I have a very high threshold for pain. It may come from living most of my life with some sort of chronic pain..headaches for 28 years (eyestrain--contacts fixed that), pain in my wrists for 6-7 years (caused by an injury-carrying suitcases-eventually resolved when I began weight training), shoulder pain (tension, child rearing, sewing), neck pain for 2 years (a lifetime of bad posture, which, when cured set the muscles into spasms because they had never been used properly before), migraines (menopause) and most recently, knee joint pain for the last 7 years (osteoarthritis).
The result of living with all this pain is that I don't bother with pain pills much, at least not until it gets really, really bad. I did learn with the migraines that if you are going to take something, do it ASAP, before the headache gets a grip on you.
But here is what I learned today from my nurse case worker: if you are in pain you won't heal. Somehow taking pain meds and keeping the pain under control helps your body to heal. Hmmm, who knew? So I took a pill as soon as we got off the phone.
Today was pretty good. I can finally lift the leg without supporting it, although I am babying it. I elevated the leg twice, first thing in the morning, and after my exercises.
I put ice on it 4 times during the day, and took a pain pill before exercising and another after my walk. I practiced for the first time since the day before my surgery..such a delight to make music! I had a nice walk, and made progress on finishing the quilt which is my priority project for this convalescence.
Things are looking up!
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