Is it normal to have two meniscual surgeries just 9 weeks apart??

by A.Marie
(Illinois)

My teen son had a meniscectomy on Dec. 29. The doctor trimmed some of the meniscus and my son recovered nicely. He was able to put weight on it after a couple of days but kept saying that something felt like it was moving inside his knee area. He also had popping and clicking noises when he would bend his knee. We brought it to the doctors attention but he didn't seem concerned.

Three days ago, (Feb. 24. 2010 11:00pm) his knee locked up again and this time, it was more severe than before he had the surgery. We took him to the ER and he had to be admitted to the hospital. They hooked him up to a pain pump and at 10:00am he had to have emergency surgery as the knee was still locked up. They did another scope and found that this time, the meniscus was "off the bone" (in their words) and was "twisted up. They had to drill a hole in the bone and basically screw the meniscus back in place.

I asked them if they had seen this problem 9 weeks ago when they did the 1st surgery! The doc tried to explain that there are layers in the knee and what was on the top layer looked okay but it is hard to see what is on layers you can't see. Something about it being like pancakes...You can see the first one or two but if you look down at the plate you can't see the bottom one. What is THAT all about?? I said to him that this makes sense if you are talking about MRI results, but when you are looking through the scope, can't you SEE more than just the top layer? I didn't get any really good answer from him at all.

Has anyone ever heard of this happening? My teen son has not done any sports, hasn't been in p.e., followed the dr. orders to the letter and now this? Trust me...I know people are thinking, "yeah, right, what did the kid do to mess up his knee again," but I am telling you.... My Son LOVES Marching Band, and he knows that in order for him to participate in the upcoming 2010 marching band season, he had to follow the doctor's orders very carefully.

So, what is going on? This time, because it is a repair, he has to be "non-weight bearing" until we see the doctor again on March 10, 2010. He isn't in any knee brace or immobilizer, though, and this gives me cause for concern.

Seriously, has anyone had this happen to them...2 meniscual surgeries in just 8 weeks?