It’s been a while since I visited this blog (since I have 3 other blogs working right now). Anyway, didn’t notice all the posts and the people that I’ve enlightened by this accident. Glad to oblige.
I wanted to give peeps an update to how the injury has progressed over the past year.
I went back to cycling in December for only about a week after having to get off the bike for another unrelated injury. The leg was doing fine, but I tried to get back to cycling a little quicker than I should have and developed a little patellar tendonitis. Anyway, I took off another 3 weeks and started pretty heavy into training in January 2010. The leg was completely healed and I had no problems cycling. My sister, who is an ultrasound tech at one of the local hospitals, put the US to the leg a few times during my recovery. Each time, the residual fluid left over from after the VAC removed got smaller and smaller.
Let me back up, when I had the VAC removed, I had to have the area packed and compressed until a smaller opening finally healed. It took a few weeks for the final area to heal after the VAC was removed. In other words, the area was still healing from the inside-out after the VAC removal.
My last ultrasound in January showed only a little scar tissue, but no more fluid. So , it was then that I went back to cycling full time. I had an active Spring 2010 cycling season. I was back up to my training 2 to 3 hours a day and actually won a criterium in a Cat 4 race in August.
I have a picture attached of what my scar and leg looks like. (in blog post) I have no residual problems with the area. It is a little numb around the skin, but I don’t feel any ‘pulling’ action or pain. I sleep on it without causing any pain. Initially, when I had the injury, I couldn’t find anything on the MLL , so I hope everyone found this little blog series helpful.
The Series
Part 1 – Anatomy of a Bicycle Crash
Part 2 – Morel-Lavallee’ Lesion or Traumatic Hematoma after a Bicyle Accident
Part 3 – Morel-Lavalle’ Lesion – The Aftermath
Part 4 – Morel-Lavalle’ Lesion – The Surgery
Pingback: Morel-Lavallee’ Lesion or Traumatic Hematoma after a Bicycle Accident-Introduction (Part 2) « Al's Corner
Pingback: Morel-Lavallee’ Lesion – The Aftermath (Part 3) « Al's Corner
Pingback: Morel-Lavallee’ Lesion – Everything you wanted to know but forgot to ask « Al's Corner
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Thanks Al,
Congrats on the race win. Your blog has been very helpful in getting a real world understanding of the MLL and what lies down the road. 6 months now for me, second needle aspiration got nothing out. Now an ultrasound guided needle aspiration scheduled for the 21st Feb and they’ll see how that goes. Getting pi$$ed off at this stage, sore, annoying, not sleeping right etc. Would prefer for them to just open it up and drain it but they seem to want to go as conservative as possible.
As its a rare condition they don’t really know what the story is, at this stage I know more than they do at this stage
hopefully not too much longer at this stage. Plenty of differing views regarding best approach to treat. I suppose if needle guided works out then I’ll be left with no scar but will wait and see.
Thank you so much for your write up Al! Great work… best of luck with the cycling. Your blog answered more questions about the MLL than any of my doctors could.
Your information wss most helpful to me. I acquired MLL from getting crushed by two cows in a cow chute. Nothing fun like being in a bicycle race in Corpus Christi. So far, I am frustrated by the lack of information in the medical community about MLL.
My accident occurred 2/27/11. I have had two needle aspirations with over 2 pints of blood removed about 80% of the blood returning to the area. My MLL is becoming hard around the outer edges but doesn’t seem to be growing. I am having the same sleeping problems. The doctors are just saying to see if it goes down on its own. No more draining with a needle.
I ice the area about three times a day. If I walk around too much the area gets sore and red, so I am pretty confinded. I am wondering about physical therapy, did you do any exercises to try to get the swelling to reduce?
Hey Sandra,
Completely agree with you regarding the lack of information. I found most medical professionals were not familiar with it due to its rarity. If anything I’d be tempted to get a second opinion regarding further needle aspirations or possibly more invasive treatment…. if you don’t mind scars. I believe in general they do go back to normal with time…. but that can be quite some amount of time. I ended up having 3 before all the fluid was gone…. was told there is a good chance of re-accumulation and as such repeated aspirations can typically be needed.
Obviously timelines are a bit different… I got mine back in July. I find putting compression bandages on it helps from a comfort perspective if you’re on a feet a lot during the day. I actually got a back support with velcro and just wrapped it around lower over the MLL itself. Some things you’ll read will tell you that it will help with reducing size too…. I’d tend to agree with what I’ve experienced. Its finally reducing in size.
I’m now doing physio on it once a week with quite a few exercises at this point to build strength back up in it.
Hope this helps Sandra… have a load of saved links if you want to do some more reading.
Hi Al – mine occurred on a bike as well, and to the left side. I was hit by a tow truck along the Pacific Coast Highway out here in California. 2 months after the ‘accident’, my MLL was removed, completely encapsulated and measuring out at 1.5L of fluid. I had named it my ‘asselet’. They left me with 3 JP drains, which were removed 1-by-1 over the next month and a half. I’m coming up on the year anniversary of the surgery, and I still have swelling, the asslet remains albeit smaller. Recent MRIs show diffuse accumulation of subq infiltrates, but nothing large enough in any one area to drain again. Very frustrating. I’m a triathlete, and still cannot run without spandex for compression due to pain. My incision is unsightly and long, about 12-14 inches or so. I’m wondering – do you have any touch sensation to the surface? I’ve been numb since the accident, and in my limited research I’m seeing this is pretty common due to the severing of nerve endings. Thank you for blogging about this, helps me to realize I’m not alone and there are others out there just as frustrated. I’m literally just now getting the actual name for the diagnosis (from my attorney, no less), so I’m in a little bit of shock. Your blog was very helpful.
Quick healing,
C
Sorry to hear about your accident. Believe me, I know how frustrated you must be. Yes, I also have numbness, but there is no swelling. I used a KCI wound vac, which I would recommend over JP drains or any drain for that matter. Lesions like this really need negative pressure to fully close so there is no chance of fluid accumulation. after about 3 months, I’ve had no trouble with mine and I’m back to competitive cycling without a hitch. I never feel it on a bike ride or even notice it when I’m sleeping. I may suggest you see some surgeons who may be able to do some additional surgery and apply a negative pressure wound vac to get the tissue to tack down and fibrose. If not, a smaller accumulation of fluid may take some time to finally absorb, sometimes up to a year. Good luck and thanks for the comment.
Hi -
I had an MLL after a bike accident in July 2009. After it was drained a few times and kept re-accumulating, I had a catheter/Jackson-Pratt on for a week but it kept re-accumulating. I was then thinking about surgery, but found an article about MLL’s in the knees of NFL players (out of U. Pitt) – the method was to drain the hematoma, clean it out, scleros it, and then compress to heal it. It basically worked and I am fully active now with now real issues. The whole process, however, cost a lot of money and took seven months to be mostly normal again. It really sucked.