4 weeks down, 4 more to go until I’m walking!

When I started writing this (Thursday) it was POD28, or 4 weeks since surgery.
A couple of big (to me) things have happened. 
1) I can sleep without my brace overnight!
2) The CPM machine is no more!  

On Sleeping Without A Brace
While it certainly feels more freeing, I wake up many times with “ouch” feelings. Not being held still in one place obviously means I will move my leg around now while asleep, and some positions don’t feel good!  It’s still very swollen and stiff in general, so it doesn’t bend much anyway. Like everything else with this process, the little bits of progress will take time to adjust to. I had visions of immediately sleeping on my side and getting the most rested sleep ever as soon as I didn’t need the brace overnight. Ahhhh...fantasy thinking at its best!


On Saying Goodbye to the CPM
While I don’t love the CPM, it is somewhat comforting knowing that the machine gradually increases the angle of flexion and I just sit back and micro-manage my house from a seated position. Now it’s on me to passively flex and extend my knee and continue to make progress. And then how do I focus on the micro-management part of my job as mom/wife? I can do it and make the progress happen, but the machine was as nice as it was awful. Goodbye CPM, I appreciate your help...


Other changes...
On Being Back At Work
It’s harder than I thought it would be.
There. 
I admitted it. 
I had plenty of sick time and I could’ve taken off another 2 months if I needed to.
But...
I just started this job, and was really gaining momentum after 4 long months of feeling like a big fake, and didn’t want my time off to extend past the holidays and the New Year and then I would come back and I’d have to regain all the ground I let slide while I was gone. {Early on, when I found out the extensive nature of my knee problem and I was really new at my job, I considered putting the surgery off until next year for this very reason. But Dr Z warned me that surgery needed to be sooner than later otherwise my knee would be too damaged to repair.} So I came back to work early with the promise to Dr. Z that I would be primarily desk-bound and I would let up if I saw any problems. 
So even though I’m mostly at my desk, my knee is really swollen at the end of the day (night) and I am physically wiped out. I decided after my second night back that I would split the week up and work M, T, be off Wednesday, work Th, F. I am going to do that next week also. Thankfully my boss is great and understanding. Last night when I was getting ready for bed, my knee was as wide as my thigh, that’s how swollen it was!


On Not Being Able To Get My Coffee Around
As ridiculous as it sounds, one of my bigger struggles (total 1st world struggle, I know) is that I can’t just get a cup of coffee from point A to point B. I have gone through some serious withdrawal the last few weeks and decided, since I have at least a few more weeks of not having a free hand, I would buy a spill-proof thermos thingy. It’s not a perfect solution, and I (for some reason) hate sucking my coffee through a spout...but it’s more portable coffee, and the thermos keeps it warm. And as long as I have a bag to carry it in, I can get it from point A to point B. 
Kinda Really wish I had bought it sooner. 
Lesson learned. 


On How I’m Feeling Physically
While my L calf and thigh muscles have atrophied to nothing...


My arm muscles are bigger than they’ve ever been!

And I’m sure a few more weeks of crutches will add even more strength. I need to try to accomplish that pull-up goal (to do one, just one, because I never have...ever) as soon after I’m off crutches as possible to maximize on this strength!

I’m starting to actually feel self conscious about the callouses on my hands!  While they are so necessary, they are so ugly, and I cringe when someone reaches out to shake my hand!


I know, another first world “problem”.  

On top of ironing and grocery shopping by scooter several times now on crutches, I managed to vacuum today. Aside from fearing a trip and fall, many things are possible and just take lots of time compared to usual. 
*********************************
This is too long already, so I’ll stop here. I have a big headful of things to say about having my first positive running related experience since I became a former-runner (4 months and 2 days ago).This comes on the heels of my lowest low feeling during Philly Marathon weekend.

 It’ll be a post for another day.
 But I’ll close with this picture of me, last year, having the time of my life running the Rocky 50K!


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