This is my knee as of Sunday afternoon. I'm blessed to be a good healer, and this is no exception. However, it's been three weeks since my last post, and it sure hasn't been a cake walk. Handsome and I talked about it, and although he can think of one other long recuperation (I was in my 30s then), I think I can safely say this has been the hardest recovery in my life.
Everyone told me the first two weeks would be the worst, and I can concur. I was taking pain meds every four to six hours (along with an anti-nausea pill) and spent what time wasn't in physical therapy, icing and sleeping. I also did my home physical therapy to move the healing along, too.
This is a front and side view from last week's appointment with the surgeon's assistant. Everything is where it's supposed to be, and they're very happy with the results. I'm officially "left side bionic". The joint is secure and stable, and now it's just a matter of getting the musculature healed and mobile again.
My progress is right on schedule, too. They wanted me to be at 90º (for my knee bend) by that appointment, and I was already at 101º. I'm doing physical therapy three times a week, so by the next appointment I was at 107º, and by last Friday, I'd managed to exercise myself to 111º by the beginning of the appointment (rather than getting a measurement again at the end per usual). My therapist was really happy about it, and truthfully, so am I. Knowing how much they had to move things out of the way to install the new hardware, the muscles and tendons were traumatized. Even though they weren't damaged before or during, I still have to give myself some grace to heal everything. I have therapy again today, so we'll see what I managed to accomplish over the weekend.
I haven't been able to sit at my needlework frame for multiple reasons. The main one being that I didn't want to stitch while heavily medicated, but I also wasn't comfortable sitting upright in my needlework chair. While I've recently graduated to a cane (which I rarely use in the house now), getting around with a walker before that wasn't conducive to being comfortable either. I thought it better to just resort to sleeping and healing.
Handsome has been a great nurse - even though we learned that he has his own issues now, too. He has a bone spur on his spine, so I tried to be mindful of his condition as he was taking care of me. Aren't we a pair, though? Although I couldn't do much to help the first two weeks, I've slowly been working my way back into the kitchen to take some of that burden off him.While there are no three or four-course dinners around here, he's happy that he isn't responsible for our evening menus anymore.
Even so, he's been a wonderful caretaker, driving me to all my appointments; helping me in and out of our vehicles; and patiently waiting until he can take me home again. That's not even mentioning all he's done for us around the house. He really is the best, and I'm so grateful.
Finally, thank you to those who reached out, sent cards and gifts prayed, and held healing thoughts for me. I think you know by now just how much that means to me. I know it's been a minute since I last posted (July 22nd to be exact, but who's counting - as I raise my own hand), but you're still here, and I awfully blessed and appreciative.
Thanks from the bottom of my heart. See you again tomorrow.
