'Little Things' Make a Comeback [19.5 Wks Post-Op]

Somewhere along the way in my recovery I think I stopped celebrating the 'little things'. I kept a fresh perspective of what I could and couldn't do when it came to exercising or getting back range-of-motion, but the more I think about it, that's not what I'm excited to be doing again... And as gradually as they've come, there are lots of little things I'm happy to say I do without wondering "what will this do to my knee?"...

For instance, today I woke up, got out of bed and walked across the room. Ta-da! There once was a time when that was my biggest challenge! But now I'm back to my groggy "I don't wanna get up" mindset, instead of thinking step-ouch-step-ouch as I used to hobble away from my resting place. Then it's showering. And getting back upstairs to get dressed. And putting on high heels! And yes, even taking out the trash-- because before I was helpless, and while it's not a desirable task, I can.

Next, it's pivoting on my left (surgical) leg as I get into my car (which is quite low to the ground). No more backing up near my seat, having weight on both feet and gingerly lowering myself into the seat. Plant, pivot, sit and DRIVE-- one (mostly) fluid motion! At work it's lots of sitting, but there is still getting in and out of my chair, crossing my legs, or scooting around in my cube on my wheelie chair and not feeling any pain. Ah, the little things!

Today at work I had to cut a strip away from a very large piece of paper from the plotter. Given the size, I figured the floor was my best work space. So this meant squatting down (and getting back up!) and also some kneeling (*gasp*)! I am still cautious when kneeling and putting weight where they took my graft from, but it turned out to be a surprisingly normal feeling!

Regarding my PT-at-home: jumping is getting easier but still challenging. I can run on pavement w/o additional soreness. I even completed a yoga DVD (complete with child's pose!) on an 'off' day, and there were lots of movements I am proud to be able to do again, no matter how simple.

Monday (8/31) is another follow-up with Dr. Shapiro, and Wednesday (9/2) has a high potential of being my first soccer practice! [Despite being given the OK to 'practice' last time I saw Dr. S-- I've still been sticking to PT routines. I may be eager to get back out there, but I want to feel confident first...]

Have a wonderful weekend!

Fine Tuning My Knee [3 Month 1 Week Post-Op]

"How's your knee?" ... It's a loaded question that I get all the time. I think most people are just being nice, but if you care to read, here are some extra specifics.

Being over 3 months out, I figure I'm more than halfway to recovery. At my last follow-up appointment with the surgeon, he said we're looking at a 4 month recovery, which normally I'd be super excited about. However, seeing as how I'm not a professional athlete (surprise!) I believe I'll be taking the full 6 months before I decide to commit to a sports team, perhaps subbing once in a while before that. We'll see-- I want to be steady and confident before I go out on a field and act timid and end up doing something dumb because of my fear.

Current Abilities:

• Walking without a limp (including speed-walking)
• Running (slight limp when I'm slower, but the faster I go, the less I limp). I have not tried a dead sprint yet, but really, what's the rush?
• Going up stairs- Very even and seems controlled. Even taking stairs 2 at a time doesn't seem to show much weakness.
• Going down stairs- I can still feel the unsteadiness in my surgical leg as I move my non-surgical leg to the next step down. While some days it seems easier than others, there isn't a time I've gone down stairs and 'forgot' about my knee.
• Jumping- When jumping on both legs (think: jumping rope) I can feel my right leg doing more work the longer I jump. When jumping on just my surgical leg, it's still not developed enough to accept the impact of the jump like my other leg does.
• Bending/Straightening- I can bend my knee so my heel touches my butt, though I'm still not confident when squatting all the way down and using my body weight to bend it. For straightening, there is some uncomfortable feeling when it gets close to hyperextending, but I think I need to keep working to make sure I don't lose range of motion there. My kneecap also seems to 'catch' or 'pop' every so often when I go from straight to bent, but it's not painful.

Current Focus/Exercises:

• Doing PT at home: I've been a lot better with this since my birthday, keeping a promise to myself to do my part in my recovery. I take 1-2 days off per week, but otherwise try to run every other day, and on the in-between days I'm doing more pointed exercises like lunges, step jumping, shuffling... etc.
• Physical Therapy with Drew: I am happy to announce I'm back up to my pre-surgical 1-leg press weight, as of a week ago! It feels good to be 'back to normal' in that sense, even though it doesn't translate to a 'back to normal' leg as a whole. PT will continue 1/week at least through the end of this month.
• Quad Strengthening: Lunge, lunge, lunge!!
• Calf/Knee/Jumping: Lots of jumping and quick shuffling to build up not just my muscle, but also the motor skills to be using the muscles AND moving at the same time. One exercise I do- Stand on L leg at a step with R leg resting up on step; In one jump, land with R leg beneath you, and at the same time lift L leg to touch up on step; Alternate which leg you land on (and which touches the step) after each jump, and do this as fast as you can for 30 seconds. I find this is a great gauge of how 'steady' my surgical knee is underneath me, as well as controlling that leg as I quickly touch the step through the repetitive motion.
• Jumping on one leg: Being able to balance just isn't enough. Trying to jump and accept the impact (as I mentioned before) is a whole new game. In PT on my own I try to jump forward in a straight line on just my surgical leg, and land softly. I still have a ways to go here.

Drew told me that the exercises I still feel 'unsteady' doing are the ones that are the last to come back, so I'm well on my way to recovery. Also, I have another follow-up appointment with Dr. Jeff Shapiro next Monday afternoon, and I expect more good news there!

Celebrate Your Independence! [11.5 Wks Post-Op]

Happy 4th of July!

I am sorry to bore you, but happy to say, there haven't been many blog updates because there hasn't been anything out of the ordinary that seemed worth posting. I see this as a good thing though, because while maybe I'm not breaking major boundaries, I don't seem to be hitting any walls either! Progress seems slow, but steady...

The big items recently still involve jumping. Jumping rope for 3x3min intervals... Jumping onto and off of the Bosu Ball (bubble side up)... Starting with weight on one leg, the other resting up on a step, and while jumping into the air, switching both legs at the same time, landing on the opposite leg.... (This last one we pushed to do 30 times in 30 seconds -- I was definitely getting a cardio workout then!).

With PT visits only 1x per week, we tend to fill the time with lots of exercises, but I have to be sure to do items on my own during the other days of the week. I could be a little more religious with these, but I don't feel I'm falling behind by much, if at all. I recommend finding a workout buddy to take with you to the track or jump rope with you-- You'll see the exercises you've been doing will wear out even a non-surgical buddy! :)

On that note, I feel like each day is getting closer to 'normal' (with the exception of muscle mass from surgical to R leg) and it's wonderful to be getting back the independence I've been working so hard to regain! For instance, yesterday I ran just short of 2 miles on pavement, and while it was tiring and left me a little sore-kneed, it's progress!

Jumping for Joy (Literally!) [~10 Wks Post-Op/ 3rd Follow-up]

This afternoon I spent about 1 hour waiting (and, oh yeah, got another set of identical x-rays taken...) for my 'ol pal, Dr. Jeff Shapiro. As I waited, I tried to think of intelligent questions I should be asking at 2+ months out, but since there's no squeaky wheel, nothing really came to mind. So, when he finally made his grand entrance and we exchanged our how-do-you-do's, he surprised me with this:

Dr. S: "Two down, two to go!"
Summer: [Obviously confused] "What?"
Dr. S: "Well, you're at two months, and only two more to go!"
Summer: [Still obviously confused] "Oh, um, for recovery? Or..?"
Dr. S: "Yeah!"
Summer: [Yep, still confused] "I thought it was more like 6 months... No?"
Dr. S: "Nope!"

Playing back this conversation now still makes me chuckle, because even though he clearly stated it was a 4 month recovery (total), I still don't really believe it. I mean, PT has been going well and all, and aside from some muscle I need to get back in my surgical quad, I'm feeling pretty confident so far. However, when I've had it in my head that all my fave activities are off-limits for 6 months, it's hard to change that placeholder in my head from mid-October to mid-August. Plus, a big fear of mine is coming back too early and not being back to 100%. But if I can't trust my doctor's word, who do I listen to??

The rest of the 5 minutes (if that!) with Dr. S was uneventful- Range of motion is "great", swelling is minimal, and I have no complaints of pain... "See you in a month!"

So- I am resisting the urge to be completely ecstatic and drunk with happiness about this 2 month shave off my 'return'. Why? Well... while I feel I'm a positive person, I want to remain realistic and, perhaps, a little on the 'safe' side. We'll see how things work out, but I guess I'll limit myself to just a sip of this delight cocktail for now!

In the event I'd like to celebrate by jumping up and down - well, now I have been advised by my physical therapist to go on ahead and do it! Today in PT, among other things (see my ACL calendar), I started jumping. It's really a strange experience to try a simple motion like that, which I've avoided for the last two months, but is so elementary. Like everything else, I started with a little hesitation, but once I realized my knee wasn't giving out on me and there wasn't even a pang of pain, I became a 3x30 rep jumping bean! PT also brought on more Bosu Ball fun too...!

So, between the good news from the Doc and trying new things in PT, today was a great day! Not to mention, by next week I'll only be at PT once a week (currently at 2/week)! Booyah!