Hi Susan,My son, who just turned 15, underwent ACL surgery just a little bit over a year ago. Being athletic and very physically active, the recovery period was difficult for him, but I am happy to say that--after an almost one-year hiatus from organized sports--he played both high school and travel baseball this spring and appears to have recovered completely.
From what I have learned, it is EXTREMELY important to get the right surgeon and it is EXTREMELY important to start them on physical therapy and leg exercises ASAP after the surgery...i.e. within a day or two. I have heard of others who waited one week to start physical therapy and had a much more difficult and lengthy recovery period.
As for the surgery prep, you want to make sure the surgeon's office and endo's office talk with each other (which it looks like you are doing). Typically, they give the stress doses pre-op via IV, and post -op, as well.
Also, when I posted on this MB for info about ACL repairs last year, I was amazed that there were many more kids who had had the surgery, than I had anticipated. Additionally, my son's surgeon and the Hospital pediatrician told me they had seen quite a few CAH kids with torn ACLs in a very short period of time. It's interesting because this type of injury is typical in kids a few years older, not in kids our age. The frequency rate compared to the general population appears significant, so it would appear that there is some relationship between having CAH and having these types of injuries (my son also injured his rotator cuff at the age of 11). I am not sure if it's a medication issue (long term use of cortisol medications) or muscles that are overdeveloped compared to bone tissue or something else. I told my son's endo last year about the astonishing coincidence of having so many CAH kids with torn ACLs and he agreed that it appeared statistically significant. It would be a very interesting subject to follow up, at some point.
Anyway...I'm going off on a tangent here. Where are you located? I would be happy to speak with you by phone, if you have any further questions or just need additional reassurance.
Best Regards,
Carol
