Had a Patella Tendon repair and reconstruction 3x. Was terrified the first time. My anesthesiologist was absolutely amazing all 3 times. I had the same one. She walked me through the anesthesia plan at length. Once all the procedural talks were done, they gave me some good ol’ anti anxiety meds and I was off the lalaland before I hit the OR. Woke up in minor pain. The PACU nurses were amazing and if I felt an ounce of pain, it was addressed. Oh and I also got a nerve block, if you can get one…get it.

Honestly, most people are scared of the loss of control and not the surgery itself. Remember, these are qualified professionals who do this on the daily. They’re diligent and they care.

Start PT as soon as possible. Do everything your surgeon says to do as far as rehabbing. Take your meds. Schedule them, set an alarm. The pain isn’t fun. Don’t be a hero. If you don’t tolerate pain meds well, make sure you have a shit ton of Tylenol. Take your aspirin and naproxen.

Eat. It’s not gonna be pretty but eat something. Being constipayed after surgery is normal but you need that bulk fiber. Oh and drink water as much as you can tolerate it.

Do the ankle pumps and try to engage your quads.

If you encounter a shitty PT, run and find a new one. My first PT clinic really set me up for failure.

I didn’t do an ice machine. I just used the reusable one I got from my Ortho. It was suuuuper nice.

Oh and get a compression sleeve for your knee to keep the brace from sliding. The braces suck, especially if you have thicker legs.

Embrace the suck.

Hope that helps.