WEEK FOUR of my REHAB

So I got hell from my interim physiotherapist at Broadmead Physio for skipping a day of my exercises. Turns out he was the Olympic swimmer Matt Rose!
http://host.evolutra.com/Olympic_Swim_Team/teamcanada/index_e.aspx?articleid=1100

Who knew. I'm back to seeing Paul Mcintyre now who promptly put me on the bike today..10 min / twice a day now on the stationary, which means I can go to the gym now.
I can finally straighten my leg which is huge in the ACL world.
It's still swollen a lot compared to the other leg, but I am told not to ice it more than 3x a day as my body needs to start dealing with the swelling more on its own.

The exercises are labourious and boring- leg raises, calf stretches, etc etc blah blah..but they DO make a difference, so on it goes. I'm going to try to get to the gym to do a workout tonight for a change of pace.

One of the biggest advantages to being a cripple is the use of the handicapped parking pass. Rockstar parking!

I have really noticed that people treat me more nicely now that I look helpless. Canadians are so friendly. :)

Week Three of my Recovery

Well, I've made it to Week 3 without falling, or doing something stupid and hurting myself! This is good.
It's been a week from hell, with my dog Kodi going into the hospital for 3 days with pancreatitis. Wasn't sure if he was going to make it and was seriously considering having to put him down. This of course turned my world upside down. I was highly emotional about everything..couldn't even watch tv without losing it. I really didn't know how I was going to keep all the balls up in the air financially, being a student etc.

So my knee. I'm almost walking and am down to one crutch! I still can't shower and have to have a bath when my Mom is here, just in case. This reduces me to baths every other day. In past days before the surgery, I occasionally would slip and my bad knee would pop out-pretty terrifying!

I'm still icing every 3 hours and doing my rehab exercises 2x a day. One great thing is that I can stand on one foot without hanging onto anything- really important if you are walking.
I can almost straighten my leg, but when walking it still is crooked.

Today, I see my surgeon.  I was thinking of giving him a big kiss, but I'm sure his wife wouldn't want that. I'm hoping he is going to say that I can finally drive.

I'm still happy with my decision not to go with my originally booked surgeon, and try someone that my physio recommended. BTW, if you need any physio, I highly recommend Broadmead Orthopaedic Physio.

WEEK TWO of my Recovery

Sorry for the sporadic posts, but I don't have a laptop and sitting in a chair for long lengths of time is too painful. 

So as of this Tuesday, it's a little over a week and going into week 2 of recovery. I still am not walking, well if walking like John Cleese counts I guess I am. Still can't put my weight on one leg, and until then I won't be able to walk-just crutches.  I still can't drive and can't go anywhere, so I'm pretty much held hostage inside my house for a couple more weeks.

It's been a real eye-opening experience to be totally reliant on another person and not myself. I've been pretty much sitting on my couch for the last 2 weeks healing, but I'm not sure how much more I can take of not getting around. Be prepared to have no freedom for a few weeks!!

I need my brain back for school on Monday, so I'm trying to not take any more pain killers (Tramacet which is an opiate and tylenol mixed) The pain killers knock me on my ass and totally unmotivate me and turn me into a vegetable state, so I need to get off those asap.

I thought I would give thanks first, for what has to be the toughest week and a half I've experienced.

Thanks to:

#1 - MY MOM!!!!!!

She has been the BEST support and is god-given, because without her I have no idea how I could have looked after myself! She shopped for me, cleaned my house and made my sorry ass comfortable while I convalesced.

#2 - My doctor, Dr. Stone for being one of the best surgeons in town and making teeny weeny incisions that after healing will be minimal. AND for doing one helluva hamstring graft! (and cleaning up a little bit of patella and meniscus fraying too).

#3 - Morphine and painkillers! Which incidentally I am weaning myself of now. Couldn't have slept without them, and sleep is SO important for healing.

#4. My EX who has looked after my 2 dogs Kodi and Keisha. Kodi recently has been quite sick so I'm glad I didn't have to deal with that.

Some reflections and advice:

Get a good physiotherapist. Don't think you can do it on your own, because unless you've been through it, you won't do the exercises as hard and as good as possible. Without doing the exercises you won't be able to walk as soon and won't heal as fast.

For the first week, rent a walker from a medical company. Trust me, using crutches right after your operation when you need to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night is next to impossible and unsafe.

When you get bunged up (and trust me you will unless you have exquisite plumbing ) Senoket is the best. Start taking it right when you get home. I didn't go for 4 days!!! NOT FUN.

Take at least 3 weeks off work, school or obligations. I have to start 3 new classes on Monday and it's gonna suck. I can barely write right now..hope I'm better in a few days.

So that's it for now. I'm just hoping that this pitiful TV watching couched human being will be a new refreshed one in a month..tops! We shall see.