coming to confession, or just call me crash

[emily_in_nc]

Beth - Glad to hear you're feeling a bit better! I am so lucky that I don't get nauseous from anesthesia or pain meds, so I can't even imagine how yucky that would be. Nor can I imagine trying to cope alone after surgery -- so sorry you are having to! My DH helped me immensely in the weeks after my pelvic fracture surgery, and I had a walker. Could only do sponge baths for a couple weeks, though, as our only showers were upstairs. Once I could scoot on my butt up the stairs, I was able to get my walker (which my DH had brought upstairs) into the walk-in shower in the master bath, which was a good thing as I would not have been able to get over a tub side easily either.

Here's hoping you'll get in-home PT approved, and your recovery will proceed quickly from here!

Hugs!

[bmccasland]

stir crazy stir crazy stir crazy!!!!

I'm out of bed for 1hr 15 min every 2 hours (30 min knee machine, 15 min ice). Since I'm drug free, I'm wide awake. Going nuts.... AARRRGGGG!

15 min to go before next knee session.

[jessmarimba]

And I bet people aren't posting enough here to keep you occupied, hmm? Funny how quickly you can reach the "end" of the internet when you're getting cabin fever!

[spokewench]

Beth: I just saw these posts and did not know you just had knee surgery. I'm sure you will be glad when all the recovery stuff is over with! I'm sure it is a struggle all by yourself. Wish I were in the PNW, I'd come and help.

Take good care of yourself and it sounds like your supervisor and neighbors are being very nice. It is when these things come up in our lives, that we find out we really do have friends out there.

[Velocivixen]

Hey Beth, sorry to hear about your accident and all. Hopefully you'll be up and at em in no time. Maybe I could use coming to help you as an excuse for a road trip!? Seriously though, hang in there and get better soon.

[bmccasland]

Saw my doc this morning and got the sutures removed. He said my knee looks good, and is stable. Is it a bad thing when he's smiling as he's writing you a different 'script for pain killers, saying "you'll need them"?

I have my first PT session this afternoon. Let the fun begin. Meanwhile, Allez Sport is standing in her trainer, mocking me. Still haven't actually tried clipping in. Achieved 90 degree bend with knee flex machine yesterday. I get to call and have that taken away.

[sundial]

Beth, staying ahead of the pain will help greatly and if you are sensitive to the narcotics, there are other alternatives like Tramadol. What helped me greatly in managing my pain was icing and elevating the toes above the nose. A king size pillow was the ideal size and kept my knee relatively straight and supported. Did your ortho send you home with a cryotherapy machine or cold pack knee wrap by chance?

As for the PT, let your therapist know what your goals are and have a program tailored for your needs. PT does not have to be excruciatingly painful and if the therapist is forcing your knee beyond what you can tolerate, stop! Fresh, post-op knees do not like to be pushed hard and they will become angry and swell, thereby slowing your recovery progress. There is a fine line to finding the right amount of therapy: too little and too much will result in an unhappy knee.