Day 0

T-minus-zero, D-day.

In preparation for surgery I had no food or liquids after midnight of the previous day. Showered with an antiseptic solution the evening before the surgery as well as the morning before going to the hospital. I arrived at the hospital an hour or two early, so I had a few hours in the room before the surgery itself. During that time I laid in the bed some, changed into the gown, laid some more. A nurse came to shave the area at the knee and around it. I put on a compression sock on the right leg as instructed, laid in the bed some more. Another nurse brought some Xanax in preparation for the general anaesthesia and then I waited some more.

Around noon I was taken into the operation room. The anaesthesiologist said "Hi", applied IV to the left hand, the assistant placed a mask over my nose and mouth: Night, night!

I woke up in the post-op room around two. An hour later I was taken back to my room to wait for the doctor to let me know how it went and to send me home. In the mean time received around a liter of saline solution plus some paracetamol IV. Even before the paracetamol I only noticed some pain around the incision site, but nothing drastic. I found it hard to flex the knee beyond some 20 degrees from fully straight, but I experienced no pain when bearing weight on the leg. I was able to walk - carefully - to the toilet by myself and I had no problems whatsoever with my appetite by the time dinner arrived.

All bandaged up and smeared in iodine

The doctor came around seven, when he was done with the other patients for the day. He let me know that the operation went very well and that he was optimistic that my ITBS will be resolved. What he did to the IT band in the end was a simple straight 20 mm perpendicular cut starting at the posterior edge of the band. No part of the band was removed and nothing was done to the tissues underneath.

Doctor's orders:

• "Live normally": walk around normally (without overdoing it), stay mobile within my capabilities.
• No need for the compression sock since all went really well (I put it on anyway since I already had it with me).
• Take the outer bandaging off after two days.
• Wait for four days before taking a normal shower. Remove the adhesive bandage from the incision site and replace it with a new one after.
• Ice the knee daily.
• Take 4 x paracetamol and 3 x ibuprofen daily for pain.
• Expect a large, painful hematoma to form around the incision site.
• Come for a follow-up next week to assess the situation and discuss my recovery program.

I was able to hobble home without help or aids right after that (with my dear SO by my side just in case). Since it was already quite late and I didn't feel that much pain, I didn't pick up any of the prescribed medicine but went straight to bed.