So i just had an appointment with an Ortho Dr. This is following my 3rd ACL reconstruction surgery. I have had 3 ACL reconstruction within a 4 year time period of each other. My most recent surgery was November 2016 and i still have instability, pain, and lots of popping/grinding/catching in my knee. The Ortho Dr. said he was going to put in a referral to Tripler Hawaii. If Tripler accepts then i guess i will be going there to get images and see what the course of action can be. The Dr. said if they don't accept then i will be put through a MEB. Career wise i am a 30 year old E-5 with 10+ years of service and am a vehicle mechanic. Currently I am working in our tech support section because too much bending, walking, and standing makes the pain worse obviously. But even sitting at a desk all day exacerbates the pain. So i guess my question is what should i look forward to? Should i really opt for another surgery if they offer it? Or should i just go for the MEB?
What are my options/who can i ask for guidance?
- Thread starter Rjohnson87
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What branch are you in? I'm an E-5 in the USMC and I've had three reconstructive knee surgeries in the last 13 months. My last one was in January of 2018. My Ortho Dr. is initiating my MEB at my next follow up in April. In regards to your question, you need to think about your well-being and physical state of body. I planned on doing my twenty and retiring as well but after I tore my ACL for the second time I knew it was best for me to be medically separated. I'm okay with going to school, obtaining my Masters degree and having a "normal" life.
I think you may want to ask for an outside second opinion. Even if your MEB'd you still need a knee that is not so painful, even with sitting. Do some research on folks around your are great with knees.
I am an E-5 with almost 11 years in the Air Force and just received confirmation that Tripler does want me to go there for an evaluation. So they must have seen something on the images they didn't like. Guess I will have to wait and see how the evaluation goes and move on from there.