3 weeks Post-op

Can't even believe it's been 3 weeks already.  My knee is feeling good.  I even wore heels last night to Wine Class.  They were low heels, but a step up from my daily sneakers and UGGS!  I'm still learning what normal is when it comes to my right knee.  I get paranoid when it feels different, but it should feel different, because it is different....I have been continuing my time at the gym on the bike and PT is going well.  PT is boring, but the electrical stimuli is really helping me get back my quad muscle contraction abilities.... Here are some pictures from today.

                                    Still a bit swollen, but it's improving.  You can see
                                       where my quad is still looking a bit deformed.

                 Bruising is subsiding, but according to Shealyn it's turning into a rainbow!

                           
          I'm amazed at how minimal the scarring is.   I'm still using Vitamin E to help though!


While at PT today, I overheard some of the girls chit chatting and I was amazed at how negative this one girl is.  I could tell on my 1st visit that she was uber negative, but her conversations today were unbelievable.  A good friend of mine once told me "you'll receive more with honey than vinegar."  Clearly this girl was pouring on the vinegar and it's no wonder people are not treating her the way she wants to be treated.  Ever since I was given the diagnosis of Thyroid Cancer this time last year, my priorities and life have changed significantly.  I remind myself to be thankful on a daily basis as well as letting the little stuff go.  Easier said than done, but overall I am happy with how far I've come.  As far as I'm concerned misery loves company and I will not allow myself to be dragged into it anymore.  I have way too much to be thankful for......

2 Weeks Post-Op

I should have posted this on Thursday the 13th, but I have had a crazy busy week and did not even have a minute to get to it.  Let's start with some pictures though.  These were taken on Thursday, exactly 2 weeks post-op.

                                                        
                                   The incisions are looking great and healing nicely.

         The swelling has gone down significantly and my knee is starting to look normal again.

                         I still have some nasty bruising on the back, which I was told is the
                                         residual blood from the drilling they had to do.


As for my recovery....it's going great.  Much better than expected.  I can walk upstairs no problem and downstairs slowly.  I have been going to the gym and gradually working up my time on the bike which I can now make complete revolutions on.  Still icing every time I have the chance.  I also started PT this week.  They were surprised at how well I'm doing.  Before PT on Thursday I went to the gym and hit the bike for 40 minutes....apparently that is a lot for  2 weeks post surgery.   I'm not pushing it, just listening to what my knee is saying.  I was taking Advil during the day and a Naprosyn at night, but I'm even done with that.  I woke up this morning thinking, I forgot to take both my Advil and Naprosyn yesterday....oh well, just thinking of it as another milestone on my road to recovery.  I'm not being naive, I know I still have a long road ahead of me, that may have a bump or 2, or 3, but for now I'm taking it day by day.  I'm happy with where I'm at and looking forward to my active future.

Post-Op News

I had my post-op appointment yesterday morning and it went terrific!  Lost the crutches, lost the brace and most importantly lost those annoying compression hose.  Dr. S. says everything looks fantastic and I'm a bit ahead on recovery!  Yeah me, Rockstar patient!  Overall, pain is minimal, swelling is down, and incisions look great. I will be starting physical therapy Tuesday.  Yes, I did ask about the gym.  I got the okay for the bike only,  as tolerated because my range of motion still isn't anywhere near where it will be.  He said I should see some more improvements over the next couple of days.  I was thrilled, so I left his office and headed straight to the gym.    Headed to the bikes and was a bit disappointed when  I could only make it around less than 2/3 of a rotation.  I couldn't even make the machine turn on because I was so slow.  I didn't let that stop me though, I did what felt comfortable and only lasted about 7 minutes!  Better than nothing though right?!  I then hit the weight room and did a quick upper body workout and abs, then called it a day.   Here are a couple pictures of my knee and my battle wounds!

By the end of the day my knee was a bit swollen and sore.  I did ice on and off throughout the day though and I think that is going to be a part of my regular routine for the near future.  Feeling great again today, but plan on trying my spinning bike and getting on the CPM machine for a few hours. Might as well use it until they pick it up!  Off to enjoy this gorgeous weather!

Me & My New ACL

Well, I am finally back.  My ACL reconstruction and meniscus repair took place on 9/29/11.....surgery went well according to the nurses and surgeon.  I was a bit incoherent, so I'm not too sure of the specifics, but I will be sure to get them at my 1st post-op appointment.  One thing I learned last year from my thyroidectomy, was that I do NOT do well with anesthesia.  This held true yet again! Let's put it this way, I was the 1st of the morning surgeries and the last to be discharged.  I won't go into details, I'll just say it wasn't pretty!  Here are a few pictures of my knee from surgery day.  And yes, I did get a pedicure for the occasion!

The weekend was tough.   My knee was feeling good, pain was manageable thanks to my fantastic husband, who made sure I had constant ice and that my pain meds were given to me with saltines at exactly 4 hour intervals as prescribed.

Apparently, I am no better with pain meds than anesthesia because by Saturday I was so violently sick and dehydrated that I should have gone to the hospital for some IV fluids.  Luckily, with the help of some Herb Ox Chicken broth we managed to get me back from the edge.   Coming back from what feels like death is a slow process.  Keith was sent out for more chicken broth, white pasta, white rice and saltines.  I fought the nausea all day Sunday, even after cutting my pain meds dosage in half the night before.   The mandatory bland diet was wreaking havoc on my body as well.  White carbs and sodium are things  I rarely consume and my body must have been thinking "What the heck is she doing to me!"   I took my last narcotic pain med Sunday morning and refused to take anymore.  I would rather be in pain than deal with the nausea.  I swapped to Naprosyn that afternoon and it was the best decision I could have made.

By Tuesday, Cabin Fever was in full swing and I went for my 1st supervised drive with my Dad to pick up the kids at school.  Wednesday was my 1st day driving on my own and God it was wonderful, pouring rain and all!  Today is officially 1 week post-op and my knee is feeling great....my knee is up to 90 degrees on the CPM machine,  I can weight bear with the crutches and I am only taking Advil during the day and Naprosyn at night.  My follow-up appointment is tomorrow morning and I'm very excited.  If all goes as expected I will be able to lose the crutches and brace. I'm also hoping that I'll get the okay to hit the ARC trainer on 0 incline and low resistance.  If not, I'll resign myself to the Upper Body Bike and a good upper body workout, although my arms and shoulders should be looking good after all the stairs I've been doing with these crutches!