpistolero

Getting ACL surgery in the morning over in Santry...nerves starting to kick in now!!

Mainly worried about pain/being able to sleep for first few days after surgery

What sort of pain meds will they have me on?

MartyMcFly84

I got loads and loads of meds.

I stopped taking them after the first couple days, as they were knocking me out and they give you so many it can make some people feel nauseous. Better to stop taking them as soon as you don't need them.

There wasn't any real pain while sleeping or motionless. Only really only in my hamstring when moving or bending. Not sure what graft you are going for? But you will be surprised how quickly you progress as long as you stick to the physio.

Best of luck tomorrow, you will be fine. Its a very common surgery and 1000'S of people make full recoveries every year.

redzer_irl

Hi elpistolero,

While you are in the hospital after the surgery they might give you some medication if the general anaesthetic makes you nauseous and sometimes medication to help you sleep if needed.

The most common medications afterwards are painkillers such as Paracetamol or Paracetamol with Codeine (Solpadeine/Solpadol/Tylex) and anti-inflammatories (Ibuprofen, Difene, Arcoxia).

I found I didn't really need anything apart from paracetamol after the first few days and I only had pain when I was getting in/out of bed, going up/down stairs etc.

Omega oils such as Udo's oil can also help with recovery after surgery.

All the best with the surgery and the rehab.

elpistolero

redzer_irl wrote: »

Hi elpistolero,

While you are in the hospital after the surgery they might give you some medication if the general anaesthetic makes you nauseous and sometimes medication to help you sleep if needed.

The most common medications afterwards are painkillers such as Paracetamol or Paracetamol with Codeine (Solpadeine/Solpadol/Tylex) and anti-inflammatories (Ibuprofen, Difene, Arcoxia).

I found I didn't really need anything apart from paracetamol after the first few days and I only had pain when I was getting in/out of bed, going up/down stairs etc.

Omega oils such as Udo's oil can also help with recovery after surgery.

All the best with the surgery and the rehab.

Ok them meds are familiar to me

Thanks for the info. Looking forward to getting over this weekend and next week and getting stuck into rehab!!

elpistolero

MartyMcFly84 wrote: »

I got loads and loads of meds.

I stopped taking them after the first couple days, as they were knocking me out and they give you so many it can make some people feel nauseous. Better to stop taking them as soon as you don't need them.

There wasn't any real pain while sleeping or motionless. Only really only in my hamstring when moving or bending. Not sure what graft you are going for? But you will be surprised how quickly you progress as long as you stick to the physio.

Best of luck tomorrow, you will be fine. Its a very common surgery and 1000'S of people make full recoveries every year.

Cheers for the info

I feel like I've good tolerance to pain so I'll probably try limit the amount of painkillers aswell.

Getting a patellar graft. Very Confident in the ability of the surgeon and the clinic as I hear SSC is the place to go.

Would I be right in assuming that the pain/awkwardness post surgery is similar to the first few days after sustaining the injury? After the injury I felt mostly comfortable while my leg was in a stable condition propped up on a few pillows

aquinn

Hey,

Sorry to dredge this up again but I'm having a low moment and seem to be going backwards.

I'm now 7 weeks post-op from a patellar graft on ACL reconstruction.

I was awake from 4-5AM icing it overnight. The pain last week in my kneecap was awful and I woke on Friday morning and it was fine. It was grand for a few days but now feels very sore and swollen again. I overdid it yesterday so kicking myself now. Actually I walked down a bit too steep bit of grass and knee was crying out.

I'm at the physio practically weekly and have a build-up of scar tissue. Cycling is easier than walking. I can swim and it makes me happy but the fear of getting a kick. This is my confidence returning. It gets better, doesn't it?

I just feel like I'm going backwards as I'm still limping and again today can't fully straighten leg.

Additional further moaning that good calf is tight, as are hips, pelvis.

connollys

aquinn wrote: »

Hey,

Sorry to dredge this up again but I'm having a low moment and seem to be going backwards.

I'm now 7 weeks post-op from a patellar graft on ACL reconstruction.

I was awake from 4-5AM icing it overnight. The pain last week in my kneecap was awful and I woke on Friday morning and it was fine. It was grand for a few days but now feels very sore and swollen again. I overdid it yesterday so kicking myself now. Actually I walked down a bit too steep bit of grass and knee was crying out.

I'm at the physio practically weekly and have a build-up of scar tissue. Cycling is easier than walking. I can swim and it makes me happy but the fear of getting a kick. This is my confidence returning. It gets better, doesn't it?

I just feel like I'm going backwards as I'm still limping and again today can't fully straighten leg.

Additional further moaning that good calf is tight, as are hips, pelvis.

Sorry to hear you are still having trouble. Mine went smoothly but there were still times it was vert frustrating. Just keep at the rehab and you'll be back to 100% in no time. I know it doesnt feel like it now.

aquinn

I'm posting this here in case people do what I did and go looking for information so hope it helps someone out.

Ok, as today is the 3 month anniversary of the operation.

I spent 5 weeks of pre-hab building up the knee and leg strength. I did my exercises 3 times a day and was well prepared for the operation, according to myself obviously. There was no physio during this time but numerous calls to the hospital physio with questions like why is my knee still swelling? I couldn't cycle, swim and it turns out walk much during the time. I bought a fitbit for myself for distraction and thought great, I'd be walking everywhere. Ah how naive. No, no walking as knee continued to swell. I was able to drive but didn't have the confidence so only did short journeys.

I was operated on Tuesday April 12th and released the next day. They don't let you out of hospital until you can use the crutches. The staff at SSC were superb, as was the food if anyone does end up going there. I was released into the care of my parents who in shifts, with sibling help, took care of me at their home for 3 weeks which was fantastic as I couldn't do stairs. The knee felt great for the first few days. I had one minor spin in the kitchen hunting for a sweet one night and relied the fully back on crutches after that stupidity. Then the drug side effects kicked in and they were horrific. I'd heard of difine side-effects but people had been too polite with the actual details. OMFG.

A week post-op and I was off all drugs and out of compression bandage but fully reliant on the crutches. I had read the hospital blurd, I hadn't googled anything and thought I'd be off the crutches in two weeks and back to work. Ah, when I look back what a tool I was. I was on crutches for a month and going to the physio weekly. I was able to use the exercise bike after two weeks of gentle cycling 5 minutes a day. The pain and tightness in the knee was horrific but it eventually eased out. There was a lot of icing going on.

I was back with the surgeon who wasn't pleased after two weeks I wasn't walking right. I'd arrived back ready to give back the crutches as thought I was flying but he told me to keep using them. Stitches out and wound incredibly neat. He was pleased with his work anyway. Back in with him in August, so only a month now.

After 3 weeks I was allowed drive yet couldn't walk right or manage stairs.

I continued to go to the physio weekly but progress was very slow. I joined a gym in mid-May and started to use their bike, cross-trainer and get back swimming. Confidence was completely shook. I was no good in crowds and very protective of my knee. My mood was good, how did they describe me, yes stoic.

I managed two weeks of 3 days in work after 6 weeks off and had to be signed off again as I was in bits. Everything hurt like hips, back. My physio at home told me I could cycle no problem in and out of work. I couldn't, my knee would completely swell. The first time trying the bike outside was absolutely frightening. I was petrified.

Work have been fantastic and I'm extremely grateful. They gave me the option of driving in and out which made a massive difference.

I switched back to the hospital physio and should have done it a lot sooner. I went to them mid-June and he tested the knee and found no issues except muscle weakness. He put me on a routine of stretching and strengthening and much better advice of trying the bike for 10 minutes and see how I get on.

I had a check-up on Friday and THANKFULLY there is an improvement. He has upped the strength work and now has me doing scary routine in the gym that involves me going to the weights floor, eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

This had me last weekend walking normally and pain-free for the first time in months. I cycled home last night and it's only a short journey and yet again the knee has swollen.

They did warn that it was a long slow recovery but I completely underestimated it. I never imagined it would be this slow.

rustynutz

Reading aquinns post above I'm starting to think I got off lightly with my recovery. I had a hamstring graft ACL reconstruction along with repairs to the meniscus and knee cartilage on 13th April. I was reasonably fit before hand but 3 weeks before the op I twisted on my knee yet again and I was unable to do any of the pre-op exercises. The operation itself was pretty straightforward but I was glad of the night in hospital after as I was extremely woozy post op.

I found the pain was surprisingly no problem for the first two days but was very painful for the following two, specially at night. I was on 2 crutches for the first 4 days and down to 1 crutch for the following 9-10 days and was walking without a noticeable limp after about 2 1/2 weeks.

I got a list of exercises from the hospital physio that I done religiously 3 times a day until my first physio appointment 2 weeks after the op. I was assessed by the surgeon and physio and both seemed happy with my progress, they gave me more exercises to carry out at home several times a day and to my surprise the physio said I should start cycling for 10-15 minutes a day also.

I hadn't done much cycling before the op, I was more of a runner, so my first spin on the bike was very nerve racking as I was afraid of falling off and doing more damage, I raised the saddle on the bike so as I wasn't bending my knee too much while pedaling and I set off, the knee felt a bit weird at first but after a couple of spins I was starting to enjoy it, I built up to over an hour in the saddle over the next two weeks.

I was seeing the physio weekly after my first visit until about 6 weeks after the operation where I saw him every 2 weeks and now it is monthly. I am now just over the 3 month mark and I have just graduated from body weight exercises to weighted squats, deadlifts etc. and I have just been given the all clear to start running and I am still cycling 2-4 times a week 30-40k at a time.

Like many I weighed up my options after getting the results of my MRI, apparently my ACL had been completely torn for years but wasn't properly diagnosed properly until I had the MRI. I had a lot of bother with the knee over the previous ten years, lack of stability, pain and I had dislocated it several times but I still managed to lead a relatively normal, active life. At 38 years old I did wonder if it was worth getting the operation, as the research I had done was putting me off with the recovery time involved etc. but after consulting with the physio and surgeon I decided to go ahead, they said if I didn't I would have to give up martial arts (Krav Maga) that I had recently found a love for.

For anyone thinking of having ACL reconstruction I would say go for it, my knee already feels 90% as good as my other one and a lot better than it did in the previous 10 years. I feel ready to start training Krav again but my physio tells me I have to wait at least 6 months. I have done absolutely everything the physio has asked of me and held back on things he said not to do and I do think that mindset is vital for a successful recovery, apparently the stage I'm at now is the danger zone for a repeat ACL injury as my knee feels almost perfect but as I was told at my last physio session "I'm only 3 months into a 8 month process" so I will continue to be patient.

Best of luck to anyone going for the operation and speedy recovery to those that have had it done!