Day 12 - 4/24/11

Still stir crazy. The worst part is I could get out of the house, but then can't really anything. I might go to the grocery store to add a little excitement into my day - that is what it has come to.

But there is a little ray of sunshine today to share:


The return of the prodigal knee cap

 Yes, it might be encased in still-slightly puffed, marshmallow-colored skin, but that is my kneecap. I was wondering if it was still in there - I certainly didn't expect to see it for another few weeks. Bruising is also still minimal - I do have a large bruise on my calf (Meghan, my PT says it looks like a handprint - what did they do to me while I was in there?) but it's not nearly as spectacular as I had expected. I have the arnica and cryo-cuff to thank for all of this.

In other news, I did my hamstring sets today and for the first time, did not get tears in my eye. If this is what progress looks like then I will gladly accept it.

Back to PT tomorrow and I think I am going to go back to the office on Tuesday after my PT and acupuncture appointments. I have never been so excited to be back to work - my coworkers sent me a gorgeous arrangement of roses yesterday. They're a good group and I am eager to have a little more human companionship. So back to work it is! Happy Easter to those that celebrate.

4/21/11 - First Day of Physical Therapy!

I started physical therapy today and was so ready - I don't sit still very well and have been itching to find out what I can (and can't) do. I also learned that as I suspected, 120 degrees in the CPM machine is very different than that range of motion out of it. I already have some of my hyperextension back in my surgery knee, which is great news. I wanted it to at least somewhat match the other, and I would look funny with one bendy knee and one tight one. I have about 3 degrees now and would like for it to stay that low. I can bend to 95 degrees on the surgery leg. Sounds great, right? However, with my flexibility I have a little more ground to make up. My non-injured leg is at 5 degrees hyperextension and 145 flexion. But I'm in a good place for now.

I am approved to do straight leg lifts and hamstring sets, which are hard! Because I'm so mobile already, she is focusing on my hamstrings first - later she will work on my quads. The quads extend and stretch the ACL, so we don't want those getting too crazy - the hamstrings balance them out and stabilize the ACL. I finally felt today for the first time that my hamstring is missing a little something. I can do the leg lifts in all directions except for the one that focuses on inner thigh work. My hamstrings are not able to stabilize my knee, so my lower leg drags and bends to the side. Gross.

I also got to get on the bike today! I am not winning any races, but I could make full rotations. It felt incredibly good to move - I really think that not moving causes me more discomfort than the surgery. Now if I can just find a way to be comfy when I sleep - having this giant thing is not a good sleep aid. I tried to roll over onto my side a couple of nights ago and it did not go well - my hubby found this hilarious to witness.

So for now, I will do 10 minutes on the bike, and my leg lifts and hammie sets 3x a day. Thank goodness I love my physical therapist, because Lord knows we are going to be spending a LOT of time together.

4/18/11 Day 6

What exciting has happened in the past couple of days? Well, I hit 100 degrees on the CPM machine, which is ahead of schedule and feels really good. I'm still working on my leg extension - I think it's going well, but because my knee is so used to hyperextending that it doesn't feel like it's really straight. When I eyeball it, it looks like I'm getting there. Heel slides (I started to type "hell slides" - Freud would enjoy that) are really hard for me to do unassisted. Due to the hamstring stripping, it doesn't seem like my hamstring is interested in helping me out. I have to pull under my thigh to bend my knee - that's a more active way to work the range of motion, so it's harder than the CPM, which is more "set it and forget it". I would guess I'm about at 75-80 degrees on that measure. We will get the verdict at physical therapy, which I start a week from today! I see my doctor on Thursday, so I'm looking forward to seeing what he has to say. The big risk the first couple of months is that the hamstring graft will not be set, so it's very easy to tear. I don't think I've done anything too crazy - I'm working hard but being careful and keeping all knee movement linear. Ankle pumps and circles feel like heaven.

I took one pain pill yesterday in the morning, and 2 at night - so I'm way down on that! Today I am not going to take one and then take one at bedtime. Night is still the hardest for me. Inflammation is pretty uncomfortable - my leg feels hot all the time, especially if I'm not using my ice pack. But the pain is manageable, especially when I think about all that was done to it. When the day comes that they want me to give my rented ice machine back, I might have to fight someone. I love that thing.