OT...weird knee thing

[Ginger]

The continuing saga of my left knee.

I visited my doc today to see what he actually did when he scoped my knee Thursday before last. Good news was that the ACL that was installed a year ago January looks like an original! I'm no pro, but it looked like all the pictures I've seen of healthy ACLs...Yay!
More good news is they didn't have to trim any more lateral meniscus. It was fine.

The not so good news: My patellar cartilage is now soft (it was fine when they replaced the ACL). I don't know if that's due to the recent instability in the knee, or something else. (No clue, I'm not a doc)

The Weird: What they *did* find in the articular knee joint in the area of the lateral meniscus was a polyp (dang big polyp if you ask me) of irritated tissue. Not a cyst, not a plica syndrome, a "polyp".
I'm checking for the biopsy results tomorrow (the more I read, the less worried I am about that issue. I think I'd win the lottery before I have that problem with this particular growth.)

My question is: I'd like to be prepared with proper questions and requests for the next follow up visit. Has anyone else dealt with this sort of knee polyp thing before? I'm good with research and I'd do more searches on it, but I'm not sure where to start. What direction should I be looking in?

Thanks!
Mary Ann

[BumbleBeeDave]

I don't know much about knees, but I'm just sorry you continue to have complications. I know how much you like to ride and this must be a real pain in the butt with all these complications. I hope it all works out soon so you can do more of what you love . . .

BBD

[Ginger]

Dave,
Thanks so much! Actually, removing the thing has made pedalling less painful and the knee feels better over-all. I was on the bike a couple days after the surgery and I was out on my mtb for a couple flat miles through the woods last Saturday. :) I'll be riding the century option on TOSRV in May...I just want to make sure we do whatever we have to so it doesn't recur.

[gasman]

Hi ginger-
I've lots of polyps but never in the knee and I've seen images of thousands of knees over the years. Weird.
Almost all polyps elsewhere in the body are benign.
Ask for the biopsy results to be explained to you in regular English, not Medicalese. Ask for the chances of it returning, how they formed, what it indicates about future function of the knee.
I'm glad to hear you're better but like Mr. 5K sorry to hear you've had so many problems.
Good luck.

[Ginger]

Gasman,
Thanks for the suggestions.
At my 10 day checkup they had pictures, but neither the histology report nor the surgery report...I could look at that in the usual positive light that no news is good news, but I'd rather see the report. I am fortunate that if I ask this doc to explain things in regular terms, he can. I've done some digging and I'll be forwarding some ideas to him so he can prepare for my questions along the lines of your suggestions at my one month follow up.

On the positive side, I'd like to thank all the Anesthesiologists here on the forum. I've learned to communicate with the presiding anesthesiologists and their nurse anesthetists so I come out of the surgeries better than formerly.

After negotiating with the Anesthesiologist and my Doc about anesthesia, I got into the operating room and emphasised with the again that I was an extreme lightweight. I guess they really listened and started me with half the dose of what they give normal people for "light" general and that's all I needed. Surgery was at 7:30 and I was leaving the hospital at 12:30. Still really sleepy, but doing pretty well. Overall I'm recovering from it far better than past surgeries. They also listened to me and managed the usual nausea really well. Yay! I hope this is the last time I ever need that knowledge.
Thanks!

[BumbleBeeDave]

Assuming this polyp IS benign, the obvious question is whether it's worth even more surgery to take it out. Does it interfere with your range of motion? does it hurt? Is it easily accessible if they do try to take it out? What is it made of? something that could be broken up with ultrasound, like a kidney stone? If it's soft tissue, is there anything they could inject into it to make it shrink or break up? Is there any chance that it would become malignant if left in there long enough? Is there any chance it will shrink on it's own? Are there any medicines/supplements you could take that would help it shrink?

BBD, aka Mr5K

[Ginger]

Ah Dave,

It's already gone.

It was sort of funny. The attitude is sort of: we don't know what it is, but it wasn't there last time we were in there so it obviously doesn't belong, it's in the right place to be the source of your pain, so we took the sucker out. Rather no nonsense about that.

:)

But the regrowth issue is a question I'll be asking.

[gasman]

Ginger-

Well in my mind no news is... no news. There are to many times I have heard of a bad diagnosis not being followed up properly. But, I DO NOT think that is the case here. Every surgeon I know would also taken the sucker out, it's the right thing to do and it is probably benign.

Thanks for the acknowledging Anesthesiologists, we're the behind the scenes docs that keep you alive and happy. Don't work with nurse anesthetists much.
Good to hear you had some physicians that would really listen to your concerns- that is a key ingredient to good patient care.

Take care Ginger.