So, for the past two days, I have been happily discovering a ton of little things I could not do even a week ago. I really had no idea how much I was restricted in activity! For the past two weeks, I have not been able to come down the staircase without putting all my weight on my hands and swinging from step to step, placing barely any weight on my left leg. It is truly amazing, 4/5 days after surgery, and I navigate those same stairs...baby stepping, I foot at a time....with almost no weight on my hands!
Something you might not know: I learned this from teaching step classes: going DOWN steps is one of the hardest things you can do to your knees!! That's why in most gyms, it is considered illegal to go forward off the step in a class. (Teachers still do it..why? It makes the class fun. Students encounter it in other classes and ask for it.)
So I have known for a long time, that you can back down a staircase and it is easier on your knees. I have even done it a few times! The parking garage staircase in Old Town Pasadena where I go for my flute lessons is especially wicked. I have been backing down it for two weeks!!
Anyway, go to my 30 Day Project page for the stats--suffice it to say that every day it gets better. I am beginning to be tired of sitting and lying down. At the same time, I am just plain tired. My very wise daughter pointed out that this recuperation is the same as being pregnant. My body is working very, very hard, even if I am just sitting.
As I write this, Monday morning, it is exactly 7 days since I got this knee. My progress is astounding and awesome. I am truly grateful that I found myself in the hands of a competent orthopedic doctor who made a correct diagnosis and offered a solution. I am grateful that I am in a position to cover my share of the expense. (Hopefully I will still feel this way as the bills start to roll in...)
GOALS FOR THIS WEEK:
- Graduate from crutches to cane
- Go to Old Town Music Store to have a flute lesson
- Increase my daily walk to 1/2 mile
- Increase the flexion in my knee as much as my therapist feels possible.
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