Walking!

I started physical therapy today. I went down to one crutch last week and have been walking around my house with the brace on and no crutch for the last few days. According to my therapist I already have full range of motion and I was able to stand one legged on my op leg for 30 seconds at a time. I am so happy about my progress after only 4 weeks.

One crutch! (sometimes)

After being able to do some walking (!) around my house this weekend with my husband for support, I decided to do one crutch at work on Monday. It went really well, but I moved SOOO much slower than with two crutches. I did it again Tuesday, but started having some sharp shooting pains in my knee, so I went back to 2 crutches in the afternoon. But even with 2 crutches, I still put weight on my leg. Today I had a meeting off-site so I used 2 crutches all day. It makes it so much easier to get around.

My ankle has completely stopped swelling up. I am really excited about that accomplishment. It still feels a little stiff though when I rotate it around.

I went to the gym on Monday and rode the recumbent bike for about 20 minutes. I didn't have any problems with pain, it just felt weird having my scar rub up against my pant leg so much.

I have my first formal physical therapy appointment scheduled for Monday, 4 weeks post-op. I'm pretty excited because I can already bend my leg back really far and the straight leg raises are easy. I also am able to flex my quad muscle on the op leg and it does it quickly. So hopefully I won't be in physical therapy for very long.

Adventures in Crutching

Monday will be 3 weeks post op and I am exhausted. I went back to work Monday and have been so busy since then. I was freaked out on Saturday about going back to work and then it got worse because I fell pushing a laundry basket with my crutches. It wasn't a complete fall, but my crutch came out from under me and I put all my weight on my bad leg. I started crying instantly and spent the rest of the day resting on the couch with my leg elevated and iced. Monday I discovered that my ankle was going to be the biggest problem with going back to work. It keeps swelling up the size of a grapefruit. I also slipped Monday night cooking dinner and put all my weight on my bad leg again. So my sister finished dinner and I didn't bother making lunches for us that night. I've stepped down to a lower dose of Norco and I only take it only 6-7 hours. Most of my pain is when I exercise- bending my knee and straight leg raises. I'm starting to feel more normal except for the crutch part of things. I've been carrying things around in a backpack at school and I have to sit all the time. I should be starting PT in about a week, I just need to get around to scheduling it.

Day 10- Doctor Day!

So first of all, Happy April Fool's Day. Thankfully no jokes were pulled on me at the doctor today. Jeff was hoping that they would because he had a joke pulled on him by a doctor one year that was hilarious. Well, it wasn't funny then, but it is now. But the appointment went great. He took X-rays, so I got to see my screws. I didn't get a copy but the screws go straight back through the bone and I would say are about 1 1/2 to 2 inches long. I have two of them holding the bone in place. You can see how that part of my bone is not connected either. I asked about getting a note for the screws for when I go through airport security, but the nurse said I wouldn't have any problems.

Next the doctor tested out my ROM. He lifted my foot and bent my leg and then asked me to pull it further than he had it. It hurt SOOOO bad, but he did it twice and said I got further the second time. I have to do those knee bends 4 times a day and do 4 sets of 5 each time. My goal is to push further each time I do it. He also had me try a straight leg raise. I was able to get my leg off the table a little bit while keeping my right leg straight. He also told me to do those 4 times a day with 4 sets of 5. Then in two weeks I start formal physical therapy (April 19th). So I'll be doing that 2 times a week with home exercises. He also told me that I should be using a recumbent bike to also build ROM and strength. So I am excited I get to go back to the gym now.

Apparently I have been wearing my brace too low on my leg, but he says I can cut back on it now. I only need to wear it when I leave the house. Or I can wear it around the house to walk without crutches. Yes, he told me I could walk without crutches if I wear the brace. I can't even think about trying that right now. He told me I could use as much weight as I want on my leg. But if I'm going to go without crutches I have to use the brace to keep my knee from buckling.

I got the two stitches from the arthroscopy removed today. The nurse covered them with steri-strips that I can remove Sunday if they don't fall off before them. The long incision is stitched and then glued, so those stitches will dissolve on their own. I'm allowed to get it all wet now and I can also keep it uncovered.

I talked to him about easing off of the Norco. I'm on 10s right now and he said I could start taking them further apart and breaking the pills in half. He also gave me a prescription for 5s to help me step down. As for switching to OTC pain medicine, he told me to only use extra strength tylenol, because Aleve and Advil will slow the bone healing. He also told me I could start taking my vitamins again.

I forgot to ask about driving, but it's not a big deal since I carpool with my husband. I should be okay to drive whenever I stop taking Norco, but I'll only be able to drive our Civic. The Evo is a different story since it's a manual transmission and I had surgery on the left leg. And of course the big car show to start the season is May 1st and I go back to the doctor on May 6th. So I will have to call or ask the physical therapist whether I will be able to drive my car to the show. My sister might get lucky and be able to drive my car that day.

I'll probably update a lot less now since the shaky part is over. I also go back to work on Monday so I will be really busy and exhausted when I get home. Thank you to everyone who has been reading and helping me through this rough time in my life.