Day 22

My physical therapist yesterday told me, "It's ONLY three and a half weeks since your surgery! If you said you wanted to take the next week and do nothing but rest, that would be perfectly normal!" 

Every fiber in my fitness-professional-being rebels at that!! I want to be up and doing. I want to start building muscle, work up a good sweat don't aerobic exercise! 

Here's my reality: I am not your average person. I am more fit in my age group than most people. I could be better, however the last few years have limited me...but that's not the point. I expected to be almost back to normal four weeks after surgery. I'm not going to make it. That frustrates me. So I must adjust my expectations and move forward.

I went to my Zumba Gold class today, and was able to do the entire class..no sitting down. No, I didn't work as hard as I want to. For now, I am just happy to be able to be there. After class I stopped at a store for a short shopping trip, then home and apply ice pack to my knee. Not pain afterward, so that's a good sign. 

The weather, and needing the rest up after doing too much a week ago, have stopped me from my daily walk. It's supposed to clear up in the next few days, and I feel back on track, so I will be back at working toward that one-mile-a-day goal.  

Have discovered that the improvements to my performance have made practicing the flute a joy again. (See my other blog: FluteSoloMusic for details)

Other thoughts:

• I am very glad it's my left leg! If it were the right, I would not be able to drive yet
• It is going to take longer to heal than you think! 
• One day of over-doing can lead to several days to recover
• Patience is key to recovery

Oh, and the last of the scab is off..so it's looking much better! Life is good.

Day 21--Things are looking up!

I have really been looking forward to today! The stitches came out...such a relief! Also, most of the scabs are off. The doctor is happy with my progress and answers questions:

• Is it called a prosthesis or an implant? -- Both
• What is the metal? -- titanium on the lower bone, cobalt chrome on the top, polyethylene cushion
• Can I put vitamin E oil on the incision/scar? -- Yes
• What activities should I never do? (Other than running, which I know is bad for joints) -- Doctor G's Law: if it hurts, don't do it.  Basically, my body will tell me what works for me and what doesn't. He tells me that his body rebels at walking for exercise, but likes stationary bike. Interesting...
• Why does the spot just below the knee hurt so much? -- that is where the IT Band connects, and it had to be detached and reattached...in other words, it is still healing!
• When will it stop being uncomfortable to have clothing touch it? (I have lived in shorts for 3 weeks!) -- Unknown. Some scars stay sensitive for years, but you get to where you don't notice it so much. Every body is unique. 
• What were the little incisions above and below that had stitches? -- That's where the computer leads,robot connections and reflectors go. It allows for the practically perfect alignment that makes this surgery so successful.
• Can I abandon the TED stockings? (compression stockings) -- They are for circulation, so mostly you need them when you are sitting with the legs down. 
• Now, come back in a month and we will check your progress.

I am now walking with no cane. I don't need the ballistic pain pills, but an occasional acetaminophen. I ice it when it aches--1-3 times a day. And today, I go to Zumba Gold. I am very, very cautious in my movements, and only stay for 1/2 of the class...it's enough! It does feel wonderful to see my "girls" again, and to be able to enjoy some activity. 

A real red-letter day.

Day 20: Up and Down!

Well, I had hoped the last two days of resting would pay off. But I did not sleep last night...grrrr! I simply could not get comfortable. The incision is itchy and sensitive to fabric brushing against it. I still can't sleep in my normal position, kind of on my tummy with a knee tucked up. When I turn on my side, with the surgery leg in top, the sheet rubs on the incision. So turn to the other side, and the mattress presses against the incision, and the top leg adds pressure...there is simply no comfortable position!

Seep and I are not friends to begin with. I would not say that I have insomnia, but rather that I tend to not need a lot of sleep--6-7 hours is quite normal for me. And forget about sleeping through a full moon! I can expect 2-3 nights where I only get 2-4 hours sleep at best. (But I don't usually feel tired from it). The only time I my life that I can ever remember this not being true was during pregnancy: 10 hours a night, from the day I got pregnant util the baby was born!

Since the surgery, I have averaged 8-9 hours most nights. I figure that makes sense: my body is healing, and should need more sleep. Until last night, I could take half a pain pill and that would help me sleep. It didn't work last night. I finally got to sleep about 6am and slept til 8. So I felt a bit "off" throughout the day.

But my physical therapy session went well, and about 1/2 hour after I realized how hard I had worked! I paid attention to applying ice as needed. No outside walk, it was raining. Went to bed at 9pm and slept til 7 the next morning.

Really looking forward to day 21: I get these annoying stitches removed!!

Days 19

Day 19

Well, I had a good sleep, but still feel kind of tired. I guess two days of doing too much requires two days to recover! I still spent a lot of time with my feet up, and paid attention to the clock. I spent the day in this pattern: 
---sit with feet level for an hour; 
---get up and walk back and forth, do an exercise or two.
---lie down, feet above my heart, sometimes with ice on the knee for 30 minutes, depending on which exercises I had done.

I did walk outside, but it was cold and windy, and I got very tired..maybe only walked a little over 1/4 mile. 

I finished making the hairpin lace shawl that I started two weeks ago. So I have learned a new skill and used up some yarn in the process. I am getting very eager for my post-op appointment in two days.

Day 18: New Realization

A day of rest. For the last 41 years, I have taken the 7th day of the week to rest, pray, attend church. You would think after all those years, I have learned it all..not so. 

My body took control and so today I simply rested. I took pain pills (ugh). I used ice...a lot! (4 times during the day/evening). And this is what I discovered:

The frustration of the last two days was because I had done too much, pushed too hard, on day 16!! I kind of thought so, and so on Day 17, I tried to take it a bit easier...and did too much again! I didn't spend enough time with my legs above my heart..I didn't use the ice enough..I shunned the pain pills.  Result: by that evening I finally noticed my legs were a bit swollen at bedtime. I took a pain pill, and went to bed.

Still, when I got up this morning, I felt achy and tired. So I made the hard choice, to stay home from church, get my feet up, and apply ice. No long walk, but just what I needed to do to take care of food, toilet, etc. I did get nicely dressed, and, because it is so close, went over to church after services to see my friends, (after listening into services on the Internet connection). I took the non-narcotic pain pill so it would be safe to drive the short distance. And as soon as I returned home, I lay down, grabbed my ice bag, elevated.

Then early to bed with the narcotic pain pill. Hopefully day 19 will have me feeling well enough that I can get back to a good walk. 

I do think my brain is waking up and getting ahead of my knee capacity. So I am going to do my best to watch the clock tomorrow: 1 hour down, then walk a bit, or sit a bit, the down again..onward!!

Days 16 & 17

I am over the half-way mark! There is a certain amount of excitement, but also a bit of frustration. I still cannot climb stairs normally. I am tired much of the time, and still need to spend time lying down during the day. I had hoped to be further along....

However, my therapist tells me I am ahead of the norm, so I must be satisfied with that.

Day 16
A red-letter day: I am sooooo close to hitting the mile I want to be walking. I feel. Pretty good, although the scab is annoying. I make new gains on flexion of my knee by using the new way my therapist taught me to work at it using gravity and a balance ball. I go out to lunch with my daughter and granddaughter and then we stop at Target to pick up a few things...I am very tired by the time we get home and happy to lie down and ice my knee.

Day 17
Not so good. My knee feels achy, especially across the front of my leg just below the knee. This spot has felt bruised all along, and today it just hurts a bit more. I feel tired, too. Physical therapy is getting a bit frustrating, partly because I know we are almost out of visits (2 left!), and I feel like there is still soooo much I need help with! 

My therapist encourages me by telling me that I am ahead of the norm, and that I will be OK on my own. I do know quite a lot about rehab of knees, because I have worked with many clients in this way as a personal trainer. I shorten my walk, and take a pain pill at bed time. Onward!

Two weeks down, but remember:

It occurs to me that this is a good time to repeat my disclaimers: I started this blog so my friends could track my progress, but also to help anyone who is facing knee replacement surgery. My doctor advised me to DO MY OWN INTERNET RESEARCH before making my decision. He told me to avoid sites like this, because EVERY INDIVIDUAL IS DIFFERENT! 

So, THIS IS MY PERSONAL, UNIQUE EXPERIENCE! I AM NOT A DOCTOR. VIEW THIS BLOG AS AN EXAMPLE ONLY, AND FOLLOW THE ADVICE OF YOUR OWN DOCTORS!