Should I Have Surgery?

[SSJPhenom]

So while filling in for someone that works in the warehouse part of my place of work, I jumped down off the back of a flat bed diesel and nothing. I felt fine and continued about working. 2 days later while in a Walgreens, which was last Friday, I bend down on my left knee to tie my right shoe. As soon as my knee touched the tile floor, just pain. Hurt so bad that I could barely move my leg or get back up. So I go to a quick care facility (better than waiting in an emergency room) and the dr there takes an x ray (they didn't have an mri) and sees nothing wrong. So he physically examines my knee and noticed that it was incredibly loose from side to side. So he does an ultrasound and says that I've torn my meniscus and maybe torn my mcl as well. Yesterday, I went to a specialist, had a mri, and he confirmed that I had torn my meniscus and I had a grade 3 mcl tear. He said that was strange because a grade 3 mcl tear is usually accompanied by an acl tear, but my acl was fine. Then he proceeded to drain fluid out of my knee (which hurt like hell) and said that I needed surgery to fix my knee. He said that I could opt not to have the surgery and just do physical therapy but there was a good chance that it wouldn't heal properly and that I would not regain complete range of motion. I'm not sure that I want to have the surgery and be off from work for a little while and be on the mend for a while either.

What would you guys do? I need advice.

 

[BringThePain834]

I would have surgery done, and since that specialist you saw recommend that you have surgery, then I recommend you have it.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Don't ask the people on this site. Talk to professionals and be sure to tell them that you have a dark history with pain killer addiction.

 

[SSJPhenom]

Don't ask the people on this site. Talk to professionals and be sure to tell them that you have a dark history with pain killer addiction.

Already told them. That's one of the reasons I don't want to have the surgery. Dr. says that it's gonna hurt bad after the surgery for about a week or more and that I'll need pain killers. He said that he'll just give me some week ones but I'll need them. It doesn't take much to get one started. I don't want to go back to that.

 

[BaconBits]

It really is up to you. There's going to be a lot of pain either way. Remember, though, surgeons aren't always going to give you the best advice. They are in business to sell surgeries, so they're always going to downplay the non-surgical options.

 

[Coco]

No advice here. Just a reminder: Knees are important. Be kind to yours.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

If you got the funds get the surgery done, in your case it sounds like rehab will be more of a short term solution anyways given the muscle tears, it's either that or live in increasingly worse pain as time goes on.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Meh, you can get along for years without them. I tore my meniscus and it healed pretty well.

Take your time.

 

[Bagpipes]

You said you were filling in for someone in the warehouse when you got hurt, what do your typical job duties entail? Manual labor, office work, or a mix of both?

 

[ShinChan]

I had an ACL Tear Grade 3 a couple of years ago.

Now I am totally fit without surgery. Majority of doctors just suggest surgery. In my case too, only 2 doctors weren't favouring surgery. One was a civil hospital doctor, and other was a HOD of a big private hospital. Suggesting surgery is one of the things that the greediness of a doctor makes them do it.

Surgery is mostly mandatory for sports persons. I had done a lot of research over the whole issue. You should too.

 

[Stormtrooper]

Start physical therapy ASAP. After a little while ask the therapist if you should get surgery. They're more likely to give you a straight answer, as they will see you often, work with you more, and you are still gonna be paying them either way as you'll need therapy after surgery anyway.

 

[SSJPhenom]

You said you were filling in for someone in the warehouse when you got hurt, what do your typical job duties entail? Manual labor, office work, or a mix of both?

I work for a company called Stanford Myers. We have two businesses that run out of the company. An investment side, which I don't work in and an Exhibitor Services side, which I do work in. We set up all the businesses that attend the many conventions and expos here in Vegas with travel arrangements, hotel arrangements, and exhibit details. Like we store their exhibit booths in our warehouse before the conventions and then on the day of the convention we deliver their booths to the convention. We also do custom flooring for their exhibits. So we cut carpet or we cut tile or wood flooring. Whichever they order. I started out in the warehouse until I got my degree. Then I became a sales rep, then client relations, now manager. So when an employee called in for work, I had to step in. I'm usually in the office though.

 

[Bagpipes]

Good deal, I would say since you're not required to do the physical aspects of the job on a daily basis, you're probably good for awhile trying some of the alternatives other people have mentioned and seeing if things improve before taking the plunge on surgery.

 

[Starkist]

Already told them. That's one of the reasons I don't want to have the surgery. Dr. says that it's gonna hurt bad after the surgery for about a week or more and that I'll need pain killers. He said that he'll just give me some week ones but I'll need them. It doesn't take much to get one started. I don't want to go back to that.

Mind over matter. Reason why I won't do back surgery but with the mindset I have, the medicine is only to help me out. Take as recommended or see if you can get something non narcotic. I hope everything works out. I can only imagine the pain you in brother.

 

[One Punch Doug Crashin]

If I had to choose between a full recovery and a slight chance of a busted limb? I'd do the surgery.

 

[Loveless]

Definitely get the surgery. That kind of injury takes an age to heal naturally and it'll be weak for a long time after, which means it's very easy to re injure.
I busted my MCL and I wish I'd had surgery because it took years before it actually felt stable again. I have a strong suspicion the extra stress it put on my ACL and LCL has been why I've had problems ever since.

 

[Dirk]

They also do a great anal bleach.

...I've heard.

 

[SSJPhenom]

Went to the Dr again yesterday afternoon to decide my course of action and we've decided that if I can avoid surgery I will. So I'm going to do physical therapy for a few weeks first and if it doesn't get any better, then I'll do the surgery. I think that's the best course of action.

 

[Starkist]

Physical therapy is expensive but hey, I fear surgery so I hope it works out for you.

 

[ShinChan]

Physical therapy is expensive but hey, I fear surgery so I hope it works out for you.

Here Surgery is way more expensive than therapy.

 

[Mr. Artistic guy]

I have not read your post, but I say yes.