Yesterday was my first day I went in to work since surgery. Since my office is in a crowded area I wore the brace and took the gimp sticks in order to beat morons away. I had to get up at the crack of dawn to do my exercises and get ready. I hate the morning. Fortunately, the commute wasn't too bad - it turns out it's really pretty easy to get a Taxi at 7 AM in the morning. The day went by quickly, most likely because it took me 10 minutes to gimp to any given location. Everyone was very helpful and most tried to deny how pathetic I looked.
I decided to go all out and dress up as a gimp for Halloween. As you can imagine it was really easy, gimp sticks and a brace are all you need - maybe I will keep them around for next year.
The torture session today was particularly awful. The evil boss took an interest in me and decided the knee wasn't being bent to its full potential. He proceeded to push it in all different and painful ways until I cried (literally) from pain. I think I might have screamed too because everybody in the place was staring at me. After that I wasn't too interested in attempting the rest of my exercises, I was more interested in the pain medication and Rocky Road ice cream awaiting me at home.
There weren't very many good costumes tonight either. One punk kid came up with monster gloves on, a t-shirt and jeans. He had no response when I asked him what he was supposed to be besides a slacker and so he only got one piece of candy. This other creepy child came dressed up as a bleeding version of the Scream thing. Nasty. Only one kid came in a costume that was homemade - it was a huge paper-maché bird head. Quiet interesting - it got the most candy.
All in all not the best Halloween I've had. I think instead of a gimp I will go as a blood sucking vampire physical therapist for Halloween next year.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Thursday, October 25, 2007
A Good Start
Today was a good start to my second month. Since my doctor said I could put as much weight on my leg as was comfortable I experimented last night and this morning. I am now able walk around the apartment with no brace and no crutches! My knee is still a bit wobbly and I can't bend it very well (not to mention the morons) so I don't feel comfortable going outside without the brace and crutches yet, soon....
I did exercises for about an hour this morning. We've added a few additional exercises to my daily routine so it takes longer; the new exercises are straight leg lifts with my left leg, exercises for my inner thigh on my right leg, and maybe if I feel like inflicting pain on myself I attempt straight leg lifts with the right leg.
Yesterday I asked the Doctor whether I could take some Advil for pain that doesn't warrant the heavy hitter pills. He said I could, but that Advil could negatively impact the reconstruction. He recommended I take extra strength Tylenol instead which apparently will work nicely and since messing with the reconstruction is absolutely the last thing I feel compelled to do I promptly went and purchased lots of Tylenol.
After my somewhat ambitious outing yesterday my elbows are killing me. Way too much crutching around. I made it only to CVS and the coffee place today, that was enough for me. Fortunately, Lee and her daughter Sophie came over to visit me this afternoon. Sophie is 6 weeks old, cute and makes such funny faces. It was great to see them.
I'm still not sleeping very well. I can't get comfortable and I wake up every few hours. I can, however, lay on my stomach and side if I prop the knee correctly on the perfect pillow. My grandma made me the pillow from quilt pieces my great-grandmother made. I feel as though I shouldn't use it so I can preserve it for as long as possible but it's just so perfect for making my knee comfortable. I have abstained from napping the past 2 days in an effort to increase my sleepiness. Hopefully I will be able to sleep more tonight.
Tomorrow I start working again, I am actually looking forward to it....mostly.....
I did exercises for about an hour this morning. We've added a few additional exercises to my daily routine so it takes longer; the new exercises are straight leg lifts with my left leg, exercises for my inner thigh on my right leg, and maybe if I feel like inflicting pain on myself I attempt straight leg lifts with the right leg.
Yesterday I asked the Doctor whether I could take some Advil for pain that doesn't warrant the heavy hitter pills. He said I could, but that Advil could negatively impact the reconstruction. He recommended I take extra strength Tylenol instead which apparently will work nicely and since messing with the reconstruction is absolutely the last thing I feel compelled to do I promptly went and purchased lots of Tylenol.
After my somewhat ambitious outing yesterday my elbows are killing me. Way too much crutching around. I made it only to CVS and the coffee place today, that was enough for me. Fortunately, Lee and her daughter Sophie came over to visit me this afternoon. Sophie is 6 weeks old, cute and makes such funny faces. It was great to see them.
I'm still not sleeping very well. I can't get comfortable and I wake up every few hours. I can, however, lay on my stomach and side if I prop the knee correctly on the perfect pillow. My grandma made me the pillow from quilt pieces my great-grandmother made. I feel as though I shouldn't use it so I can preserve it for as long as possible but it's just so perfect for making my knee comfortable. I have abstained from napping the past 2 days in an effort to increase my sleepiness. Hopefully I will be able to sleep more tonight.
Tomorrow I start working again, I am actually looking forward to it....mostly.....
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
One Month Down...
I went to PT again this morning. The bending torture sucked, but Nicole managed to shove the leg to 85 degrees before I attempted to vault off the table to relieve the pain so I guess thats good. The knee remains very stiff unless I continuously do heel slides. I'm waiting to see the improvement which would allow me to easily bend it to 45 degrees and work up from there, hopefully that comes soon. I also did the neuro-muscular re-education thing (when they stick the stim pads on my leg and I attempt straight leg raises). I was able to do the leg raise every time - most thrilling. Right now the only major discomfort during PT (besides the bending horrors) is a sharp pain at the very top of my knee cap when doing straight leg lifts. I have no idea what this is but the Torturer's boss, who also helps me out, told me to suck it up so I guess that's what I'll do.
I also had a doctor's appointment this afternoon. I was debating gimping home after PT but by the time I got out I would have to have left home 30 minutes after arriving in order to accommodate the pathetic snail pace at which I travel (requiring 30 minutes to gimp back from PT and another 45 minutes to gimp to the doctors from my house). Plus, I didn't feel like doing laundry and needed some underwear. So after procuring this necessity I gimped my way to what turned out to be a very successful doctor's visit.
As it turns out I am not weeks behind in rehabilitation. The doctor explained that bending the knee more than 90 degrees in the first month would compromise the reconstruction, so I was right on target with bending. He also gave me the go-ahead to stop wearing the brace unless I'm going to be in a crowded public place. This is more to draw potential moron's attention to the fact that they shouldn't push me because not only do I have metal sticks to hit them with, I have a gimp leg that is forced straight which I could trip them with. He also told me it was ok to start work again as long as I wasn't in pain.
Beth came to visit me this evening, she is almost 6 months pregnant and brought us milk shakes which were DELICIOUS. I'm surprised I'm not sucking down 3 of those a day now and weighing in at 1000 pounds. Fortunately, I am lazy and don't want to go all the way to the diner.
Beth has had a horrid pregnancy - she was on bed rest in the beginning and has puked nearly every day for 6 months. As it turns out, the days when she didn't vomit all over happen to coincide exactly with days when her husband is away traveling for work. I suggested she make him stay in a hotel or the garage until the baby arrives but she didn't think that would work.
Her husband had been away for 2 days when she came to visit me so she was in a good mood, having not vommed (she has simply shortened vomit to vomm due to the number of times she's had to do it in 6 months) in a couple days. Turns out her luck didn't last. She got rear-ended on her way home from my house by an idiot who couldn't drive and who was so nervous that instead of putting his car in park he slammed on the gas and rear-ended her again. And to top off what must have been a great 3 hours as soon as she walked into the house and saw her husband she had to beeline to the bathroom as she vommed. Terrible.
I also had a doctor's appointment this afternoon. I was debating gimping home after PT but by the time I got out I would have to have left home 30 minutes after arriving in order to accommodate the pathetic snail pace at which I travel (requiring 30 minutes to gimp back from PT and another 45 minutes to gimp to the doctors from my house). Plus, I didn't feel like doing laundry and needed some underwear. So after procuring this necessity I gimped my way to what turned out to be a very successful doctor's visit.
As it turns out I am not weeks behind in rehabilitation. The doctor explained that bending the knee more than 90 degrees in the first month would compromise the reconstruction, so I was right on target with bending. He also gave me the go-ahead to stop wearing the brace unless I'm going to be in a crowded public place. This is more to draw potential moron's attention to the fact that they shouldn't push me because not only do I have metal sticks to hit them with, I have a gimp leg that is forced straight which I could trip them with. He also told me it was ok to start work again as long as I wasn't in pain.
Beth came to visit me this evening, she is almost 6 months pregnant and brought us milk shakes which were DELICIOUS. I'm surprised I'm not sucking down 3 of those a day now and weighing in at 1000 pounds. Fortunately, I am lazy and don't want to go all the way to the diner.
Beth has had a horrid pregnancy - she was on bed rest in the beginning and has puked nearly every day for 6 months. As it turns out, the days when she didn't vomit all over happen to coincide exactly with days when her husband is away traveling for work. I suggested she make him stay in a hotel or the garage until the baby arrives but she didn't think that would work.
Her husband had been away for 2 days when she came to visit me so she was in a good mood, having not vommed (she has simply shortened vomit to vomm due to the number of times she's had to do it in 6 months) in a couple days. Turns out her luck didn't last. She got rear-ended on her way home from my house by an idiot who couldn't drive and who was so nervous that instead of putting his car in park he slammed on the gas and rear-ended her again. And to top off what must have been a great 3 hours as soon as she walked into the house and saw her husband she had to beeline to the bathroom as she vommed. Terrible.
Monday, October 22, 2007
I Love It When a Plan Comes Together
I tried avoiding the heavier hitting pain medication last night. That was foolish - I didn't sleep very much and the leg was uncomfortable. As a result the 15 foot hobble from the bedroom to the couch prompted a nap.
The PT torture session this morning was very successful - I was able to lift my leg off the table ~12 inches! Today was the first day I was able to do a straight leg lift since surgery! Very exciting stuff.
I'm also able to gimp around my apartment using one crutch - sometimes with no crutches, though this is still accomplished with a Hunchback of Notre Dame gimp and numerous ricochets off the walls and furniture.
Of course, since I worked hard enough to lift my pathetically atrophied leg off the table a whole foot, I decided I deserved another nap and slept the afternoon away. And lets face it - what else am I going to do? I can't bend my leg or walk, the 6 block crutch to PT hardly counts as exercise so I can't sit around and eat unless I want to return to work naked since none of my clothes will fit.
While Ari and I were enjoying another episode of the mind numbing cartoon Family Guy tonight we decided to identify who should be the cast for an A-Team movie (the A-Team happened to be part of the stunningly well done cartoon plot). So far we have all the main peeps:
Why this movie hasn't already been made is beyond me, it would be an instant classic.
The PT torture session this morning was very successful - I was able to lift my leg off the table ~12 inches! Today was the first day I was able to do a straight leg lift since surgery! Very exciting stuff.
I'm also able to gimp around my apartment using one crutch - sometimes with no crutches, though this is still accomplished with a Hunchback of Notre Dame gimp and numerous ricochets off the walls and furniture.
Of course, since I worked hard enough to lift my pathetically atrophied leg off the table a whole foot, I decided I deserved another nap and slept the afternoon away. And lets face it - what else am I going to do? I can't bend my leg or walk, the 6 block crutch to PT hardly counts as exercise so I can't sit around and eat unless I want to return to work naked since none of my clothes will fit.
While Ari and I were enjoying another episode of the mind numbing cartoon Family Guy tonight we decided to identify who should be the cast for an A-Team movie (the A-Team happened to be part of the stunningly well done cartoon plot). So far we have all the main peeps:
- Jim Carry might seriously have been born to play Murdock
- Face would naturally be played by Rob Lowe
- Michael Clark Duncan (that huge guy 'Bear' from Armageddon) would be BA
- Hannibal, by far the hardest to cast, would be played by Billy Bob Thornton
- That dick general that always chases them around was also a hard one, we think Jason Isaacs (the guy who places Lucius Malfoy in Harry Potter) would be good
Why this movie hasn't already been made is beyond me, it would be an instant classic.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Where oh where has my quad muscle gone...
I had gotten used to seeing major improvements at least each week, if not each day. This hasn't been the case this week; the knee has been pretty much the same each day. I am still unable to lift my leg off the ground even a centimeter. My quad muscle still hasn't made an appearance, unless you count the fat on my thigh shaking when I try and do an exercise. The pain isn't increasing in frequency or changing location, it's still in the shin and quad with the occasional sharp pains in the upper left of the knee.
The area I have seen the most improvement is in the amount I am able to bend my knee. I went from being able to bend my knee a pathetic 40 degree to being able to work up to a whopping ~75 degrees without significant, vomit inducing pain. I'm also able to get around slightly easier; I can get around the apartment without the crutches (with the brace on of course) with occasional ricocheting off various walls and bits of furniture.
I went to PT 3 days this week. They have extended the torture to include 30 minutes of quad muscle work with electrical stimulation. They put the stim pad things where my quad muscle should be and turn the timer on, when I feel it start I attempt to clench the muscle (queue the fat jiggle) and when it turns off I relax. I do all the other exercises then Nicole, the Personal Torturer, "massages" the scars I have in an attempt to break up the scar tissue, and then the bending begins. This is the worst part and is therefore saved for last, immediately followed by icing.
I made chocolate no-bake cookies on Tuesday and managed to polish off the entire batch by Thursday.
Beth and Ali both came to visit me this week which was great because I am getting really lonely. Beth was craving milkshakes so we went and grabbed them from the closest diner (yes, this was in addition to the cookies, no I haven't tried any of my clothes on).
Today was my friend's baby shower, it was quite nice. One of the girls had prepared a traditional Navajo ceremony which we all participated in. The ceremony included a naming bit and a candle lighting bit. During the naming we all went around and introduced ourselves and named our mothers, grandmothers, great-grandmothers, etc. After the naming the new mother-to-be lit the candle while we all read a poem. It was all very unique, interesting and sweet.
The area I have seen the most improvement is in the amount I am able to bend my knee. I went from being able to bend my knee a pathetic 40 degree to being able to work up to a whopping ~75 degrees without significant, vomit inducing pain. I'm also able to get around slightly easier; I can get around the apartment without the crutches (with the brace on of course) with occasional ricocheting off various walls and bits of furniture.
I went to PT 3 days this week. They have extended the torture to include 30 minutes of quad muscle work with electrical stimulation. They put the stim pad things where my quad muscle should be and turn the timer on, when I feel it start I attempt to clench the muscle (queue the fat jiggle) and when it turns off I relax. I do all the other exercises then Nicole, the Personal Torturer, "massages" the scars I have in an attempt to break up the scar tissue, and then the bending begins. This is the worst part and is therefore saved for last, immediately followed by icing.
I made chocolate no-bake cookies on Tuesday and managed to polish off the entire batch by Thursday.
Beth and Ali both came to visit me this week which was great because I am getting really lonely. Beth was craving milkshakes so we went and grabbed them from the closest diner (yes, this was in addition to the cookies, no I haven't tried any of my clothes on).
Today was my friend's baby shower, it was quite nice. One of the girls had prepared a traditional Navajo ceremony which we all participated in. The ceremony included a naming bit and a candle lighting bit. During the naming we all went around and introduced ourselves and named our mothers, grandmothers, great-grandmothers, etc. After the naming the new mother-to-be lit the candle while we all read a poem. It was all very unique, interesting and sweet.
Monday, October 15, 2007
What PT Really Stands For
I am now convinced that PT stands for perpetual torture, not physical therapy. Not only do they torture you at the facility, they send you home with equally torturous activities you are supposed to inflict upon yourself.
I didn't sleep horribly last night, I only remember waking up 3 times which is quite good, but for some reason woke up extremely tired. I had PT at 10 so I had to motivate to get into the shower (yes, I am showering regularly if you can believe it). I also crutched my way to the PT place, so of course I had to leave ridiculously early. Nicole had me do my regular stretching, then she had me flip over for the knee bending torture. Today seemed to be much much worse than Friday, I had to hold on to the table with my fists and shove my face in the pillow to avoid actually screaming out loud. It was horrid - really painful, but also it felt like whatever was holding my knee together was going to give way at any moment and burst out the sides. I don't think I've ever come that close to actually screaming out loud because of pain/discomfort.
I am still not able to lift my leg off the table, the torture specialists said the muscle was "firing" (which would explain the shooting pain in my leg during the exercise) but wasn't strong enough to lift my lower leg off the table.
As soon as I got home I took some pain medication and a long nap. My knee was really stiff when I woke up, I headed to the corner store to buy some dinner and that seemed to loosen it up a bit. Alison came over to visit so she kept me well entertained.
After she left it was back to the usual couch slug standard for watching baseball and football.
I didn't sleep horribly last night, I only remember waking up 3 times which is quite good, but for some reason woke up extremely tired. I had PT at 10 so I had to motivate to get into the shower (yes, I am showering regularly if you can believe it). I also crutched my way to the PT place, so of course I had to leave ridiculously early. Nicole had me do my regular stretching, then she had me flip over for the knee bending torture. Today seemed to be much much worse than Friday, I had to hold on to the table with my fists and shove my face in the pillow to avoid actually screaming out loud. It was horrid - really painful, but also it felt like whatever was holding my knee together was going to give way at any moment and burst out the sides. I don't think I've ever come that close to actually screaming out loud because of pain/discomfort.
I am still not able to lift my leg off the table, the torture specialists said the muscle was "firing" (which would explain the shooting pain in my leg during the exercise) but wasn't strong enough to lift my lower leg off the table.
As soon as I got home I took some pain medication and a long nap. My knee was really stiff when I woke up, I headed to the corner store to buy some dinner and that seemed to loosen it up a bit. Alison came over to visit so she kept me well entertained.
After she left it was back to the usual couch slug standard for watching baseball and football.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
I Love Sunday Football
But I hate the stupid Patriots. I have determined that I pretty much despise all the Boston/Mass teams in every sport.
My leg is sore and stiff from the outing yesterday. I'm glad I can lay on the couch with the Game Read machine all day and watch football. Ari is making his chili today - yummmmm.
I reached two of the milestones I am tracking!! I'm able to get around the apartment with one crutch. I can't do this for too long because the knee and leg get tired quickly, hopefully slowly increasing this activity will increase my leg strength. Also, all the bandages are off my leg (notice I didn't say fall off) and the stitches seem to be absorbed!! The incisions don't look like the scars will be too bad, especially the scope ones. The long scar from the ligament reconstruction is 2 inches long, here is a picture:
Ari's dad came over to visit us today, he brought me a delicious cup cake which I thoroughly enjoyed before and after the chili.
My leg is sore and stiff from the outing yesterday. I'm glad I can lay on the couch with the Game Read machine all day and watch football. Ari is making his chili today - yummmmm.
I reached two of the milestones I am tracking!! I'm able to get around the apartment with one crutch. I can't do this for too long because the knee and leg get tired quickly, hopefully slowly increasing this activity will increase my leg strength. Also, all the bandages are off my leg (notice I didn't say fall off) and the stitches seem to be absorbed!! The incisions don't look like the scars will be too bad, especially the scope ones. The long scar from the ligament reconstruction is 2 inches long, here is a picture:
Ari's dad came over to visit us today, he brought me a delicious cup cake which I thoroughly enjoyed before and after the chili.
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