Surgeon Post-Op #2

Well, today was my second post-op appointment with my surgeon. I was ddddreading it. Our last appointment wasn't exactly an uplifting, rewarding experience. But, this time was a bit different. He said I'm not completely where I should be in regards to my ROM, but I'm still doing good. Everything looks good- my scar is healing nicely and my swelling has gone down a bit.
I am still going to be going to PT twice a week for another few weeks. I personally don't mind it and am not in any hurry to be done with it. PT makes me feel like I'm doing the right thing, like I'm working towards a normal life. I do everything I'm supposed to do at home, but dedicating an hour twice a week to nothing but getting better and stronger is pretty priceless.

6 weeks post-op

back at work!

Today has been 6 weeks of crazy, painful, intense, frustrating, overwhelming recovery. The last 2 weeks has been infinitely better than the previous two. The best piece of advice I received was when someone told me "not every day is a good day and not every day is a bad day." If you were to have asked me 3 weeks ago, I would have told you it was all bad. All crappy, painful, discouraging bad days. Then I started to walk, to hit more milestones in physical therapy and regain my independence. It's amazing what that will do for your spirit.


No more crutch for me!

Now I'm back to work- not quite full time, but getting there. I'm in PT twice a week. I can bend my knee to 97 degrees, with improvements being made every day. I'm working on my strength and balance now: squats, hamstring curls, leg press, walking diagonal lunges with the band at my ankles, and steps (up AND down!).  I'm very close to a full rotation on the bike- which will be a great accomplishment. I am so out of shape and dying to get back into some sort of cardio that doesn't involve the dreaded arm bike. A few more weeks and I'll be on the bike and the elliptical.
It's true. Not all days are good, but I can finally say that not many days are bad.

Big Girl Panties

So yesterday at my physical therapy appointment, I was warming up on the bike when my therapist asked me why I still had my crutches. "Umm, because I can't walk yet" was my snarky, though accurate response. Well, apparently at 4 weeks post-op I am full weight bearing. I had it in my mind I had another 2 weeks, so this was awesome news! So, now I'm able to walk with only one crutch and it feels amazing. Just being able to crutch with one arm and carry something with the other is a huge relief. I was sick of shoving things into the waist band of my pants or carrying my jacket with my teeth.
Now, despite having this new sense of freedom, I am still struggling with my flexion. Yesterday I was up to 70 degrees, ten degrees more than the previous week. I'm mad at my PT for telling me I would be at 90 within the first week of therapy (3 weeks ago). Now everything I do below 90 seems below par. I'm too competitive to hear that! It's the most discouraging thing to hear I'm not as far as I should be. Everyday I push myself to the brink of tears trying to improve and continue to be disappointed. I have a follow-up with my surgeon tomorrow and I am worried he's not going to have anything good to say to me. He never seemed too happy with my progress pre-op and that seemed like a cake walk compared to this. My PT reminded me that even though I want to be above and beyond, the important thing is that I am making improvements every week and I'm within the parameters the surgeon set for me. So in reality, I need to suck it up, put on my big girl panties and keep working hard.

Can we be done yet?

Well, it has officially been 4 weeks since surgery. I'm having less pain and am able to get out a little more now. I am still locked in the brace, but spend most of the day with the brace off, doing my PT exercises. Last week my therapist doubled my exercises because I'm not where he wants me to be. I am supposed to be at 90 degrees, but I was at 60. So I've been working extra hard to get my flexion back! I don't like being below average. Pre-op PT was easy- I did the bare minimum and my knee responded very well. But this time around my knee is being stubborn and making me work extra hard. But I'm in PT twice a week now, so I will hopefully make some big improvements in the next few days and weeks.
It's been warm and sunny here, which makes being gimpy so difficult. All I could think about was what great cycling weather is was, or how much I wanted to go hiking. It was very hard. But I was able to sit outside in the sun with Lucy and work on my knee brace tan.

Week 3

Hoping for an awesome scar

Today marks 3 weeks since surgery. Not much has changed from last week- I'm still locked in the brace and not walking. I have PT tomorrow morning and I always leave there feeling a bit better about myself. I have been working on my flexion and I'm able to bend about 45 degrees. I need to be at 90 next week, so I'm right on track.
I'm finally able to get up and go out without being cranky pants. I went to Mark's indoor soccer game on Saturday and it was torture just watching and not playing. But, I am embracing my role as team mom and am just glad I can cheer on my team.

Week 2

Week 2

I think I am finally over the hump and the worst is behind me. I started physical therapy yesterday which was a much-needed dose of encouragement after a very hard 2 weeks. My therapist, John, is a good guy and since he did all my pre-op PT, we are to a point where we give each other a hard time and he laughs at my jokes. Yes! We started out very slow- some heel slides to get my knee bending a bit and some hip strengthening exercises. He was impressed with the strength I still have in my leg and told me he thinks I'll have no problems getting my flexion back. Very good news. I know we still have such a long way to go, but this seemed like a very big step and means I am on my way. Once I'm able to bear weight on my leg, the real work is going to start. I know it's going to be really hard, but I'm more determined than ever to get my knee back to normal.
I have to say the last week has been the hardest, mentally, so far. I am not sure why, but have been really frustrated and just generally bummed. I am usually not a crier, but have been crying more than I have since this whole debacle started, and not because of pain. I've heard depression is a very common side-effect to being immobile. I didn't experience it when my knee was first injured, and I'm not sure why, but it sure snuck up on me this time. I am trying to stay optimistic and remind myself that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, even though the tunnel seems really, really long. I just have to take it one day at a time, work hard on my recovery and be thankful the worst is over.

Lookin' Good!

My new ACL/ my old hamstring

I just had my post-op appointment with my surgeon. He was very pleased with how the knee looked and told me everything was looking good. I get to start physical therapy next week. He wants me to be at 90 degrees by our next appointment in 3 weeks. He also explained the images he took. I got to see the damage to my meniscus and also the blob that used to be my ACL. It was pretty cool once I knew what they are.


One week!

Not too swollen, right?

Well, it's been a week and a day since surgery. Things have taken a drastic turn for the better after I decided to completely stop taking the Percocet 2 days ago. I can't say I was entirely prepared for the pain in my knee but the ice cream, pizza, and cookies I was finally able to eat helped ease my pain. I am on Tylenol, which helps a little. I have to say that the pain of the knee is better than constant dizziness and nausea. So, while it's not ideal, I think I can live with it.
Tonight we went out for the first time since surgery. We had a date to get sushi. It was exhausting and my leg wasn't too happy, but if anything is worth pain and exhaustion- it's sushi.
I have my post-op appointment with my surgeon tomorrow. I have a million questions for him, mainly because he came in and spoke to me while I was still groggy and medicated, so I don't remember a lick of what he told me. Hopefully he'll be happy that my leg is at fully extension, too. We shall see!
Oh, and my gluten-free diet charge failed epically. As soon as I started ralfing, all I could stomach was bread and crackers. I'd give myself an A for intention and a C for effort.

rocky road

Day 5 here.  When I started this blog I had every intention of writing every day. I figured it would be just like when I was injured in December;  bored and interested in connecting to the outside world.  This however has not been the case.
The pain is pretty intense.  It feels like my knee cap is ripping off the rest of my leg. Its a very strange feeling. I am guessing its the stitches in my meniscus. But, as awful as this sounds, its really not unbearable.  Its hard going to the bathroom but laying low isn't half bad.  The worst part is the nausea. The Percocet was making me really dizzy, which was making me nauseous.  Now that I've cut back on the meds,  I'm still getting sick after eating everything.  It's exhausting.

Nurse Lucy ready to jump to my aid

My new leg!

This was my worst fear. When I started having stomach problems in December I automatically started dreading that this would happen after surgery.  I was even put on a very intense prescription for the stomach issues before surgery to help (a lot of good that did!).
Anyway, I took my first shower yesterday and it felt amazing to finally get clean. It was quite an ordeal to crutch up stairs and find a position in the shower that wasn't excruciating- I ended up sitting on the floor in the shower and having Mark wash my hair.  I felt like an old lady! I also had to change my bandages.  That was a little tough especially since I was already nauseous.  There were 4 small incisions around my knee and 1 about an inch and a half long. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but there we're no stitches.  I think they probably stitched them from the inside,  but it was sure odd seeing an open wound. Anyway, I got those cleaned up and my lovely nurse Mark put new bandages on them since I was too queasy to stare at bloody wounds, let alone bandage them up myself.

Flowers from Julie!

I'm very very thankful my mom and Mark have been here to help me.  I had a mental breakdown tonight (unfortunately this took place mid-pee break. Mark and my poor mom had to console me while I'm crying hysterically without pants on). But they were there to pick me back up and reassure me that it can only get better. And I sure hope they are right.

Here we go!

Well, yesterday was my surgery, I did it! Since I have quite a bit of time on my hands, I'll recap as best as I can.
We arrived at the surgical center at 9:15, with the surgery scheduled for 10:30. I was calm, but a little anxious every time someone else came into the room. My mom had arrived the night before, so Mark her and Mark's mom, Lily were there with me. They took me back around 9:30 and got my IV going. Then they told me they were running and hour behind. Ok. So my mom came in and hung out for about 30 minutes, then Mark came in.  At around 11, they came in and told me the surgery was ANOTHER hour late. Boo! At this point, I just wanted to stop waiting and get this show on the road. So Mark, being the amazing fiancé he is, started reading me articles out of Cosmo, being as girly as possible, of course. This helped ease my nerves a bit.
Finally, the surgeon and anesthesiologist came in and went over all the details of the surgery and the nerve block. After I signed the paperwork, they kicked Mark out and got to work.  I was nervous about the nerve block, especially since I was going to be awake for it. But they gave me happy drugs which immediately made me feel like I had about 9 margaritas. They said most people don't remember a thing after this point, but I remember it all. The anesthesiologist inserted a needle in my groin, which made my knee twitch uncontrollably.  This was so strange, but kind of cool.  Before I knew it, they were wheeling me into the operating room. I moved myself onto the operating table and I remember trying to crack a joke about forgetting not to have all those margaritas before I came in. Then they put the oxygen mask on me and I was out.
Next thing I know, someone is telling me that I'm out of surgery and not to rub my eyes. Then I dozed off for what felt like 5 minutes, but  I guess it was about an hour. I finally regained some sort of consciousness, because I remember the surgeon coming in and telling me the operation went well and that he had to stitch up my meniscus. I don't think I cared at the time, but I'm pretty bummed about it now because it means 3 more weeks on crutches. Next thing I know, Mark is in the room, holing my hand. I don't remember much, except being really hot. I think I told Mark I wanted to see my Mom, cause he left and she came back in.  The nurse came in and asked me about my pain. I was expecting my entire leg to be paralyzed, but I was definitely feeling pain. This was because the nerve block didn't take as much as it could have.  So she gave me an injection into my IV for the pain and I immediately felt a very heavy, drugged up feeling going through my veins. It made me feel a bit better, but the feeling of heaviness was awful. A bit later, she gave me another injection and an oral pain medication. This immediately made me sick and didn't stay down. Great. But I blamed it on the lack of food in my stomach and the hole in my straw. A bit later, after I got some anti nausea meds kicked in, I was able to keep down the pain meds.
Then slowly, and painfully, I started to get dressed. I got wheeled out to the car and into the backseat, which was excruciating. I was bawling for most of the way home. Getting inside the house was equally as fun but once I got into my couch nook, I was able to get comfortable. I spent the rest of the evening sleeping and nibbling on the insides of the French bread. mmm my favorite. Waking up and trying to get to the bathroom was an awful experience, especially in the dark, half awake and drugged up. I ended up throwing up my dinner and crying again because of the pain. Back to bed and off to sleep. At least until the next round of pain meds.

Almost there

Well, it's 3 days until my surgery and I'm sufficiently anxious. I have done research on my surgery, anesthesia, recovery and drugs and I can honestly say I am mildly nervous about most of these things. I guess I'm not as much nervous about the surgery going wrong, or getting an infection, I'm worried about the pain I'm sure I'll be in directly after surgery. Since I am still being treated for my gastritis, I'm really afraid I won't be able to tolerate the pain medicine. Choosing between the pain of my knee and the pain of my stomach being burned is not a decision I'd like to make.
But alas, I can only worry so much before I have a heart attack, so I've busied myself with all the crap I need to get done before surgery. Seeing as this time I can plan my leave and wrap up all my projects, I better make the most of it. This weekend was officially named Kelly's mobility appreciation weekend. I wanted to do anything and everything I won't be able to do in 3 days.  This basically includes walking, standing, awkwardly dancing, and showering. I only have half a good knee anyway, so this list would have been longer before all this crap happened. Just more to look forward to in a few months, right?
I finally got my snazzy new ice machine. It cost me more than I care to share, but I have a feeling it will be worth every penny.

 

Tomorrow is baking and cooking day. I want to make as much food as possible, so it's easy to reheat and eat. It could be interesting cooking without my beloved gluten, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

Goodbye, cupcake.

It's just over 2 weeks until my surgery and I've been doing a lot of research on the surgery and, more importantly, the recovery. Now, digging through all the blogs, articles, and books to find the best method has been overwhelming.
When I first hurt my knee and found the bloodclot, I was on ridiculous amounts of medication. Ok, it wasn't as many pills as my Grandma takes, but for a girl who doesn't take anything more than an occasional advil for a headache, this was a LOT. And that medication tore up my stomach. Diagnosis: gastritis. Great. This has truly made me aware of how damaging these medications can be to my body so I started researching alternatives to medication. Granted, the Percocet will be my BFF for the first few days, but I don't want to rely on pills when I don't absolutely have to.
This brought me to research foods that are naturally inflammatory and I was a little sad to learn what they were. In a nut shell, everything delicious. Gluten is a natural inflammatory, so everything I love to eat is everything I shouldn't. Donuts, cupcakes, pancakes, bread... this list just makes me sad.
But, sadness aside, I really believe this will help in my recovery. So, starting March 1, I am going gluten-free and poor Mark is forced to join me on this journey. Wish us luck!

ACL, it's been swell

Well, here we are. right before surgery. I have spent large amounts of time reading other people's blogs about their experiences with ACL reconstruction surgery. So, in an effort to help someone else or just to beat my own boredom after surgery, here is mine.