Diary5

Aug.28.00 - Day of Surgery! Surgery is scheduled for 1:45pm but I must be at the hospital for pre-op work at 12:45pm. Haven't eaten or had anything to drink since midnight. Start of the day didn't go well, of course the car wouldn't start and I needed a ride from someone else! But I think this helped settle my nerves because I became so worried about getting there that I forgot about what would happen once there. Was mostly apprehensive about the anesthetic, did not want the spinal for fear of paralysis :) So I decided on the general anesthesia. All I remember before the surgery was being moved from the bed to the operating table and commenting on the coldness of the room. I awoke at aprox 2:40 with the anesthesiologist telling a nurse to give me something for my shakes (I was freezing!) and a warm heater underneath the blanket. After twenty minutes and a pain pill I was getting dressed for home. I felt completely fine except this large ACE bandage wrapped from my upper thigh to my toes and a large "bump" where my knee should be. The drive home I was totally alert and feeling fine, thinking that the surgery and recovery would be a piece of cake! Once I stepped out of the car I realized it wouldn't be. I could stand just fine but my leg didn't want to move forward so my neighbors carried me inside my house. Feeling too embarrassed I opted to stay downstairs. A half-hour later I decided to make the move for the stairs, took a while but I eventually scooted up the stairs. After that I was bed ridden for the night.

Sept 21.00 - OS Check Up Had my second check up with my Orthopedic today. Got the go sign to really push it, need to really start bending it more, otherwise I'll get adhesions, and to work on my quad strength more. Got rid of my foam brace that I wore for the lateral release so for the first time in months I'm brace free! And I can continue using one crutch until, my gait gets better. Other then that I'll see him three weeks! Also had a therapy session today. Really worked hard, did lots of exercises and weight machines. Afterwards, I felt a lot of discomfort doing the simple straight leg raises. Hadn't felt that kind of pain since I originally hurt my knee! We ended the day on that lovely note! This evening it still hurt but I feel a little better with my range of motion, think the OS forcing it to bend and straighten helped it, Feels more flexible.

Sept 19.00 - 3 Weeks Post OP Well today I don't feel as good as I did last week. I am able to bend my knee a little more and can move around the house with more ease but I feel quite stiff and more sharp pains then before. I haven't had therapy for 4 days and I think this may have something to do with it. Plus this weekend I had no one around the house to help with daily chores so I think I may have pushed it. Went to therapy today, This will be my last therapy until my next check up with my OS in two days. As much as I hurt I wan tot be able to impress him. Today in therapy I did a lot of new exercises. Worked on the Quad press machine, sat on a chair with wheels and "scooted" myself around with my bad knee, worked on the bike doing half rotations and then did two different stimulation machines alongside my daily straight leg raises, quad sets and heel slides. Tired but feel very productive and not in so much pain as when I walked in.

Sept 22.00 - Walking? Went into therapy today in a great deal of pain, halfway through I felt great. Went home and tried, for the first time to walk not hunched over and lunging, but a regular walk! My knee was very flexible from therapy so I straightened it out and walked, very slowly. Looked almost normal! It is strained but it's a little bit of hope :)

Oct 1.00 - Almost 5 weeks post-op OK been an interesting week. There were days when my walking improved and then days when I couldn't do anything at therapy! My most recent therapy session was tough, really pushed it, felt great! Walking out of the building and something wobbled, felted pinched in the patellar tendon area. Bent it a few times and nothing seemed out of order so I went home. Now, 2 days later, I'm not sure if because I pushed it with exercise or because of my "wobble" incident, I can't do my leg raises without a significant amount of pain, nor is walking as easy as it had been getting. My next therapy session is tomorrow and hopefully after loosening it up things will be good again. My next OS appt is in 12 days and my ROM hasn't changed much. I'm really working on this so I can impress the OS and myself! All in all though this experience has not gone as badly as I suspected. I'm having my ups and downs but I'm not in nearly the pain I was in prior to the surgery and mentally I feel that I am going to get well so these downs are only temporary:)

Oct 5.00 - New PT Well yesterday my Pt left, she is moving back home to start a family, valid reason, but who knows who the next one will be! We'll see tomorrow! Today I bought a stationary bike, though having difficulty putting it together, I hope that this will quicken my rehabilitation. My OS check up is in a week and I still don't have full range of motion so I really need/want to work on that!