Hey folks, just adding an update. Now 12 days post surgery. Things are improving in general;
Sleeping - i found doubling up on the sleep aid I was taking has done the trick. Maybe a little too much - I'm probably getting about 6-7hrs of sleep, but when i wake i'm very drowsy and spend 60-90 mins just really waking up. Not really ideal, but def. the lesser of the two evils vs. only getting 2-3hrs of sleep.
PT - I started PT 2 days ago (right at the 10 day mark) and that went well. I was surprised at how nonsensitive my two surgical wounds were - i'd mostly been afraid to touch them, but the PT got right in there with them, and it didn't cause me any problems. They took all the metrics as to how far i could bend my leg and then had me do some strengthening and ROM exercises, most of which are easy to do at home. I've been trying to maintain doing them at least 2-3 times per day. I have scheduled out 2x PT sessions for the next 6 weeks - which is my prescription. My wife thinks I might be able to get a 3rd session approved with our insurance, and if I can, I will do that.
CPM - I've been still using the CPM machine, although will return it tomorrow as I'm told I don't really need it now I can do the PT exercises - also, I've maxed out on the CPM machine, going the full range minus 10-120 degrees at max. speed. I don't think my leg is actually doing minus 10 - 120 degrees, as it passes around 100 degrees I sort of feel my thigh area lifting more, and in the minus range, my leg is not making contact with the base - so i don't think the way the machine functions is quite accurate. Anyhow, for now it has served it's purpose.
Pain - mostly minimal - around 1 or 2/10, totally manageable with no meds, but i take ibuprofen before bed and after i exercise. After exercise, pain increases, but more so my leg just feels *very* tired. A strange sensation to have one leg feel like its run a marathon, and the other is totally fine. Occasionally I get little random pain spikes of a 7 or 8, but just for a second or two, I sort of gasp, and then its gone.
Showering - previously I had to shower in a big plastic sleeve - no longer, I can get my leg wet now. This improves the experience, but, it's still a dangerous prospect getting in there and being in a wet environment without the brace. And it's not something i can do on my own. Right now, I get naked, keep the brace on, my wife puts a plastic chair in the shower, I carefully crutch my way in to it, sit down in the chair, then remove my brace, hand it to my wife, and rest my foot on the shower curb. When I'm finished showering, my wife hands me a towel, I dry my leg, then put the brace back on, before I attempt to stand and crutch out of there. It's a big production, but really seems like an area where I could genuinely do myself some serious damage and therefore worth the effort.
My goal now aside from just trying to improve ROM and strength is to improve my ability to be vertical. Right now, If my leg is vertical for more than 3-4 minutes, whether in the seated or standing position, it gets sore, and my foot in particular gets itchy/sore/red - this obviously inhibits my ability to really go anywhere at all, so I'm going to talk to my PT tomorrow about what I might be able to do to help get over that hump.