Day 3 - April 15th, 2011

So, I was thinking I was super tough and doing awesome - until the last of the nerve block left and the swelling kicked up. Yesterday overall was a great day - spent about 9 hours in the CPM (which feels so good!) and did my exercises. The last one I did before bed was propping my foot up on a rolled up towel and pushing my knee down - pretty intense but not horrible. A little while later (and it was also time for new ice and a pill - not a good combo) when I went to go to bed, it felt like my leg was going to explode. Being upright was bad, getting into bed was worse - and trying to get comfortable seemed impossible. You have to be very careful about propping your leg up - you want it higher than your heart, but you also need to prop to be under the ankle, not the knee. Propping under the knee can make the new ligament shorten, requiring more surgery, and I am not interested in that. But Mark found a long bolster pillow that we put under my calf and foot lengthwise - and I got some rest! I keep telling myself that this is the worst of it - in a few days the swelling will be better and I will be more mobile - I just had surgery 48 hours ago. It's hard to be patient!



This is my view for the day. Don't be jealous.


Today I am going to have a good day and keep everything moving and elevated - I didn't change the dressing yesterday but will today, along with a much needed shower. Thank you for reading!

First day post op = overall better than expected

Today has been okay - thank God for pain medicine and ice! This ice machine that circulates ice around my knee has been money - I am so glad that I have it. I have used it almost non-stop. Overall, I think my progress is good! I started my CPM machine at 60 degrees as instructed, but through the day have been able to get to 70. My goal is 5-10 degrees each day until I reach about 110-120 degrees over the next couple of weeks. I have also been able to begin some basic exercises - contracting my quad was really hard, especially with the nerve block. This afternoon I managed some straight leg raises and heel slides - yay! Mark's mom came to spend the day with me and brought me food, which was much appreciated. My appetite is still small but I need to eat.

It isn't all sunshine and rainbows...my nerve block is wearing off quickly and holy cow, it is a little intense. The best way I can describe it is that it feels like someone took a baseball bat to the back of my knee. The swelling in my leg is pretty aggressive as well - but overall I am happy with where I am. I am also really hoarse and don't have much of a voice from the intubation, so I'm not really talking. This ice feels like heaven - later on, we are going to change the dressing on this puppy. I'll definitely take some pics that I might share if they aren't too disgusting. Thanks again for the nice comments, texts and messages. Even if my response is a little incoherent, it comes from a good place.

Home, finally!

All went well and right now I am pretty with the program, but I have a feeling that will change shortly so I thought now was a good time for a little recap. I was really nervous and my doctor was running a little behind, so it gave me more time to be nervous. The nurses were awesome and so helpful, which was nice. I met with the anesthesiologist, who promised to give me some "kickapoo joy juice" after I talked to my doctor. We agreed on general anesthesia, and he also offered to give me a femoral nerve block that would numb my whole leg. Yes, please! Dr. Burbank came back and chatted with Mark and my mother-in-law, all while showing them all the lovely ways my knee can move. Finally, the nurse anesthetist, who was one of the nicest people in the world, came to give me the relaxation stuff. I don't remember anything really after that - Mark says I didn't do anything mortifying, so I hope that is the truth. He did say I was telling jokes in a very grandiose manner - imagine that. Here is a picture I don't remember taking - when did they put a little cap on me?

Do not let this woman make any decisions.

I woke up in recovery and they fed me graham crackers and ginger ale, which was wonderful since I hadn't eaten or drank anything since midnight!

Best meal ever. I think I drained their graham cracker supply.

I'm not really in pain but it's hard to get comfy. Mark has gone to the store to fill my pain meds prescription, and once he gets back I will start taking those. As soon as he left, our neighbor came to the back door to bring flowers that were delivered while we were gone, but I am all hooked up to my ice machine thingy and can't reach my crutches. I tried to call out to her, but I also don't have much of a voice from the tube in my throat, so it was a kind of funny, helpless moment. So now, I have gorgeous flowers I can see through the window, but I can't get my hands on them or see who they are from! I hope Mark hurries home so I can take my meds and get my flowers - also, it will be time to put my knee into the CPM machine. THAT will be fun, especially since I can take my brace off and get a little peek at the giant, swollen, leg-like appendage that I can't feel right now.

THANK YOU for all the texts and facebook messages today - they really lifted my spirits, especially when I was nervous and things were running late. I am blessed to have wonderful friends and family.