While I read posts here regularly, it has been so long since I posted. It's interesting to read about the experience of someone just starting this journey and compare it to mine. I didn't post very often because my recovery was and is pretty unremarkable - I had pain but not overwhelming, good and bad days and sometimes felt a bit "guilty" that I wasn't suffering more. But for those of you who are in the really, really awful part of recovery, here's what you can look forward to:
One of my big goals in July was to be recovered enough to go to football games and band contests. My two oldest grandsons march in a wonderful high school band. I made it to every event! Used the cane for the first few trips and sitting in bleachers means an ice pack in bed that night but so worth it.
At eleven weeks my husband and I tried a mini-vacation. We drove, because I can't imagine being squeezed in an airplane seat yet, but I was able to walk around some Civil War sites and went up and down all 100 steps at Fallingwater (Frank Lloyd Wright house in PA). Full disclosure: I used my cane that day and availed myself of the shuttle back to the visitors center after the tour. I iced at night and took rest breaks as needed but travel is now back on our radar. We love museums and spend lots of time reading all the information we find there. I could feel my knee swell as I stood for long periods of time but rest and ice did the trick every night.
Saw my OS at 15 weeks and he said he didn't need to see me until my one year anniversary. His advice was "use it!" So that's what I'm doing.
One third of the way through recovery, I feel incredibly blessed by how wonderful it is to have a knee that takes me where I want to go and doesn't hurt when I walk. I believe these things were the key:
1. I did almost nothing but rest, ice and walk to the bathroom for the first two weeks. At home PT was not aggressive and I only did his exercises when he was here. Healing was the focus, not exercise.
2. I rented a Game Ready for the first two weeks which made my icing thorough and easy.
3. I never took pain meds before PT, especially outpatient, so I didn't do anything that hurt because I knew the second any pain started.
I still ice, elevate and take rest afternoons and random zingers can occur anytime. But my knee loves to be walked and feels better if I take it for a stroll at least once a day. And now that walk doesn't hurt!
Hang is there fellow BoneSmarties. It gets better and better.
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