Going from preparing for a major surgery, being knocked out in anesthesia, sleeping for 17 hours straight, barely being able to get out of bed, to crutching around the whole school and being surrounded by teenagers who don’t pay attention. Rough transition.
Over the past 5 years, I’ve had multiple dislocations in both my right and left knee due to my shallow patellas. In 2023, December 19, I had a major dislocation in my left knee that ended my 8 year-long dance career. On November 11th 2024, I had an MPFL reconstruction on my left knee, a major surgery. Being off set me far behind in school work and cause some extreme stress. Any major injury takes a toll on your mental and physical health, as well affecting your academic side.
Digging into the mental side of my surgery, I’m going to share about how easy it is to lose hope throughout the weeks of healing.Believe it or not, a surgery can begin far prior to the surgery date. For me, I struggled to not let thoughts wander towards the what ifs and negative possibilities of the surgery well before its scheduled date. From my experience, some weeks prior to the surgery, I was put on medication to prevent doubtful thoughts after the procedure. Even medication can’t help one’s mind from racing with thoughts. The first week after surgery was the easiest time for me. Nothing to worry about, sleeping all day, bed-rotting at its finest. Two to four weeks after the surgery is where the thoughts really started to begin. Will I ever reach my full potential in sports again? Will my body look different? How embarrassing will crutches be around people at school? My mind raced with numerous questions.
The biggest challenge of it all was the realization that you will need a lot of help. Accepting the help is the best thing you can do through all of it. Once I returned back to school, the time started to feel slower, and slower to when I was going to be able to walk again. My mother, Becka Bruderer, was my biggest supporter throughout the whole process. Helping me around the house, shoveling a trail to our car so I didn’t slip on the ice, the smallest gestures can make a big difference.
Now looking at the surgery from the physical aspect. Showing up to the hospital walking, and leaving the hospital in a wheelchair. Surgery could be redefined as drastic change in the span of hours. The first week after the surgery I felt no pain at all – mostly because of all of the amount of medication I was on. The first physical therapy (PT) appointment is where I started to feel the pain of my knee. Beginning on the only strength you’ll have after surgery, being able to flex your quad. This was one of my hardest and scariest exercises I did because of the pull I felt in my knee cap. After a few PT sessions, I slowly started to gain my motion and some of my strength back. The sessions felt like I had just ran a mile because of the little, to no, movement of no knee use. Multiple times after working out, I felt nauseous and sick to stomach. A few weeks after the repetition of some motion and strength exercises, I was able to walk again. December 24th, I graduated from my crutches. Never thought the best Christmas present ever would be a gift to my armpits. This is where the PT started to get harder. Being able to put all weight on my leg, and full motion.
Lastly, going from the academic lens of it. Once you start to miss classes, the more behind you are and easily build up missing work. The first week after the surgery, school was the last thing I was worrying about. Knowing I had emailed all my teachers about my surgery, I felt just fine not being there for school. The second week is where my concern on my assignments kicked in. Missing two weeks set me extremely far behind, having a numerous amount of assignments in each class. I’d say the academic side was the least of my worries, knowing I had shoulders to lean on and time to make up my work.
Mark Thrall, a US History teacher here at Northview has also recently recovered from a major surgery. Thrall had an ankle surgery on August 6th, 2024 due to jumping over some poison ivy while he was grabbing his son’s soccer ball. Jumping over this poison ivy caused the ball of his ankle to completely break off the bone.
Thrall digs into his frustration and struggles with the limitations surgery brought to him.
“I was a little down and I was frustrated because my mobility was really bad,” Thrall said, “For the first four weeks I had to be on a scooter and then when classes started, I had to go around the class and talk to kids which was annoying. And then when I got home, I would often sit because I didn’t want to scoot around on my scooter at home or walk around with crutches all day. I sat more than I’m used to and so it was frustrating.”
Shifting into the physical side, Thrall has some struggles with the pain and aches of the injury.
“It still hurts. Even after PT (physical therapy) and stuff. I can walk normal now, but if I went to jog it still aches,” Thrall said, “I have stitches that are there, but also it’s more that I can feel the screws like in my bone, so it just aches internally.”
Thrall has added some advice to anyone dealing with mental confidence after surgery.
“Have a goal in the end that you want,” Thrall said, “Just see everyday as apart of the process to get back to where you want to be because I think a lot of times you, at least for me, focus on the sadness of not being able to do what you normally do and not looking at it as of I can get back to where I was. Every day just do a little bit to get there. Slowly build up.”
After hearing some known people’s advice, looking into a more professional side of it. Joseph Indrieri, a physical therapist and founder of Dynamic Spine & Sport Rehabilitation in Las Vegas, publishes How Do You Recover Emotionally & Mentally from Surgery? ,shares some coping skills and tips on how to handle mental health after surgery.
“Being around close friends, relatives, and loved ones can significantly improve mental health. During recovery, their support, compassion, and presence help stabilize emotions,” Indrieri said, “Stress and anxiety can be considerably reduced by practicing mindfulness techniques and meditation. These techniques assist you in maintaining mindfulness, controlling your thoughts, and developing a positive outlook.”
Overall, it’s important during recovery to actively work on preventing things like bed rot and surviving through unhealthy coping mechanisms. Indrieri says some skills to make the post-surgery depression go smoother and make the path easier.
“Setting reasonable expectations for how long your recovery will take is crucial. Recognize that recovery takes time and setbacks are common. Adopting patience helps reduce unneeded stress,” Indrieri said, “When you know what’s going on and what’s going to happen, you’ll feel more at ease. You should try to schedule rest and activity time into your day if you can. Your recovery will go smoother if you acknowledge and celebrate small milestones.”
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