Some random stuff, for your reading pleasure

I am feeling worlds better than I expected to feel at this point.

And it’s a huge relief. 

I’ve read about some pretty bad struggles after a meniscus transplant, and it was hard to find ANY accounts of having all 3 surgeries (meniscus, ACL and MACI) done at once...so I expected the worst. Dr. Z prepared me for the worst. But I’m really grateful for how well it has gone so far!

Technical Knee Stuff

*I am focused on properly maintaining my non-weight bearing status. It’s hard, especially since I don’t have much pain. There’s little to remind me that I shouldn’t put my foot down. I don’t wear a shoe on my left foot. That’s helpful. The few times my foot has rested on the ground, there’s a pins and needles kind of sensation that I feel. That certainly reminds me to pick my foot up!

*I am trying to figure out how to make progress and rest and recover all at once. On POD10, I’m at 85 degrees flexion, and I’m making sure to work on my extension as well. Although it looks (like in the picture above) that flexion would be what hurts, it’s actually extension that is most painful (for me anyway). Marty, my physical therapist, told me with my last surgery that full extension is far more important than flexion. After a certain point, you can’t improve extension, and full extension is an excellent indicator of long term function for walking normally. I haven’t had normal flexion or extension in my L knee in over a year, so it’ll be interesting to see what a “normal” knee feels like! I am also resting it when it seems more swollen, or feels sore...icing...elevating...unwrapping...it’s a perpetual but important cycle. 

*I have very little pain at this point, for which I am very grateful. I have been instructed to take Tylenol 650mg every 6 hours, regardless of pain. I also take Gabapentin and Celebrex every 12 hours regardless of pain...all until I see Dr. Z again at POD13. I have missed my middle of the night Tylenol dose twice now (I was waking up naturally at the time it was due, but slept through it the last 2 nights) and I woke up achy and unhappy with that missed dose. So setting an alarm for 4am will be happening from now on. The pain I do have is behind and on the inside of my knee on the medial side...right where the majority of the work was done (makes sense). The lateral side of my knee remains very numb, presumably from interference with the saphenous nerve. I’ve read accounts of feeling pain when the nerve starts “waking up”. I’ll be ready for it, but am hopeful that doesn’t happen. 

*Speaking of medication...I’ve never taken so many medications, for so many days in a row, ever. I’ve also never had trouble taking medicine. But I’m developing  a difficulty swallowing the pills lately. Not sure why, and it seems kind of ridiculous, but it’s a thing. I’m sure it’s mind over matter. And it’s probably the one aspect of this whole experience I had not given any thought to. Go figure!

Not-so-technical stuff

*I was watching Stranger Things with the kids yesterday, and I watched Joyce...

Wait, if you don’t know what I’m talking about, stop reading this, and start watching the show, then come back to this when you know what I’m talking about, I promise you’ll thank me.

...sorry, so I was watching Joyce kneel down on the ground and frantically piece some pictures together. It looked terribly painful to me, and I found myself hoping to be able to do the same, pain free, at some point. Being able to kneel and squat and sit cross legged sounds SO silly and insignificant, but before this surgery, I could run dozens of miles. Getting down on the ground, however, required body contortion and planning on how I would get back up...kneeling was flat out impossible. 

*I am intent on keeping things moving in my house: laundry done (as seen in the above picture...took me 3 hours, but it got done!), bills paid, youngest son’s school projects completed, holiday gifts purchased, birthday parties planned, etc. I know for a fact that getting behind on these things will completely screw me up once I add work back into the mix in less than 3 weeks. After Thanksgiving, I will have work, extensive rehab to still do on my knee, as well as all of the aforementioned responsibilities. So getting behind now isn’t an option, and getting ahead will only serve me well. 

*This time at home has given me some great family time. Watching movies, taking time working on projects, all of us chipping in for dinner preparation, telling funny stories...it’s been a nice consequence of me having limited mobility. Rather than rushing around to get the house clean, meal prepping for the next week, heading off to work, or hurrying to get outside for a long training run, I have sat mostly still (for me anyway), and we have all interacted more in this week than in the whole previous month. 

*One of the harder things about all of this, has been asking for help, and accepting help, and accepting that I need help. Reason #5,254 that I’m grateful for a “so far so good” kind of recovery is that I’ve needed less help than I anticipated. I’m not sure if all of this will be character building for me, really it’s just making me think of all of the ways I should be helping others more when I’m back on my feet. It isn’t that I don’t feel worthy or deserving of help. I’m just far more comfortable doing for others. But the help I’ve gotten, particularly from my mom in the immediate post-op time, has been incredible and sanity saving. 

*It is 5 million times easier dealing with all of this now that my upper body has adapted to crutching around. It’s not effortless by any means, but the thought of getting up to move doesn’t bring me to tears  knowing how badly my arms, chest and hands will hurt. Not sure if it’ll be visibly obvious (although that would be a nice bonus!) that my upper body is stronger, but I can feel it for sure. Strong upper body, atrophied L leg...awesome!

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And speaking of crutching...

I kind of just started using it as term for how I get around now. I am not walking...I’m crutching.

 Alex recently said, “so I guess that’s a new word now huh?”

I thought it was a word. 

Or a real way of using the word. 

Nope!

Crutching is....

So now you know.

But I’m still using it to describe how I get around right now.