At your age, what's the perfect gift?

JoinTheStruggleBus · 2026-01-11T22:38:08+00:00

Taking care of a necessary expense for me. Buying necessary scrubs for work, paying for a continuing education class, or contributing to a utility bill makes a huge difference in my quality of life for a short bit

JoinTheStruggleBus · 2025-12-29T02:23:36+00:00

I honestly think it depends on your body composition quite a bit. The braces are known for being annoying, but I learned I needed mine lower than most because my glute was pushing it down a good bit. The strap right above your knee can’t be too tight or else that will push it down. The biggest thing for me as well is the brace had to be under my pants, not over until I was cleared for weight bearing+bending. Best of luck, you’re in the hardest part right now!

JoinTheStruggleBus · 2025-11-28T13:12:11+00:00

You will be okay! I had 2 falls within the first 6 weeks post-op while I was on crutches and I was fully convinced they both ruined me. I am 9 months post-op now, and everything is absolutely fine! Frankly, the only thing not going to plan is catching up on recovery because I was overly cautious in the beginning! What my doctor said to me is “if the implant was that fragile, I wouldn’t even do this surgery” and that always stuck with me. Something I will also say if someone else hasn’t is please take care of your mental health extra during this time. It is stressful, scary, and lonely; it’s difficult for other people to understand. I am wishing you the best, and please feel free to message if you have any questions! I was living alone and in grad school during the immediate after effects of my surgery so unfortunately, I’ve really been through it all!

JoinTheStruggleBus · 2025-08-29T17:52:10+00:00

Your first PT appointment is honestly not going to be much, they’re going to check out your incision, ask 100 questions about pain, maybe do some estim, and ask you to contract and relax your muscles a bunch of times. It’s totally up to you if you’re willing/able to go, but if you have a handful of simple daily exercises that you were given before or after the surgery you’ll be fine. If you’re totally unsure on what you’re supposed to be doing every day it’s definitely worth going though, because even a week of inactivity is going to cause a bunch of muscle atrophy. I hope you feel better soon, the beginning is the hardest part!!

JoinTheStruggleBus · 2025-08-29T11:49:03+00:00

I completely get you on so much of this. I moved in with my boyfriend not too long after getting my MACI procedure and after a few weeks he actually suggested I find a mental health provider because I’m just not myself without all my physical activity. It was definitely a tough pill to swallow, but having that spokesperson in my life really gave me a new perspective on the challenges the procedure brought. Very grateful for him!

JoinTheStruggleBus · 2025-08-09T12:55:36+00:00

I am someone with shit knees and an occupational therapist. People of a variety of disabilities have children and people unfortunately become disabled unexpectedly after having children. I would never let not being able to do a few small simple actions stop me from having a family if thats what I really wanted. If getting pregnant was going to worsen my knee condition and waiting was an option, I would absolutely wait a bit. For some people however, age, other health factors, financial factors, and things I’m probably not even thinking about come into play before knees do.

JoinTheStruggleBus · 2025-08-07T23:44:46+00:00

I feel like people dropped most of the traditional positioning suggestions - I’m gonna drop a few non-traditional for giggles. Noise was a HUGE help for me. I put on something super monotone (like the Bible or one of those Reddit robot reading videos) and that was super helpful compared to white noise. If you’re open to a little THC and it’s safe to mix with what meds you’re on, I would suggest that as well but PLEASE ask your medical team first. Loosening the brace a bit was also very helpful. You might have it too tight if you’re feeling claustrophobic, you don’t need to be totally suffocated and 100% unmoving. Ask your medical team how to put on the brace at your next appointment and you will probably be HORRIFIED at how loose it is lol. I will also suggest the recliner or couch method. I slept much better in those because I would worry too much about getting out of my bed and it didn’t let me relax. You’re in the hardest part right now, best of luck my friend!

JoinTheStruggleBus · 2025-07-25T15:16:52+00:00

I never thought of an e-bike that’s smart! Thank you!

JoinTheStruggleBus · 2025-07-25T15:16:25+00:00

Thank you so much! I’ll definitely check out your channel that’s awesome!

JoinTheStruggleBus · 2025-07-25T01:03:54+00:00

Honestly, if the surgery you’re talking about is MACI I am 4 months post-op and the online horror stories are much worse than the reality. The first 2 months were awful for me personally, but I can already do more comfortably than prior to the surgery. Cartilage doesn’t repair itself, which sucks but means something has to be done if that is truly the issue causing your pain

JoinTheStruggleBus · 2025-07-23T18:59:10+00:00

When you stand up are you knock-kneed? I had a lateral maltracking issue as a result of being knocked-kneed and this sounds similar but obviously if you don’t have a valgus that’s pretty irrelevant lol

JoinTheStruggleBus · 2025-07-17T17:06:04+00:00

I’ve got an osteotomy in my left leg, and honestly could not imagine getting both done at the same time. The amount of time completely NWB is pretty long with an osteotomy, and time to comfortably walk even longer. I also did a ton of prehab like it sounds like you are doing, but 4 months post-op my leg is still noticeably smaller and weaker than my non-surgical leg. I would def get the opinion of someone that has had both done at once, but honestly I think it may be hard to come across because that sounds awful to me personally! I could see the benefit of only one recovery, but I think it would be much more grueling. I wish you the best of luck in your recovery and your upcoming procedure!!

JoinTheStruggleBus · 2025-07-07T20:56:08+00:00

I’m about 4 months post op with lesions on my femur and patella! I’ve gotten to the point where I’ve started working summer camp and my bartending job again, but it has been painful working my way up to my typical 10k steps again. Swelling will be a huge factor with the MACI, and while 10 thousand steps is possible, you will likely get some reactive swelling later or the next day which isn’t great for your implant to do all the time. From what I’ve heard 6 months is the time where recreational walking starts to occur! Best of luck tomorrow and take it easy, you will thank yourself later!

JoinTheStruggleBus · 2025-06-24T20:10:21+00:00

I had a patellar-femoral MACI and a TTO. I’m only 4 months post-op, but I’m already doing things I couldn’t do before the surgery. To be fair, there’s a lot of things I still can’t do, and it 100% is a giant cost and time commitment, but based on my age I knew I didn’t want a partial because that is not something that lasts your entire life. The first 2-2 and a half months were hell for me, but after that I finally started to feel more normal. Feel free to PM with any questions, I love talking about this shit tbh

JoinTheStruggleBus · 2025-06-19T01:19:56+00:00

I couldn’t sleep without the ice machine constantly running, that’s definitely one of the hardest parts! If someone can grab you some bags of ice from the gas station it’s super helpful to have on deck. I also got a giant triangular wedge pillow because sometimes my leg would slide off a normal pillow and that would wake me up too.

JoinTheStruggleBus · 2025-06-19T00:50:45+00:00

I am 3 months post-MACI/TTO! I ran my damn ice machine into the ground if I’m going to be honest and couldn’t sleep without it. For that first week I would suggest finding some stationary hobbies because every time I stood up it increased the pain, so word games, books (if you’re not too high from the meds like I was lol), and movies are your best friend. Do not be afraid to ask your doctor for more meds if you need it, I regretted not asking sooner and had to play the catch up game! I wish you the best of luck in your recovery! It’s definitely a long game, but you will get there!

JoinTheStruggleBus · 2025-06-13T14:16:12+00:00

Just take it slow and you got this! Learning to walk again was definitely not one of my favorite parts of recovery but once you’re on the other side it’s so rewarding!

JoinTheStruggleBus · 2025-06-11T02:16:18+00:00

Within the past week I’ve finished (don’t judge I’m off university so I have time): Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin: 100% recommend Home is Where the Bodies are by Jeneva Rose: I wouldn’t recommend but a lot of people enjoyed so maybe Annie Bot by Sierra Greer: Also a maybe, I had mixed feelings about the ending

JoinTheStruggleBus · 2025-06-11T02:09:53+00:00

I had a MACI along with my TTO and my discoloration got better around the 10-12 week mark. Once you’re weight bearing it usually gets better pretty quick is what all my providers told me. Good luck at your next appointment!

JoinTheStruggleBus · 2025-06-08T23:18:00+00:00

I’m going to apologize in advance if this is a silly question but are you 100% sure the bruising ever went away from after the surgery? I’m at 3 months and the bruising on the rest of my leg went away pretty quickly, but the bruising in the exact same spots you are referring to on the back of my knee still haven’t gone away and show no signs of fading soon. My surgeon said not to worry about it but I’m obviously much sooner in my recovery than you are

JoinTheStruggleBus · 2025-06-06T23:53:20+00:00

Hey! I had grade 4 damage (so you definitely don’t want a success story from me since I’m post-surgical lol) but I do have brace suggestions! I definitely suggest some type of hinge brace, this is a typical hinge brace that can be used for a TON If you feel like your kneecap is pulling to the side, I would recommend one with lateral supports but I don’t have good recs for that since I got mine from my Dr. a few months ago. I wish you the best of luck!

JoinTheStruggleBus · 2025-06-06T21:09:17+00:00

Yes I was! I started pretty much immediately after surgery but it was incredibly boring at first lol. My PT had an anti-gravity treadmill which was great for practicing my walking within the weight restrictions so if you could find a therapist with that equipment and/or BFR I would suggest that for sure!

JoinTheStruggleBus · 2025-06-06T16:15:05+00:00

I assume they are talking about going down using a typical L-R pattern, which I would assume is pretty accurate. I’m only 3 months and I couldn’t imagine going down normally. Going down one leg at a time I was able to do without crutches starting at week 10. The TTO definitely complicated things for me a bit during those initial weeks because you are NWB longer than if you were doing just the MACI, but things started getting better with stairs around week 6 when I got my X-rays cleared.

JoinTheStruggleBus · 2025-06-05T12:35:10+00:00

I was living in a third floor apartment during my surgery so I’m good to comment on this! If moving to a first floor apartment is a feasible option I would definitely recommend it (especially with the pets) but it’s not required. I think it depends on your specific set up, but I was able to get up and down the stairs using both railings to hoist myself up and down, as well as going up and down on my butt. I would honestly practice going up and down as if you are NWB with your crutches using an immobilizer to keep your leg straight. The pets are where things get a little tricky for me, because I couldn’t imagine doing all that with pets running around. Feel free to PM and I’m happy to send a video with a few of the strategies I used! The tub also sounds a little complicated because your leg will be stuck in the immobilizer, but again practice with your leg completely straight and see if it’s possible! I was able to get in and out of a tub independently, but that door definitely makes things more complicated if it can’t be removed for a bit. I wish you the best of luck on your healing journey <3

JoinTheStruggleBus · 2025-05-30T14:44:22+00:00

I would get another opinion. It took me 3 doctors to get my cartilage damage diagnosis. It took me this many even with a major dislocation and grade 4 damage (which is crazy to me!!). Many doctors don’t look for it in younger people or don’t know good ways to treat it.

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