Two weeks on from surgery day now so it’s probably time for a progress update. I’ll try not to repeat too much from the insta account (come visit @acl.hto.knee_che) but various angles to cover off…
In terms of physical recovery, the cryotherapy machine has definitely helped bring the swelling down and I’m still not in too much pain day-to-day, unless I lift my leg a certain way or try to move it sideways. It’s just getting frustrating only being able to sit for any length of time with my leg out in front of me/fully supported, or sleep on my back. I have managed to turn onto my side now - and the brace probably helps a bit in that respect - but even though I fall asleep more quickly that way, I typically wake up 20 minutes later in a quite a bit of pain so then have to coax myself back round again. It’s frustrating but I’m trying to trust that it will get better over time and getting annoyed/wound up isn’t going to help so, for now, Ohm 🧘🏻♀️
I’ve been mainly passing the time sleeping, trying to read, ‘listening’ (read falling asleep) to podcasts, watching Netflix documentaries (Robbo, and The Beckhams being the best so far - I wasn’t old enough to see Robbo play in the stripes but will never forget the Great Escape of 2004/5 💙🤍), and chatting with people who’ve come round to visit and help out 🙏🏻
I’ve also come off all the opiate-base pain killers now - just using the paracetamol - and can definitely feel my brain coming back into play. This is both a blessing and a curse:
Blessings 😇
I managed to get the couple of pieces of new business work I needed to done so hopefully they will come in and we won’t have missed the opportunities
I can now read without my eyes closing after just a few sentences
I’m beginning to feel more like me again
Curses 🤬
Beginning to feel more like me again means I’m chomping at the bit to start doing stuff, not just sitting here resting the leg, and I’m getting a bit snarky about the constant low-level discomfort or irritations (this bed sheet is lying on my foot ALL WRONG!!!)
I can no-longer fill time watching absolute tat TV anymore - one episode of Married at First Sight and my brain is ready to explode 🤯
I’m waking up more frequently and ‘normal insomnia’ has returned - maybe I do need those opiates after all???
By Friday, I’d resorted to messaging some of the Year 1 Mums to see if anyone fancied dropping in for a coffee on their way to end-of-school pick up (thanks to the amazing ladies who replied and dropped in). I also stumped up £20 to download the Barbie Movie to help me while away the morning (all in the name of researching whether it would be suitable for the 9yo to watch, you understand. Don’t tell anyone, it’s actually pretty good 😂).
All in all, it’s probably a good job I’m back at work part-time from today!!
Starting phase two
This morning I had my first post-op landmark with a trip back to the hospital to get my clips taken out. The eldest was campaigning to come with me so she could see them being removed but I veto’d that so she has some ‘lovely’ photos to come home to instead, along with the clips themselves, which the nurse kindly put to one side for her to look at.
Physio starts properly tomorrow. Glad I checked in with the consultant’s secretary as my discharge papers said two weeks in a brace and protected weight bearing but my hazy post-op memory thought it was four weeks. Turns out, it’s four weeks with the brace, six week’s protected weight bearing so at least I have the info if she tries to get me out of/off both tomorrow.
All of which brings me back to my theme of ‘getting the physio right’ and the thoughts swimming round my head before the op (feeling the fear and doing it anyway). I’m booked in to see a specific physio on the advice of my consultant (one he usually works with), and have another recommended physio in mind (on the recommendation of a friend who knows a lot about rehab for sport and getting back to a very high level 🙏🏻) in case that doesn’t work out/I need more focused ‘return to play’ physio along the line.
So does return to play look like? After some thought, these are my targets - a proper range, from very low bar to higher but all of which come under the overarching theme of:
CONFIDENCE!!!
Assuming all goes well, what I need more than anything is to finally build some real trust and confidence in the knee; to allow me to do what I’d like, whatever that may be, without being nervous about how it will cope; will it give out again, will I go back to square one - again?
I just don’t want to have to think about it anymore when this is all over.
The specific goals are as follows:
Kneel down - I mean properly kneel down. Bum to heels. I haven’t been able to do that since I was 11, other than when I was pregnant and then it was ultimately a sign of the original graft having stretched out
Running - it’s going to be painful getting fit again but this is still the best way I have to get quick exercise in and maintain a healthy weight
Tennis - to have enough stability in the knee to play this a bit more with the kids
Surfing - have the strength, range of motion and stability to have a go at proper surfing again (rather than making do with bodyboarding)
Be able to go to a ‘bring your parents to gym’ day without having to write off over half the activities as ‘something I can’t do’, just in case…
Do activities that are slightly off the ground without being scared of falling and the knee buckling on impact
Pass the zip line test!
Tomorrow is day 1. Let’s see how it goes 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻
Finding the entertainment where you can
So why is Taskmaster in the title of this week’s blog too? Well, it occurred to me, crutching to the kitchen the other day, that living life protected weight bearing on crutches is much like every day being an episode of the show.
Need to get a drink? Crutch to the kitchen, bash into the cupboard, choose a glass - oh no, make that a bottle as I can’t carry a glass - can’t carry the bottle either so stick that in my mouth while crutching to the sink, balance bottle in sink to fill without knocking it over, screw lid on, slide it across the work surface in the direction of the sofa, crutch to get it, repeat as many times as needed to cover the distance, transfer bottle to table and roll it along (time penalty if it falls off), crutch to other end of table to collect it, pivot to sit on sofa, reach back to get bottle, reattach cryotherapy machine, oh no, can’t reach it, hook the power cable with good foot and swap to hand, plug in, sit back, grab bottle, drink.
Simple tasks shouldn’t need so many steps.
I set the above as a game for the eldest when she had a friend to visit over the weekend (with added time penalties for putting their ‘good foot’ on the floor, dropping the bottle etc) and they enjoyed it so, you’ve gotta see the funny, I suppose.
Still, two weeks closer to getting back to independence. Patience, patience, patience... Or something.
Next... OCN Jail Break Week
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