Hi Mechellec! I find your dilemma interesting, though I wish you didn't have it; pffft! It's interesting to me because I'm also a Slow-Bender, yet my surgeon seemed fairly well pleased on my visit last Tuesday, which was 9 weeks post-op. He said, and I quote: It doesn't really matter what your flexion is yet. If, in 5 more weeks we don't see continued improvement, we can discuss MUA, but I much prefer to see you reach around 110 degrees naturally. Anything beyond that number is *gravy," because you should be able to do almost everything you'd like at that point, and remember, you will continue to gain more flexion slowly over the next two years."
These surgeons all seem to have such different ideas, don't they? Obviously, I like my surgeon's thinking, and I'm retired, so can afford to be on the *scenic route*, aka S-L-O-W. I don't have any pressure to return to work. My extension is at zero and my gait has been declared *normal*, but I am certainly still experiencing stiffness and some tightness along the incision, particularly if I do too much. I don't tend to do much, lol, so I think the swelling is fairly minimal at this point. As of my last PT visit on Thursday, I have noticed a distinct loosening in that tight band, tourniquet sensation just above the knee. It's not gone, but feels much more pliable and comfortable. I get some orthopedic massage at every visit and do feel this makes a big difference.
Oh my gosh, Danno and your daughter are both just precious! My brother has a labradoodle named Perkins that looks just like him and he's so much fun with a very sweet personality! He's about 18 months old now and was just down here for a viist with my two geriatric *furs*, lol. He was very well behaved around them, lol. He will definitely help to make you less kneecentric; hah!
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