The Full Story

Today I was back at work, even if it was for just a half day. I was pleasantly surprised to learn it would not be just me leaving early today, but the entire building! Due to the fact that Old Navy Headquarters are located near AT&T Park, our President decided the hours for our office today would be 8AM to 2PM and tomorrow will be 8AM to 1PM. This is all because of the MLB All Star Game tomorrow and related events. Excellent! I was able to go to my post-op appointment today then home to rest with no guilt and tomorrow will be the same. Wasn't it nice for everything to sync up so well? : )

I walked out of Dr. Anderson's office today so happy, I almost cried. I haven't felt that way since I got my job offer from Old Navy and before that... I can't even remember. I received more details about what Dr. A found in my knee and the procedures she performed. While most of the doctors I saw felt my problem was primarily Patella Femoral Syndrome (Runners Knee/chondromalacia), Dr. A was leaning towards Hoffa's Syndrome as well, which is an inflammation of the fat pad under the patella. I had done some research on this in the past and it seemed to fit my symptoms. Hoffa's is also an overuse injury, but can be exacerbated by even standing for long periods of time so it doesn't go away easily. I thought Hoffa's was eventually ruled out since it didn't show on my MRI (only severe cases do) and the lidocaine shot I received back in January was supposed to help shrink an inflamed fat pad. The shot didn't help so I hadn't thought about it much since. Today, I saw Dr. Anderson only for a minute in passing as I met with her physician's assistant, Debbie. She removed my sutures and gave me the full report as she was present during my surgery as well. She showed me photos of the inside my knee and I have to say they are really cool. They look nothing like I would have imagined. Here are some of the operative notes from my surgery.

PREOPERATIVE DIAGNOSIS: Persistent Hoffa's syndrome, left knee.
POSTOPERATIVE DIAGNOSIS: Persistent Hoffa's syndrome, left knee, with chondromalacia.

OPERATION PERFORMED:
1. Arthroscopic patellaplasty.
2. Partial synovectomy and removal of fat pad, left knee.

Debbie explained that when my knee was in full extension there was an impingement of the fat pad between my femur and tibia bones. There are nerves inside and this causes inflammation and pain. Dr. Anderson removed the portion of the fat pad that was catching, as well as smoothing out some rough cartilage under my patella (chondromalacia). After my MRI last Oct, Dr. A told me the chondromalacia in my knee was typical for a runner my age and didn't seem all that concerned. Even then, I plan to be more cautious in the future since I have learned this can lead to arthritis in later years.

I've been telling everyone since the pain started in my knee that it feels like there is something "stuck" inside. It was hard to explain because I couldn't see into my knee and I'm the only person that can feel it. It seemed like a knot or silver dollar sized lump somewhere in the middle of my knee. Any amount of rest would not cause it to diminish. Now, even with my knee swollen from surgery, I can tell the knot is gone. Yeah! The main reason I feel so happy is that something has been "fixed." It really was something that needed to be fixed and it was not all in my head or would go away with more rest. Again, time will tell how everything heals and what my activity level will be in the future, but I am encouraged that I will be able to get back to the things I love soon. Next steps, some physical therapy sessions and lots of R.I.C.E. I'll keep ya posted!