First PT, Walking W/O Crutches, Firing the Quad [2-3 Days Post-Op]

I spent the first day after surgery at home resting, icing/compressing using the thermocomp machine while trying to keep my leg elevated. I was mostly on the couch and attempted to fire my quad muscles a handful of times, or when sitting on the floor I would try to lift my heel off the ground.  The good thing about this being the second time around is I knew what I could expect going into physical therapy, and I wanted to be capable of doing the first "easy" things without much pain.

Between surgery and 2-day post-op PT, I kept a steady diet of pain pills, assuming if I didn't the pain would be close to unbearable. I popped one before PT and my brother drove me in.  I had the immobilizer on and utilized the crutches going in, but once we were in, Drew had me doing a handful of exercises I expected:  straight leg raises, heel slides (knee bends), balancing on my surgical leg, walking across the PT area and back, straightening my surgical leg while laying on my belly...  Luckily I was able to do all these things without too much pain or needing any outside assistance.

That being said, Drew told me I didn't need the crutches anymore, and would only need to wear the immobilizer when in public so people around me would be cautious of my leg! This was huge (and, perhaps a little over-confident) but it made me glad that I was already on the right track.  At home I keep the crutches nearby, but can tell I'm not leaning on them heavily anymore (literally!)!

We even cancelled the 3-day post-op PT, as Drew knew I would take the at-home PT seriously, and he handed me a sheet of suggested exercises.  Today I've been doing them (rather) religiously, and each set of reps builds my confidence a little more.  I even ventured across the street to do my exercises in the park while my bro and hubby played some tennis at the courts there. All in all this is not a bad way to start recovery!

On top of that, after a pep talk from Drew, I was encouraged to scale back the pain meds and only take them when I'm in need of them, instead of as a preventative measure. The 4-6 hour schedule turned to "as needed" and I was surprised to find myself successfully doing at-home exercises well after the meds were no longer in my system.  I still have one now and then, but am grateful that it's more for achey pain than for anything more serious.

I'll be back at PT bright and early Monday morning (day 6 post-op) and my only concern is getting my knee bending back. In the meantime I'll work on it at home and try to go beyond 90 degrees so that the forced bending doesn't reduce me to the puddle of moans and tears I was when it was done to my other knee!

ACL Surgery - Take 2! [Surgery Day Re-Cap]

It's been just over 6 weeks since my right knee ACL tear/MCL sprain playing outdoor soccer. In this time I was able to celebrate my 30th with some great friends and family, as well as attend a beautiful and super-fun wedding up north this past weekend (Congrats Schindlers!!).  Once the fun was over, it was time to get my game face on for surgery.

I tried to prep for surgery by doing the expected the day before- clean up, prepare the couch where I'll be sleeping the first few nights, do some grocery shopping to have snacks on hand... And luckily I also got to meet the brand-spankin'-new addition to the Schwartz family, Mr. Ashton Reid who was born on Friday the 13th! (I forget how small babies are in those first few days-- he is an absolute CUTIE!). It was a great distraction, and Congrats again to Jordan and Katy!

I had my reservations going into today's surgery.  This injury was a lot worse, with the sprain of the MCL and just general muscle tone already fading pre-op.  I also had pain when bending my right leg or putting weight on that leg while standing with it completely straight. I thought to myself that feeling "injured" pre-op (as opposed to feeling fabulous like I did prior to my other knee surgery) might mean that recovery would be more difficult. I can't say if this is true or not (seeing as how I'm not even a half day post-op as I type this) but Dr. Shapiro assured me that the two things were not necessarily linear, and that the pain I was feeling when standing was likely still from bone bruising.  This was good to learn, that apparently it can take 3-6 months for some bone bruising to completely heal, because I had started to convince myself that it was a mental thing. Going into post-op with a mental hurdle already in place would have made for a rough start, since learning to use your knee and surrounding muscles again is very much a mental challenge!

In the last few weeks I'd popped in to talk to Drew, the physical therapist I'll be seeing again. There were no Doctor's orders to do pre-op rehabilitation ("prehab" as I call it), so Drew gave me some at-home exercises with the goal being to fire my quad muscles. In the same visits he mentioned he's "got a plan" for me this time around, to hopefully avoid the oh-so-frustrating hiccup I had last time around 22 days post-op.

When this morning rolled around, the nerves really started to hit me. Which, in my defense, I think my way of being anxious or nervous is relatively laid-back... But still I felt my heart rate rise at times, or had a mental flicker reminding me that I'd soon have drilling done to my bones! :/  Luckily I was sent a ridiculous amount of texts and facebook messages of support from friends and family who knew I was going under the knife today, wishing me luck and a speedy recovery. Have I mentioned how absolutely lucky I am to be surrounded by such great people?! My nervousness must not have showed much, since the nurse anesthetist asked if my husband and I "were in the medical field" since we seemed so calm about the whole thing just minutes before surgery!

The schedule was very much like last time, just 2 hours earlier.  Today we had a 10:30a arrival, 12:30p scheduled surgery (which started closer to 1pm, I think), 3p-ish awakening from anesthesia, and by about 5p we'd already gotten home, got our daughter from a friend and were chillin' on the couch with the thermocompression unit (similar to THIS, but with a sleeve for the leg) wrapped around my knee!

Post-op at the hospital, Dr. Shapiro informed my hubby that they had to remove about 5% of my meniscus. This isn't much to speak of, but according to MRI they were not expecting meniscus damage.  Otherwise it sounds like surgery went as planned.

At home I focused on getting some water in my system, a little food, and using the thermocompression unit to keep me comfortable. For fun I decided to try to flex my quad of my surgical leg, expecting it wouldn't be possible since it normally "shuts off" due to the trauma of knee surgery. To my delight, it DID flex without having to focus too strongly on it, and it doesn't cause any additional pain to do so.  Granted I am not flexing with all my might, but firing at all is the goal, and I was excited to see I could do this (and, continue to do it) as a nice prep for upcoming physical therapy!

I also remember last time I had this surgery that standing up and taking my leg out of an elevated position was very VERY painful as the blood rushed to the knee. Today I've been up and around just a few times since I've been home from surgery, and either the pain meds are better this time around or I'm just having a more positive experience! I am hoping for the latter, and this is giving me a glimmer of hope that post-op will indeed be easier the second time around.

This does not mean that I expect to "get away" with taking it easier in physical therapy (PT). I still fully expect to have to feel the burn as I get back range of motion (ROM) and fire the muscles. I am grateful that I know what I'm in for (even if I'm not looking forward to it) and am ready to commit to the physical therapy to ensure a full recovery!

Let's just hope this positive attitude and committed demeanor don't get too shaken as the reality of it all comes upon me! Meanwhile I'm looking forward to my visitors/helpers and spending a little extra time with my 11-month old daughter, Ellie... Even if it does mean we'll be learning to walk at the same time!!

No Pain, No Gain [3-4 Days Post Surgery]

Time to bust my butt. I already talked of my first Physical Therapy visit, which was no cake-walk, but also was understanding my mental limitations when it came to rehab. Between that Wednesday afternoon and now (Saturday afternoon) I have learned even more about my abilities (physical and mental) as well as had some mini-accomplishments, including getting outside (today is GORGEOUS!) and taking my first shower! (I am not sure who is more excited about that last one - me or my caretakers, Eric and Sandy! hehe)

Let me give you a quick insight into how things are going here at home. My go-to spot is the living room couch. I have not ventured upstairs to the master bedroom, so I've made this my spot 24/7. I have slept surprisingly well! Within reach I have my crutches, some snacks, puzzles, the laptop, my camera (of course!), water and meds. The coffee table has been moved so the room is open in the middle, and I use this open space to do my PT at home; as shown here:
[Laying on my belly, I am using my non-surgical leg to try to bend my surgical leg to regain range of motion]

Also nearby is the ThermoCompression Unit, which is a machine which cycles 43 degree distilled water/alcohol mixture through a cuff which velcros around my surgical leg. In addition to the cold mixture, it also pumps air into the cuff (alternating, slowly making the cuff more and more tight around my knee). This is similar to the Game Ready unit the same company provides, but I do not have to continuously add ice to it to keep it cool. Here is a pic of me while icing/compressing using the ThermoCompression Unit:

[I try to do this 20-30 minutes each hour when possible. Control unit seen on the TV tray table]

So, that's really my daily grind. Yesterday (4/17, 3 days post-surgery) was my second PT visit, and while I understand, "No Pain, No Gain" , I also would never wish this upon anyone else. (I have also admitted that I am happy girls can get away with more tears in situations like this, because the 2nd PT was quite more difficult and as tough as I thought I was, I donated my share of tears...) Here was the routine:

(A) In seated position with legs in front of me: 15 Electric Shocks via 2 electrode pads (roughly 2"x3") placed on surgical thigh to force muscles to contract for 10 seconds (then rest for 50 seconds).

(B) Lying on back, keeping surgical leg straight, lift heel off ground and lift ~2' from ground. 3 sets of 10 (I had some assistance from Drew on first set because my brain was having a hard time telling the muscles to work.

(C) Lying on stomach, Drew forced my surgical leg to bend to ~75 degrees. This was by far the most painful thing, done 3 times. I was crying and moaning the whole time, and I felt bad for anyone else who had to witness it!

(D) Without crutches, I had to walk ~80'. This was truly learning to walk again. Drew had to walk backwards in front of me, with his hands out so I could use them for balance. This was not as awful as the forced leg bend, but since walking forced me to put weight on my surgical leg and try to get muscles to fire and work, this was the second most difficult task.

(E) My walking destination was an exercise machine which puts you in a sitting position with your legs in front of you, slightly lowered. Each foot is on an independent pedal/step, and as I extended my right leg, it would force my left (surgical) leg to bend, and for 10 minute

s I did this back and forth pushing to work on range of motion in my surgical leg.

(F) Walk (with 10% help from crutches) to where I iced my leg for 10 minutes using the aforementioned 'game ready' machine.

This may be one of the few times I have to pat myself on the back for pushing through the pain and working towards the greater goal of getting my leg back to normal! *pat, pat* But I can't discredit the encouragement of Sandy (who watched the torture occur), as well as all the kind words that you all continue to give me. Thank You!

And, after that windy entry, I'll breeze through the last few points...

I TOOK A SHOWER!! hehe Thanks to a little pre-planning, including a removable shower head, this was the basic set-up that allowed me to clean up!

[To avoid falling, I had the aid of a little stool. I am allowed to get the incision area wet, but am avoiding it as best I can to keep the tape on which will help the scar heal better!]

Some pics of the wound- Here is 3 days post surgery:

And here is 4 days post surgery (today) which has shown the very first signs of any bruising, on the inside of the knee (tho it is yellow, and not black-and-blue):

And finally, I can not discount how GORGEOUS the weather is today (low 70's I've heard!), and what great encouragement that is to want to get outside! So, to continue to work on my walking, I took to the streets (ok, just our sidewalk...) and practiced!

I might be slow, but this is just the beginning of my comeback! Yippee!! ;)