Last Home Physical Therapy

As the home physical therapist told me today when he left, "The worst is over." If this was the worst, then I have to be honest and say that it really wasn't all that bad. I've read back over all the posts from the past two weeks, and it's certainly been a remarkable journey. I'll miss my home PT guy because I think he's been a very positive factor in that journey, but Stan, of course, has been the deciding factor. He keeps pushing me (every so mildly and patiently) to do a little more than I want. So here I am, for many reasons, two weeks after surgery walking around the house without a walker or cane or anything. I still use the cane to go up and down the staircase because I feel a little off-balance still, but otherwise, I feel confident walking around unassisted.

If you aren't a TKR patient (former, present, or future), the following may not mean much to you, but my final measurements at the end of today's PT session were quite significant. The extension on my knee today was 0 degrees--perfect. That means that I can hold my leg out perfectly straight with no bending at all in the knee. My Range of Motion (how much I can bend my knee) is 110 degrees which the therapist says is "fully functional." The ultimate goal is 120 degrees, but at 110, I'm able to do anything that any normal person can do, so that was encouraging. Now, after all that pushing to reach those goals, I have to admit that my knee has been kind of sore all afternoon/evening, but I'm relatively sure it will be back to normal by morning. It's definitely worth it!

As for daily life, I went upstairs twice today, showered, did laundry, rearranged some of the clothes in my closet, and generally puttered around. Once Stan and the granddaughters left to go swimming, I finished reading my latest mystery and then made a yummy chickpea salad which I subsequently ate for dinner. I only napped for about 50 minutes this afternoon, so slowly, slowly, life is getting back to normal.

Tomorrow I go for my two-week check-up with the surgeon. I will be very interested to see what he says about my progress. Will he be as positive as the therapist, or will he sternly tell me I need to work harder? I can hardly wait to hear what he has to say!