4 November Update:
The car has a new battery and I have a new shorter immobilizer.
I saw the flap surgeon for the final time on November 1. He said everything looks good and the remaining open wounds will heal. Even though there are currently no signs of infection, I am not “cured.” The infection could come back even years from now.
I asked him about a different immobilizer as the current one is 20” and doesn’t stay in place. He called the joint surgeon (who was scrubbed in) and put him on speaker. The joint surgeon was very concerned about my extension mechanism and said I needed to keep the knee straight when walking. This means using the immobilizer forever or until “she gets fed up…” He suggested an ACL brace which may be a custom one. Wonderful… I see the joint surgeon on 4 Dec so will talk with him more about a different brace. I left the appointment with a 14” immobilizer which still slips but is a bit more manageable. I’ve stopped wearing it at night and during the day at home when I can concentrate on keeping the knee straight. I do wear if I’m going to be up and about for a while doing lots of things.
I asked him about driving and he had “no opinion” as my case was very rare and unusual. I was to use my own judgment. The key here is keeping the leg as straight as possible and not putting any weight on the bended knee (more on this later). IMHO, this is great news. My Subaru has all way power seats so I can lower the seat and put it back quite a bit. I even have have memory settings so I can set them and forget. The day after the appointment, OT came and observed me getting in and out of the care without bending the knee. Friday, I drove three minutes to take two of my dogs to the groomer. It was fantastic! Today, I went to the farmer’s indoor market and to the bagel place. I am thrilled to be driving again. I will take it slow and careful as my adventures today were quite tiring. I am also glad I won’t need to fit the car with hand controls.
Of course, I’m still using the walker and don’t know when/if I’ll transition to a cane.
PT also came Friday and officially d/c me from home health care. There will be no out patient PT as there is nothing they offer that doesn’t include ROM or bending the knee. According to the PT, the only quad strengthening exercise not involving bending the knee is straight leg raises while lying down. I tried last night in bed and couldn’t manage one. GRRRR.
Okay, back to “no weight on bended knee” and what that means. I’ll never be able to get down on the floor and if I fall, I’ll have to call 911 as I’ll not be able to get up unassisted. I’ll have to sell my NuStep recumbent elliptical as I won’t be able to use it. Nor, will I be able to ride a bike or jog. I am pretty sure walking my dogs (one or more at a time) is off the list as well.
I suppose I should be grateful to still have my leg. I am, of course.
This week, I see my new PCP and get a haircut for the first time since July.
Thanks for listening.
United States
