On the Road Again

When I asked my physical therapist on Thursday when she thought I could drive again, she advised me to go practice in a vacant school parking lot this weekend, so bright and early (for us!), Stan and I went to a nearby school where he turned the car over to me.  Now, you must remember, not only have I not driven in five weeks, but this is a brand new car with lots of bells, whistles, and gadgets that I'd never used before.  I kept wanting to put a key in the car, but there ain't no key!  I've never driven a car where you pushed a button, where you just walk up to it and it unlocks all by itself, where the seats move up and down and back and forth every time a driver gets in.  Very disconcerting!  Still, after fiddling with controls for a while, I headed out and drove around and around, then up the frontage road to the next school where a woman in her big SUV pulled right out in front of me.  After slamming on the brakes and hyperventilating briefly, I continued and did fine. 

Stan drove us on to the grocery for a few items and then to a drugstore where we stopped briefly, before I finally drove us the rest of the way home, so I think I'm more or less mobile now, at least for the small necessary trips one needs to make to the grocery, the bank, etc.  I don't plan to leave our neighborhood but there's plenty nearby so there's really not much need to leave.  If we decide to go further afield, I'll still let Stan drive for another couple of weeks, but by the time I see my surgeon in a few weeks, I'm certain I'll get the "all clear" to drive anywhere I want.  It's not that I gad about all that much, but I do like to meet up with friends, attend meetings, and run a few errands, so yes, this is a big step forward.

Once we got home and had lunch, I read for a while and then thought I might nap until Stan reminded me to do my exercises, so I did.  I didn't want to, but I did and was, of course, glad that I did.  By Monday, I really hope I've improved my ROM by another few degrees, and that won't happen without exercise.  Not to mention, I've gone up and down the stairs many times today doing laundry and each time I've walked straight up, foot over foot, so hooray!  I don't walk like such an old lady anymore.  Never let it be said, however, that I would miss a nap when one was available, so while Stan practiced his flute upstairs, I slept soundly for about 45 minutes.  I woke in time to finish the newsletter I'm responsible for each month for my teacher organization, and by then, it was time for younger son and his family to come over for dinner. 

The day has not been overwhelmingly busy but it's been busy enough, and everything is going well.  Now I just need to do a few more exercises.....

Sleepy Day

For some inexplicable reason, Stan and I both were rather lethargic today.  Oh, that doesn't mean we sat around in a daze or anything like that, but we stayed home most of the day, just doing a little something here, a little something there.  Mostly, however, we both spent a lot of time on our computers, reading, and  yes, after lunch, we both slept a long time.  I cannot fathom how I managed to sleep almost two hours, but I did and Stan slept almost that long. You know what "they" always say, though--if you sleep more than usual, it's because you need it, so I guess we both just needed some extra sleep.

The days after PT are always days when I get up vowing that I will do all my exercises...and then don't.  Happily, yesterday's soreness was mostly gone this morning, but I still lazed about thinking that I'd better pamper my knee a little bit longer.  So, while I skipped the really horrendous exercises, I did do several knee-stretching bends and I walked up the stairs a couple of times foot over foot.  In all honesty, that was it as far as exercising, but tomorrow there will be no excuses!

The different and happier event is that I actually got out for some social time with friends, and it's been a while since that happened!  Stan dropped me off at the local bar and grill, and after an hour or so, one of my friends brought me home.  In between, I had a nice time being normal again.  That's really the operative word for this whole experience--just to be normal again.  And you know what, I really do think I'm almost there, but for now, I'm sleepy!!!

Look What I Can Do!

For the past three days, I've been forcing myself to walk up our stairs leading with my right foot.  I have not been climbing the stairs foot-over-foot, but have pulled the other foot onto the step before stepping up with the other foot....if that makes sense.  This morning as I climbed the stairs, I started out that way on the first step: lift my right (surgery) leg, then bring up the left foot so that both feet are on the same step.  Then I stopped myself and said, "Self, you need to up your game.  See what will happen if you don't stop on the step, but just keep going."  Self gave a little shudder and then, whoa!  It worked!  I yelled out to Stan to come see what I could do.  I walked up the whole staircase, foot over foot.  That is a milestone, folks!  I haven't been able to do that for years due to the sad and bad shape of my right knee, but today, I rejoined the world of people who can walk up the stairs!

With that exciting accomplishment behind me, I went to physical therapy figuring I could do anything, and while I can't, of course, do "anything," I did do everything my therapist asked me to do, up to and including pressing 90 pounds with my legs.  And, since it's all about the numbers, I am happy to say that I'm still 0 extension and now 110 flexibility.  Just 10 more degrees and I'll be at the goal of 120!  That all sounds wonderful, right?  Yes, of course it is, but everything comes at a price, and the price I paid for doing all this is that every single muscle, joint, and bone in my right leg aches!  If I hobble across the floor clutching furniture as I make my way slowly, it's for that reason.  Where have these muscles been all my life?  Here they are hurting, and I didn't even know I had them!  But it's all for the good, and I'm sure I'll be fine in the morning...maybe.

It was well past our usual lunchtime once we got home, so we had lunch, and then, I'll be honest, I collapsed on the couch and there I stayed for the next 1 1/2 hours.  Mostly I read, I closed my eyes but never went to sleep, and then before I knew it, Stan was leaving to go pick up one of the granddaughters.  While he was gone, I did lots of dinner prep and put everything in the refrigerator, then read again until he got home, I cooked, and we ate.  And that, as you should know by now, was it for the day.  Our evenings are usually the same, and although boring I'm sure by the standards of many, our quiet evenings suit us.  Besides, I wasn't going to do anything that involved being on my feet!

Trying to Be Good

If you know anything about me at all, you will know that I'm not (to put it mildly) athletic.  Even though that is the case, I have tried to be good today and have done quite a lot of knee exercises, and as a result, I am virtuously sore.  I can only hope that it pays off tomorrow with ROM that has increased, even if just a little.  I still have 3 more weeks of PT, so surely I can get from my current 106 to 120 by the time I next see my surgeon in late March.

Exercise, however, was not the only "excitement" of the day.  Last month when my Senior Center Book Club met (the 4th Wednesday of the month), I declined to take a copy of  the book for February because I thought it would be quite unlikely that I'd be able to attend.  Well, obviously that was a miscalculation, and fortunately I was able to get a used copy of the book from Amazon so that despite my doubts, there I was at Book Club today with my book and my opinions.  Happily, there was an empty chair next to me so I was able to put my leg up and down whenever it got stiff in any one position, but other than that, I had no problem at all.  It's so good to be doing regular life again!

It was a dreary weather day, so Stan and I both spent the afternoon in quiet pursuits.  He napped, read, played chess, and practiced his flute.  I became obsessed with two different photographic projects on my computer which occupied my time for well over an hour, and that was followed by lots of reading, both online and in my latest book.  And then....there was the ever-torturous exercise, but it's all to the good, of course.

Tomorrow I will once again take some Percocet (the only time I do) and go off to PT hoping to make my therapist proud of me.  As a final note, I'll keep up my one constant complaint--I just can't sleep.  I have tried everything I can think of and can only hope that this will fade away in time.  If it doesn't, I may fade away!!!

Four Weeks Ago

That's right, four weeks ago I had total knee replacement on my right knee.  Yes, just four weeks ago I couldn't walk more than a few steps, could not go to the bathroom without help, and couldn't bend my knee sufficiently well to sit in a chair.  I had a precarious appetite and was taking a lot of medicine. How things have changed for the better!  I do still have days when I feel less perky than others (yesterday being a prime example), but I'm walking unaided, taking showers, bending my knee quite well, and, perhaps unfortunately, I'm back to my former appetite.  I can't drive yet--not until I have a ROM of 120--but otherwise I'm doing just about anything I want, so life is just about normal now.  Before I get too cocky, however, I do realize that I have less-than-stellar days and that they seem to happen for no reason, so I'll enjoy the good days, and when I wake up all stiff and achy, well, I'll just roll with the punches and wait it out.  The next day will almost always be better!

What about today, you may ask.  Well, Stan had to go off all morning to election officer training so I stayed home, changed and washed bed linen, took a really long hot shower, cleaned up the kitchen, and put some soup on to simmer for lunch.  Once Stan got home, we had a late lunch, then I read and web-browsed for a couple of hours before starting to cook a very nice dinner.  As much as I have appreciated Stan's efforts to cook, I am happy to be back in my kitchen cooking tasty, healthy dinners, and I can only hope that Stan is happy about that, too!

After dinner, and after watching the latest Murdoch Mysteries episode, we had a lovely Skype chat with older son.  It's so lovely to be able to talk with him but we are looking forward, once I can travel, to spending time with him and his sweet family in person!  So, that's been the day, and a fine day it has been.  Tomorrow is my Senior Center Book Club which, back in January before my surgery, I was sure I would be unable to attend, but here I am, looking forward to going out again, doing normal things again.  While it hasn't been easy, it's been a successful recovery so far, and I'm looking forward to more fun in the near future!

Forging Ahead

Yes, my knee was not at its best yesterday, so, after a mediocre night's sleep, I woke up determined to do better.  Did I accomplish that goal?  Well, it wasn't a slam-dunk, but I didn't go backwards and I was incrementally better, so I'm again content with my slow but steady progress.

When I got up this morning, I started off by following a positive routine rather than starting off the day feeling droopy.  By 8:30 I had showered/washed my hair, dressed, and done a bit of biking on my pedals.  With that industrious beginning to the day, I went downstairs, had breakfast, then settled on the couch with my leg iced and stuck straight up on the big foam wedge, hoping to get my leg into good enough shape to persevere throughout PT at 11:00.  I managed to finish a rather silly mystery while sitting there, mainly because Stan had to go to the bank to take care of some business, so I had nothing much else to do. 

By the time Stan returned, I had my shoes on, had taken two Percocet (I loathe, absolutely loathe how Percocet makes me feel, but it does help with the efforts of PT), and was ready to go.  Stan dropped me off at PT and then went off to the grocery leaving me to face the consequences of having not done a full set of exercises since Saturday morning. I would have felt guilty, but honestly, my leg was hot and somewhat swollen yesterday and I just didn't.  So there. 

My therapist listened carefully to my recitation of what I'd done (and not done) since seeing her Thursday and accordingly adjusted the routine today.  She spent quite a while doing a thorough massage of my quads which may sound nice, but a deep tissue massage is fairly uncomfortable; however, once it's over, it's amazing how much more flexible muscles feel.  We did several of the old favorite exercises, went over to the step machine to work on that, then went to the weight press machine for the first time.  I pressed 70 pounds today for 30 reps with my legs and it felt surprisingly good.  By the time I'd finished everything, my numbers were 0 and 106.  Having not exercised over the weekend and having felt so sore and weak yesterday, I was not at all discouraged that I'd increased my ROM (range of motion) only 1 degree.  I was just relieved that I hadn't lost some ROM.  As for the extension, I have no trouble making the back of my knee touch the table, so with any luck at all, the struggle for extension is more or less over.  Now I'll just work on ROM and work I will. 

As a side note, my ROM at this point in 2011 with my left knee was 105 and extension was 0, so despite the vast differences in the approaches of my two physical therapists, I'm at almost the exact same point.  That's fascinating to me because, until I looked it up just now, I would have sworn I was doing much better with my left knee, but numbers don't lie, so I'm even more content with my progress than I thought I was!

The rest of our day followed a common pattern.  After walking upstairs leading with my RIGHT knee (that's big, folks!), I did a bit of reading, resting, puttering around the top floor.  Stan went to pick up the granddaughters, brought them home where we enjoyed take-out chicken for dinner.  After taking them home, we had a short but pleasant evening.  Tomorrow, I will definitely do my exercises!!

Resting Up

After a good day and lots of activity (without a cane) yesterday, I must admit to having a bit of soreness today, but I'm sure that after my day of rest and (maybe, possibly, hopefully) some good rest overnight, I'll be ready for physical therapy tomorrow morning.

We loved the beautiful weather today, and it encouraged us to be outside during much of the day.  Well, of course, Stan was outside a lot more than I was, but I spent a good bit of time this morning "repopulating" my car with all the stuff that I like to keep in my personal car.  That necessitated being in the garage and in the driveway, and also doing a bit of lollygagging in and around the back patio.  I spent some of the afternoon reading and napping, then got up and cleaned up the kitchen, cleaned out the refrigerator, and cooked a big pot of chicken gnocchi soup.

By 5:15-ish, Stan had the fire pit piled up with wood, so we took snacks and drinks to the back porch to watch the fire as the sun went down.  An hour or so later, we got big bowls of hot soup which we ate beside the fire, then spent yet another hour watching the fire gradually die down to embers.  What a lovely day it was and, fortunately, I didn't have to do anything except keep my leg iced and elevated while I was inside, and when I was doing that, I got to lounge by the fire. Not a bad way to spend a day!  Let's hope my residual stiffness is gone by tomorrow morning and I'm ready to tackle physical therapy again!

A Tiny Celebration

The weather was beautiful today, so after our usual morning (including LOTS of exercise) followed by lunch, Stan took off to go hiking.  I had definitely put my knee through its paces, so I put my leg up, iced it down, and started reading.  My book club book for this month, The Uncommon Reader, will be discussed on Wednesday, so it was time to get busy reading, and that's what I did for the next three hours, scarcely moving during all that time. The book is a novella, so it was short, and I was so engrossed that I read the whole thing, finishing it about 15 minutes or so after Stan returned.  Being in one position for that long probably wasn't great for my knee, but it was an engrossing little story and, at any rate, I am now ready for book club!

Younger son and his family wanted to do something slightly celebratory for dinner tonight because they think I've made such exceptional progress with my knee.  I'm not sure it's all that exceptional, but it has been good and I think I'm doing well, so once they arrived, we all piled into the new Flex and drove to my choice for dinner--IHOP.  I know, I know, I have expensive and exotic taste!  Everyone, however, seemed to enjoy dinner as did I except, again, having my knee in one position for over an hour stiffened me up.  All it takes, however, is a little walking to loosen my knee up again, so we went next door to Aldi to buy a few groceries.  Do we know how to live it up on a Saturday night or what???  As a factual note, I'll mention that I've taken only a couple of ibuprofen today and I went to dinner this evening without a cane so that finally I don't look like an elderly woman out in public!

We've spent the remainder of our evening quietly with Stan watching some sci-fi show while I did a little more reading.  Having been moderately busy this evening, and having not taken a nap, I feel sleepy and can only hope that I might sleep a tad more soundly tonight.  I'm not holding my breath on that, but it will happen some night!

A Little Unsettled

Shall I first complain about the weather?  Yes, it was sunny, but it was cold and windy so it was not exactly a day to want to wander about. Now, if you know me at all, you know I prefer cold weather to hot weather, but part of the charm of cold weather is the occasional snow fall and that has been sadly lacking this year.  It's either been cold and rainy or cold and gloomy or cold and sunny. In a word, it's been a boring winter and even I am ready for it to be over.  Stan and I did go out for a while today just because he thinks it's good for me to go somewhere every day and I suppose he's right.  We went, therefore, to the nearby Aldi just to walk up and down and do a little random shopping. It's a good thing that we did go to a grocery store because, while we were there, younger son texted to ask if we could pick  up the granddaughters, feed them dinner, and keep them for a while this evening which, of course, we were happy to do. We picked up a few extra things for dinner, got some take out for our lunch, and came home.  That was the extent of my "out in the world" adventure for the day although Stan, of course, did go pick up the girls later in the afternoon.

After a bit of reading and resting my leg (still sore from yesterday and a bit tired from all the walking around), I napped a bit.  At 2:00, Stan left for the Rec Center and to pick up the girls while I began cooking dinner.  By the time everyone arrived, everything was ready, but just keeping warm, the table was set, and a small snack was ready to tide everyone over until dinner.  And that really is it for the day.  I had a bit of indigestion from yesterday's over-indulgence, or maybe I was just tired (always), so I did only minimal exercises this afternoon. Once dinner was over and younger son had picked up the granddaughters, we were both tired enough only to want to watch a bit of TV before retiring for the evening which is what I'm about to do.

Before I leave you, however, a bit of TKR advice or observation.  My scar looks good, as scars go, and the swelling seems to be going down ever so slightly, but the skin around the scar looks like your skin when you are recovering from a sunburn, i.e. red and peeling.  It's not an attractive look, and lotion only does so much--although you should put no lotion on the scar itself--so this is just another step on the road to recovery that must be patiently endured. But it certainly is incredibly better than it was a week or two ago.  Remember--every day, in every way, I'm getting better and better!

Finally!

After working at my extension (and flexibility, too, of course), I was delighted to get my measurements during physical therapy this morning.  Finally!!!  Yes, I'm finally at 0 extension which is as good as it gets.  That means I can now hold my leg completely straight.  Whew! It's been a bit of a struggle, but that makes this accomplishment all the more welcome.  In preparation for today's PT, I kept my ankle propped up on the towel roll (see yesterday) for a long time this morning and kept pressing down on my knee in hopes that I'd get to 0 today.  What a relief!  My flexibility is also getting steadily better.  It was 100 on Monday and 105 today, so I just have 15 more degrees before I get to the "fully functional" 120. 

Physical therapy is getting just a little bit more rigorous every time I go, but that's good.  That's the way it should be, and I continue to be both impressed and surprised that my therapist can seem to be so gentle and yet make me feel like I've had such a workout.  Whatever she's doing, it appears to be working!  On the other hand, just like Monday, I marched in without a cane at the beginning, and staggered out leaning on my cane at the end.  I get a workout, that's for sure.

It has become standard practice to have a low-key afternoon once PT is done, so that's what we did today.  After a yummy lunch of some very spicy Indian food brought to me by our lovely next-door neighbor, I retired to the couch to read and doze for the next couple of hours.  When Stan left to go pick up one of the granddaughters, I started making "Norwegian meatballs,"  a recipe on Pinterest that caught my eye yesterday.  Everything was made and simmering away when he got home, so it was a nice, homey evening with a tasty dinner.

The day was perhaps not all that exciting, but I'm happy to be able to record my steady progress.  Just as a note, I'll say that sleep continues to be an issue, but everything else is fine, so I'll try to be patient and assume that everything will be more or less back to normal a few weeks from now, and this will all just be a memory!

Reading and Napping

Although sleep once again was spotty last night, it was a beautiful day which prompted another small outing.  Although there's no need to dwell on it too much, I will continue to say that sleep is probably my biggest challenge now, but it will, I'm sure, eventually work itself out.

One accomplishment of this convalescence has been the fact that I've read a lot...a whole lot. Amazon Kindle will keep track of the consecutive days you've read, the consecutive weeks you've read, and the number of books you've read since the beginning of the year.  This only is accurate, of course, if you read on your Kindle exclusively, and although I read mostly on my Kindle, I still do read the occasional "real" book and books on Google Play.  That being said, I've read 18 books since January 1 because I've spent a lot of quiet time on the couch.  Not being much of a TV watcher, my only possible alternative to reading is aimless web-browsing, and goodness knows I do enough of that, but still, reading is my primary way of passing time.  All this was said to explain the fact that I got up at 7:30 and aside from the time I spent eating my bowl of Raisin Bran, I read solidly until 12:15, finishing a very engrossing little mystery.  I did do several "exercises" during that time period, most notably the simple but effective (and highly uncomfortable) ankle propped on a rolled towel.  If you don't think that stretches your knee, try it for 30 minutes!

As the morning progressed, I alternated propping up my ankle with icing down my knee, so even though I was admittedly a couch potato, at least the time was not totally wasted from the TKR rehab perspective.

By the time I'd finished my book, it was time for lunch, so in keeping with Stan's belief that I needed to get out and do things most days, we got ready and left for a pleasant lunch in Fairfax.  It was a late lunch, and by the time we got home, it was mid-afternoon.  What do you do in the middle of the afternoon?  Why you nap, of course!  Rather embarrassingly, I suddenly woke from my couch nap to find it was 4:00, but Stan was worse--he slept until 5:00!  Between 4:00 and 5:00, I actually managed to do all my exercises so that I could feel quite virtuous about the way I spent at least part of my afternoon.  I haven't taken any pain medicine either, and I can truthfully say that I feel just fine.  Now tomorrow is another day.  If it's PT day, it's time for Percocet, but that's then and this is now, and right now, everything is just fine!

Up and Down

Every day is different, some better than others, and some worse.  And some are both which was the case today.  One of my principal complaints about this TKR experience has been my inability to sleep more than an hour or two at a time.  That may not sound terribly important, but after three weeks (and yes, it's the three-week anniversary of my surgery) of getting broken and shortened sleep, I can only say that I'm tired, just flat-out tired.  I'd give anything to be able to sleep 5 or 6 hours straight, but so far that desire has eluded me. So, to make a long whine short, I woke up feeling tired and grumpy and spent most of the morning on my computer and then on the couch feeling quite sorry for myself.

Around 11:00, Stan urged me to get dressed so that we could get out for just a small trip to the grocery.  Even though I wasn't enthusiastic, I knew it was for the best and besides, I'd decided I would cook a real, full course dinner for the first time in over three weeks.  Off we went, therefore, to the grocery where we got milk, the things I needed for dinner, and some treats for lunch.  After getting home and eating lunch, I chopped up some chicken and put it in to marinate for my planned dinner of chicken shawarma. By that time, however, my leg hurt, I was tired, and definitely on the grumpy side, so I retired to my couch.

Stan left to go to the Rec Center so I read for quite a while, then dozed for 45 minutes.  Fortunately I was awake and sitting up again by the time he came home.  When asked if I wanted to do my exercises, I whined mightily and told Stan how sad and tired and fussy I was so that no, I didn't want to do my exercises. I retreated to my corner and sank into a bit of gloom, leaving Stan to go upstairs.  By the time he had showered and come back downstairs, however, I had given myself a stern lecture and I was ready to turn a new leaf.  I did, in fact, do my exercises, and then I cooked a real dinner that, even though I know he was maybe a bit overly enthusiastic, seemed to make Stan very happy.  First "real" meal in a long time.  I even cleaned up the kitchen!

Now, you may wonder what all this has to do with TKR surgery.  It's actually quite relevant because the recovery from this surgery is slow, very slow and often quite uncomfortable.  It's awfully easy to sink into a complete wallow of self-pity but, of course, that does no good at all.  Which part of my day was more pleasant and better for my general health?  Lolling about feeling grouchy and lethargic, or doing something productive and making someone else happy?  The answer, of course, is obvious.  I still won't sleep any more soundly tonight probably, but at least I won't have to lie awake feeling guilty about being a grump. 

Tomorrow, I can only hope I will remember the lessons of today, and perhaps I'll even cook again!

New Car!

Do you remember last week when I mentioned that we had begun the process of acquiring a new Ford Flex?  Well, today it was delivered and we picked it up--definitely a big event in our rather quiet lives!  Due to my knee, especially since it's a right knee, I won't be able to drive my car for several more weeks, but at least it's an incentive to get the full use of my right leg  as soon as possible so that I can drive my  new car.

The new car excitement, however, came at the end of another semi-torturous PT session.  Each time my therapist pushes me a little bit harder which, of course, she ought to do, but that doesn't make it any easier.  So the bad news is that I was so sore at the end of the session that I sort of staggered out leaning on my cane.  The good news, however, is that my extension is now just 1 degree, so if I can push my knee down just a little bit harder next time, I'll be at 0 which is the ultimate goal of extension.  Flexibility didn't improve as much as last time, but it did improve to 100, so I'm moving along, slowly but surely, toward being "fully functional."  To recap, I've gone from 70 flexibility to 100 and from 15 extension to 1 in a little over 2 weeks.  While I'm sure that others have done better, I'm satisfied with that progress and will just keep on plugging away at getting better!

Upon leaving PT at noon, we came home for a quick lunch and for me to change out of sweat pants to real clothes, then off we went to the Ford dealer.  All in all it took about an hour and a half to complete everything, but by 3:00, we were able to leave the car lot, drive to the insurance office to take care of that, and then come home.  For the next hour or so, I put my aching leg up on pillows and wrapped my knee in chilled gel packs while enjoying a bit of escapism via my latest mystery.  Stan  fiddled around with the new car and did some small jobs around the back yard on this lovely, sunny, mild February day. 

We're both looking forward to a quiet day at home tomorrow after all the excitement of today, but what a lovely day it's been.  Now I just can't wait to be able to drive again!

Something to Worry About

Although I didn't mention it previously, I think I'll mention it now.  What?  What is it?  Well, you may recall that I had my stitches removed last Wednesday...supposedly.  As the nurse/nurse's assistant (not sure which) removed stitches, she covered the incision site with Steri-Strips.  I sort of paid attention, but I also looked around the room, zoned out a bit, and didn't notice that one piece of suture material hadn't been removed.  In fact, I didn't notice it until Friday afternoon when a couple of the Steri-Strips fell off and there was a piece of blue suture thread sticking up out of my knee.  After debating with myself a bit, I took a picture and emailed it to my surgeon's PA (Physician's Assistant) asking if it was anything to worry about or that needed attention.  She replied almost immediately and said that I was correct--it shouldn't have been left there and could I come into the office that afternoon.  Well, I couldn't because Stan was gone and I am still not allowed to drive.  That being the case, the PA told me to come in Monday which I will do right after my physical therapy session tomorrow.  I'm not sure if I really needed another medical office visit but I figured if anything went wrong with the incision, I'd feel kind of stupid for not having mentioned it.  So, instead of just pulling it out myself, I'm back to the surgeon's office tomorrow.  Having medical issues is a full-time job sometimes!

After lolling about the house aimlessly yesterday, I was anxious to get out and do something--anything!  After a semi-productive morning, therefore (laundry!), Stan and I left at 11:00-ish to go do a bit of shopping and then to have a quick lunch at Noodles & Company--love their Thai Chicken Soup!!!  Walking around in a store and then sitting in a restaurant was enough for me, however, so we came home and I settled on the couch to read with my leg propped up.  My knee is still tender, whether from Friday's rough PT session, all the exercising yesterday, or walking around today, I don't know, but it's tender so I felt that having my leg propped up while reading for an hour was a well-deserved break.

Because the suture seems to be slowly working its way out, I didn't want to stretch my knee cap anymore than necessary, but I needed to do some constructive exercises, so I sat down to watch a little HGTV and peddle on my little bike exerciser.  It's a nice little machine and quite useful for exercising in the comfort of one's home. 

My conscience salved by 30 minutes of pedaling, I am now off to finish cooking dinner.  Tomorrow's another busy day, so wish me luck with all the PT and the doctor's office visit!

Taking a Break

After three moderately busy days, Stan and I were both happy to take a break on this cold day and stay home. That doesn't mean we did nothing, but it was nice to be inside and just do whatever we wanted.  Well, let me qualify that.  I didn't want to do my exercises this morning and then again this afternoon, but fortunately Stan kept me on track and made sure I did a full set both times.  Ouch.  It doesn't seem to get a lot easier, but I know it's the "sine qua non" of recovery, so I did it.  I complained, but I did it!  As for indoor activities, however, all the Valentine decorations came down and the spring decorations went up.  They'll be up for a bit before they are replaced with Easter bunnies, but since it's a late Easter this year, I think I'll wait a bit to do that.

One of the most significant issues with TKR surgery, especially on the right knee, is the inability to drive.  Not having the independence to go somewhere on your own eventually becomes quite burdensome, but it will be be several more weeks probably before I'm allowed to drive again.  In the meantime, poor Stan has to run every errand, pick up every granddaughter, take me to every appointment, and do all the shopping.  This being Saturday when we almost always have pizza, he had to run pick up the pizza which on any normal day I would have been happy to do.  Oh, well.  I do feel bad about it, but that's just the way it is.  Hopefully I can make it up to him in the future!

Looking to have another quiet day tomorrow, and then a busy day Monday so I guess I'll enjoy being lazy while I can!

Love and Hate

When I had my previous TKR in 2011, I thought I had a fabulous physical therapist, and I still think that.  As seems to be the case with most patient/therapist relationships, it was something of a love-hate relationships, however, because, although I knew she was helping me immensely, the agony of it all sometimes made me loathe and dread every PT appointment.  When I began this round of physical therapy with a new, young therapist (this is only her 2nd year as a therapist), I was a little unsure about her, but here I am again, with exactly the same assessment.  The intensity of the sessions has increased so gradually that it seemed each time that she really wasn't doing all that much, but after today's session, it suddenly became apparent just how hard she was making my muscles work.  Wow!  I had to use my cane on one side and Stan's arm on the other side just to hobble out of the office!  And truly, I'm not complaining, but wow, it's amazing how a few repetitions of this and 10 of that and maybe 15 of another can do a real job on your whole leg.  Oh, and I almost forgot--I can now go all the way around on the bicycle so the therapist set the timer for 5 minutes and I was off to the (very slow) races!  By the end of the session, my flexibility was 97 (up from 90 on Monday) and the extension was 4.  That's not improving as quickly as I want, but it was 5 on Monday, so at least it's moving downward.

It being Valentine's Day, Stan obviously wanted to take me out to lunch.  Now, after all that torture, I wasn't sure I could even walk from a parking lot into a restaurant so I equivocated and suggested we just go get a light lunch at Panera which is what we did and which turned out just fine.  I love their Autumn Squash Soup more than anything else on their menu so I got a bowl of that and quite enjoyed my lunch, and I think Stan was happy to go out and do something "fun."  That being said, I was deliriously happy to come home, ice, elevate, read, and eventually doze.  My knee felt like it might live after a rest for a couple of hours!

Stan picked up the granddaughters, brought them here where I had a small snack waiting for them.  Younger son and daughter-in-law appeared 45 minutes later with barbecue for a nice little family Valentine's Day dinner. Once they left, we watched a bit of TV and now, thank goodness, we can go to bed with no alarm set for in the morning.  All in all, a good day but my leg still hurts!

A Purchase

The plan had been that I'd spend much of today resting my knee and not putting a strain on the incision from which the stitches had just been removed.  I'd thought to wash my  hair at most and read and rest on this gloomy, rainy, cold day.  That's not the way it turned out.

Stan and I were up and out the door at 9:15 after, may I add, the first moderately good night's sleep I've had in the past two weeks!  Anyway, we left and drove to the nearby Ford dealership for an appointment with Randy, the guy who sold us our past three cars.  I'd been emailing back and forth with him the past few days about the availability of Ford Flexes.  He had found three that met our criteria and we had narrowed it down to one of them.  Once we arrived, we spent the next couple of hours in his office negotiating and, at the end of it all, we were the proud new owners of a metallic blue Ford Flex.  It's currently in another state and will be delivered here in a couple of days, but we signed everything, it's ours, so even though I won't be able to drive for another few weeks, whoopee!!  I have a new car!  Stan will continue to drive his Fords (an Escape and an old Crown Vic), but the Flex will be mine.

After such an exciting morning, we had a quiet few hours.  We ate lunch, read, dozed.  Stan went to pick up the granddaughters, and I entertained younger son who came home after a stressful day of work, having wrapped up a multi-month project.  Sometimes even grown up kids just need to sit quietly and have a soda and eat some chips with mom!

Sitting in a hard little chair for so long this morning wasn't great for my knee, but I did get up and walk around every twenty or thirty minutes, so I survived.  After a few hours with my knee elevated,  I'm fine.  You have no idea how getting some quality sleep last night helped!  Tomorrow is PT and I will have to apologize for not having done my exercises today, but that was deliberate.  I truly thought it was for the best not to put any stress on my kneecap and the incision site which is now just out there on its own.  The last thing I want is to pull anything apart!  So, I'll apologize tomorrow to my therapist and get back to work!

Here's hoping for another good night's sleep!

Doctor's Report

The great two-week check up has come and gone--successfully.  Whew--what a relief!  My surgeon, Dr. M, is a great guy with an encouraging and calming bedside manner, but I think he's also very honest and no-nonsense.  His word to describe how I am progressing:  beautifully.  He said I was doing beautifully, that my flexibility was well more than 90 and although my extension is just shy of 0, he didn't seem to think that was a problem because, as he said, my right knee and leg had been in worse shape to begin with.  The x-rays all showed that everything was in place and working properly (and my, oh my--did they make me twist and bend my knee into various contortions for the x-rays!).  The nurse took out my stitches, of course, and put steri-strips on the incision, but the incision really was minimal.  It's amazing they could do all that with such a small incision.  So, it was a successful visit to the doctor and now I need to work hard at PT so that when I go back in six weeks, I'll have a flex of 120 at which point I can be declared fully functional.  There's nothing like having a goal!

Once we left the doctor's office, we drove to a nearby grocery to get a few treats for lunch and a stack of seltzer, then came home, had lunch, and had a quiet afternoon. I read and dozed, and Stan cleaned up my car preparatory to a big day tomorrow, but you'll just have to wait and hear about that tomorrow.  We had a visit from our across-the-street neighbors late in the afternoon, then Stan cooked a quick little dinner.  We ate, watched TV, talked to older son, and that's plenty of excitement for one day, don't you think? 

Tomorrow may--or may not--be a big day.  You'll see....

Waiting anxiously

Tomorrow, Wednesday, will be a big day for me.  I'll go for my two-week follow-up appointment with my surgeon.  As I said yesterday, I'm moderately satisfied with my 90 flexion and, after my morning exercises, Stan vowed and declared that he thought I was approaching 95 or 100, so any of those numbers would be fine.  I'm still working on the extension and am very anxious about not "measuring up" to my surgeon's expectations. But we shall see tomorrow what the professional assessment is.

It was another gloomy day today, so although Stan got out a couple of times to go to the grocery and to get Subway sandwiches for dinner, I was a (regrettable) couch potato.  I did do my exercises fully this morning and partially this afternoon, so I'm not totally ashamed of myself.  In between exercising, however, all I did was read and nap--not much to write home about.  To tell the truth, I felt a bit woozy all day for no discernible reason, but it made me not want to do much. I couldn't even eat all my half sandwich from Subway.  Just not feeling up to par today.

The only other "activity" was to do a lot of online car shopping, culminating in a flurry of emails with the nice man at the Ford dealership who sold us our previous cars.  I just can't stop thinking about getting a new Ford Flex, but we shall see what comes of that!  Obviously nothing tomorrow will happen other than going to the doctor, but who knows what might happen on Thursday?  Stay tuned!

Little by Little

Yesterday, in case you couldn't tell, was a somewhat droopy day.  I must have forgotten to tell myself that every day, in every way, I was getting better and better, but you know what?  I really am.  All my life I've told myself that one of my few virtues was patience, but I have not been as patient as I should have been.  No, I may not be progressing as quickly as I'd wish, but I am making progress, inch by inch, and I am getting better every day.

Quantifiable results are the best measure of this progress because no matter how much I wrote about my 2011 TKR, I just don't remember how I felt.  So to counter that lack of subjective information, I will offer numbers.  My PT numbers today were 5 and 90.  I'm a little disappointed in the 5 because I really wanted to be at 0 and 90 for my doctor visit on Wednesday, and who knows--maybe if I exercise effectively this afternoon and tomorrow, I'll get to 0 or at least 1 or 2 by Wednesday.  The 90, however, is where I wanted to be at this point, so that's a legitimately positive outcome for me at this point in my recovery. 

When Stan and I left for PT this morning at 11:00, it was cold, gray, breezy, and very damp but not raining.  When we left PT at noon, it was still the same, and fortunately remained that way until just after we got home when it started raining steadily and continued for the next 4 hours.  Does nasty weather make your knees feel worse if they aren't real knees?  Inquiring minds want to know!

On this gloomy, rainy afternoon, we both read and dozed, chatted and had soup and sandwiches for dinner before Stan left to meet a friend at the Rec. Center at 7:00.  I'm reading and writing, and I'm still icing my leg--it aches!  But aching is a good thing when it comes from a vigorous workout, so I'll just ignore it and start a new mystery.  Until tomorrow....

Pushing Ahead

Everyone keeps asking me how this knee replacement experience compares to the previous one, and all I can say is that I don't really know.  Yes, I kept pretty good records about my previous TKR, both here in the blog and in my diary, but the procedures differ in so many ways that it's hard to compare.  Last time, at this point 12 days post-op, I hadn't even started outpatient PT yet.  I'd been in the hospital two nights instead of one, and I'd barely left the house after coming home from the hospital.  I hadn't taken a real shower yet, and I was still sleeping on the day bed in Stan's office.

This time, it was one night in the hospital, out of the house several times for outpatient PT, out to eat, have moved back upstairs, have taken showers, and have had a tiny "party" here for some teacher friends.  So, it sounds like things are going better this time.  But it's still hard for me to judge.  On the one hand, I feel that my knee is stiffer than it was last time; however, giving myself the benefit of the doubt, my right knee was in worse shape, much worse shape, to begin with.  I've been walking around with a stiff "peg-leg" for a long time so there was no bend to begin with.  I'm trying, though.  I'm really trying to get some flexibility back into my right knee, but I have to be honest and say that it can be pretty painful.  Still, I have done my exercises today.  In the morning I did the basic routine, but in the afternoon I did all the exercises and yes, my knee and leg are stiff this evening, but that's the only way to recover, so I'll keep doing the exercises.

Stan went briefly to the grocery this morning because we decided we wanted BLTs for lunch.  We had lots of bacon but hadn't bought any fresh produce since before my surgery, so off he went to buy some lettuce and tomatoes along with a few other snacky type things.  I had the bacon ready to go when he got home, so it wasn't long before we were enjoying our sandwiches--yummy!

It was a long, quiet afternoon.  I read, dozed, read more, did exercises all before Stan fixed dinner for us.  We watched the last episode of a BBC docuseries, 1900 Island, while eating, then had a short Skype session with the older son and grandchildren. Not much remains now except to go to bed.

As for medicine, I quite torn about what to take tonight.  Should I take a Percocet (haven't had one since Thursday) in the hopes it will soothe my leg enough to allow me to sleep, or should I take a couple of Tylenol PM in the expectation that it will make me sleep?  I just don't know, but I do know I need a good night's sleep!

Exercising!

What a difference a night makes!  While I can't say it was a "normal" night back upstairs in my very own bed, it was much better than the previous few nights, so hooray for some sleep finally!  I actually felt like a human this morning!  The day that stretched out ahead of me when I woke at 8:00 a.m. was a quiet day, but it's fine to have quiet days.

The only real activity of note this morning was the full panoply of exercising which really did a job on my leg, but in a good way, of course.  There was plenty of icing and elevating at the conclusion of the 30 minutes of stretching, pushing, and pulling.  We had soup for lunch while watching another Mummy movie from the 1930s (we do get stuck on our little "kicks"), then I finished packing a Valentine box to send to the Florida grandchildren which Stan subsequently took to UPS to ship.  Rather than coming straight home, he went to the Rec Center to walk on the track, leaving me supposedly to take a nap, but I was unable to fall asleep.  Who knows why because I was certainly tired from my morning exertions and, in general, surgery patients need a lot more sleep than usual.  In the end, however, I just read. 

To keep you updated on the state of medicine, I haven't taken any Percocet since Thursday morning before physical therapy.  I've been taken my two aspirin daily for blood thinning purposes, I've taken an ibuprofen morning and afternoon before exercising, and a Tylenol PM at bedtime.  While I can't say I'm exactly pain free, I'm fine, and anything (just about) is better than the dizziness and nausea caused by Percocet.

After another grueling round of exercising this afternoon, I iced and elevated until 5:00 when younger son and his family arrived.  It's been a while since we had our usual Saturday night pizza, so it was lovely just to sit around chatting and eating our pizza.  They've now left, and I suppose Stan and I will watch a bit of TV until it's time to climb the stairs again and get into bed.  Hoping for two good nights of sleep in a row!

A Visit from Friends

It was the kind of day that makes you want to get in bed and take a very, very long nap--cold, gray, windy, rainy tending toward dampness.  Stan and I had an okay morning but he didn't feel too good because weather like this makes him a bit headachy, and I had been restless all night.  No reason, in particular, but I just couldn't ever seem to get to sleep soundly.  We did, nonetheless, have a moderately productive morning.

After breakfast I did my exercises, then we both had computer time/reading time.  Eventually, however, I felt compelled to proceed with my stated goal for the week which was to move upstairs to the bedroom no later than Friday.  This being Friday, the time was at hand.  Obviously Stan did most of the work, but I supervised quite effectively!  Before getting too far along in moving me back upstairs, we made sure the new step stool we had ordered from Amazon really did allow me to get into and out of bed safely.  It did, so we proceeded with our work toward getting the house  back to a normal-looking home.  Mostly, however, I'm just glad Stan will have his office back, and will be able to use his computer anytime he wants.

While Stan was busy downstairs, I did a load of laundry upstairs-yes, I did!  Something useful!  I did climb into bed around 10:30 thinking I was so tired that surely I'd fall asleep, but I didn't, so after I'd finished the laundry, I went back downstairs and had a minimalist lunch (cheese, crackers, applesauce) because really, if you don't do anything, you don't get very hungry or need much food.  Eventually both Stan and I figured we were lethargic enough to doze, so he iced my knee and then took himself upstairs to nap.  Amazingly, and thankfully, I read a bit then fell asleep on the couch.

A treat awaited me mid-afternoon, so I was eager to be up and ready for three of my teacher friends to visit.  Stan had thoughtfully put out food and beverage for us before taking himself back upstairs, and they brought goodies, also, so for the next couple of hours, I had a delightful time chatting with friends about things other than knees!  That was a welcome change!

By the time they left, I was no longer hungry, but fortunately there were enough chicken nuggets and fries left for Stan's dinner and Panera pastries for his dessert, so we watched TV while he ate and I tried to keep drinking more water.  So, not an exciting evening, but it was a nice normal evening and I'm anxious to go upstairs, and get into a real bed!  Woo hoo--another big step toward normalcy!

Cold Rain

To a snow lover, there's hardly anything more discouraging than a cold rain.  Just a couple of degrees colder and it would have been such a pretty little snow, but no!  No, we have mid-30s and constant, steady rain.  I suppose, since this was PT day, that it's good it wasn't snow, but it certainly doesn't do much to lift one's spirits to be cold, wet, achy from the weather, and even more achy from that expensive torture known as physical therapy.  There, have I whined enough?  Yeah, thought so.  Let's review the day, however, since that's what we're here to do.

Stan and I both woke early again today.  While I can't say I'm sleeping badly, I'm certainly not sleeping all that soundly, so getting up in the morning is not the hopping-out-of-bed-ready-for-a-new-day experience you might think it is.  Well, nonetheless, one does get up and then one tries to make sure it's a good morning.  One notable breakfast note:  after Raisin Bran, I actually drank half a cup of coffee.  Woo hoo!  Another step towards normalcy.

Much of the early morning was spent reading intently and intensely, trying to finish an ebook due back to the library tomorrow.  That mission being accomplished, I walked around the house a few times, got dressed, and got myself situated in the recliner to be ready for a 10:00 a.m. call from an old friend in Mississippi.  J was my best friend for 25 years, and I've greatly missed her company over these last 15 years since we moved.  Even though we've emailed and kept in touch via messaging, we hadn't talked in years, so we had arranged to chat this morning because, much to our mutual surprise, we found that we'd both had a knee replacement in January.  Hers had been January 14 and mine January 28 so she's a bit ahead of me in the recovery department, but we're basically on the same path.  It was SO good to catch up with her about mutual friends, civic happenings, family news, and, of course, TKR comparisons. Fortunately, she left the small town where she still lives and went to a major medical center in another state for her surgery, and she's doing well, making progress, and on the road to recovery.  Another friend of ours stayed in that same small town for her TKR and is still dealing with major complications over 3 months after her surgery.  Choose your surgeon carefully!

It was, as I said, physical therapy day.  Stan dropped me off at 11:30 and, for the next 45 minutes, I was alternately soothed and tortured.  In 2011, I had a real taskmaster for a therapist, and while I dreaded the sessions, she did wonders for me.  This therapist is quite different.  I have to admit that I love the leg massages that she gives at the beginning to loosen me up and at the end to soothe my screaming muscles.  In between, she is pushing me and it does hurt although it still doesn't feel quite as rigorous as my previous experience. On the other hand, to be fair, I hadn't even started outpatient physical therapy at this point in 2011.  I didn't even leave the house until my 2 week checkup with my surgeon and, after that, was cleared by him to start PT.  This is just a week and 2 days since my surgery and it's already my 3rd PT session, so perhaps the slower start is appropriate.   Just for the record, my numbers today were:  extension, 8 and flexion 83.  Those aren't great numbers but better than they were, so progress is progress, no matter how small.  At any rate, by the time my 45 minutes is over, I am vastly relieved to have my knee iced down for 10 minutes before trying to walk again.

On the way home, Stan and I stopped by Domino's for a hot sandwich for lunch, came home and ate while watching a 1930s version of The Mummy, then both of us tried to take a nap.  Strangely enough, even though I thought I was exhausted, I couldn't get to sleep, so we are both awake, have had another cup of coffee, and will try to think of something vaguely useful to do until dinnertime. One of these days I'll start to cook again, but not today. I did just buy a new cookbook on Google Play, however, so maybe reading recipes counts....right?  Well, maybe not, so for tonight, I'm off to the couch to wait for Stan to serve me his wonderful chicken quesadillas!

Back Upstairs

Not every day has to be exciting, and this one wasn't, but it was a perfectly fine, ordinary day, and isn't that the aim?  I just want to get back to ordinary again! Our two days of "spring" have ended, and winter has returned, so it was also a day to stay inside, at least for me, and to stick to the new routine.

After an okay night's sleep (kept waking up, but always went right back to sleep), I finally rose at 7:45 to a gray, chill, and blustery morning.and to find that Stan had been awake since 7:00.  Again this morning I had Raisin Bran but no coffee.  I want coffee, I think coffee sounds lovely, but I just can't quite face it.  Maybe tomorrow....

Feeling somewhat groggy, I spent a long time on the couch reading my newest mystery, did some web browsing, and generally goofed off while Stan made a quick run to the grocery store.  Eventually Stan nagged me enough that I did my morning round of exercises, then took an ibuprofen, iced and elevated until lunch at 11:30.  Because it was still in the refrigerator, I had some more of my squash soup. I will not be thawing any more of it out for awhile.  Two days of squash is enough!  By then I  was tired, so off I went to my favorite daybed where I took a Tylenol and slept from 12:30 to 2:30. 

Stan was busy with a home repair project, trying to find a way to install the sound bar underneath the huge new TV when I woke up so I sat on the couch  alternately reading and watching Stan until he had finally completed his project to his satisfaction.  At 3:30, it was time to venture upstairs, so up I staggered with Stan bringing up the rear to make sure I didn't tumble or stumble.

By 4:30, I had showered, washed my hair and fixed it, watched a little HGTV in my recliner upstairs, gotten dressed, and repacked some clean clothes to take downstairs. There wasn't much going on downstairs so, once again, I read while Stan spent time on his computer in his office.  I know he misses his office, and I feel sort of bad monopolizing his office, but it just seems like the sensible thing to do for at least another couple of days.

Stan fixed a real dinner for us.  Admittedly there was no real cooking, but it was balanced and hot, so on a cold evening, it was fine. We had a Trader Joe's meatloaf, a can of peas, and instant mashed potatoes with a can of gravy.  It may sound a little sad, but it was actually quite tasty, and I so appreciate Stan doing everything for me including cooking. 

So that's it, a quiet day, but tomorrow is PT again which I'm not looking forward to.  Oh, well, no pain, no gain, right? Hopefully it won't be raining when we have to go out!

Another "Spring" Day

Am I still getting better and better, you may ask?  Well, yes, I think I am.  A week ago today I was in a hospital room having just been moved there from recovery.  To be blunt, I was horribly sick, vomiting, and feeling like the proverbial death warmed over.  Today, I awoke from a moderately good night's sleep, ate Raisin Bran for breakfast, and did some web browsing.  I have done my exercises, had some of the squash soup I made and froze prior to surgery,ditched the walker for a cane only, tidied up the kitchen (just a bit, but still...), and have enjoyed sitting on the front porch with Stan on this unseasonably warm day.

Although Stan and I had planned to prepare a collaborative dinner, younger son insisted on bringing us dinner, so we have enjoyed  Zaxby's chicken and Cole slaw.   Once younger son left, older son Skyped with us for a bit, so we are all checked in and reported on with both boys. We have watched half of another WWII documentary, but have turned it off for the night and will finish watching tomorrow.  Aside from taking a long nap after lunch, doesn't that sound like a semi-normal day?  You will notice I didn't take a morning nap, only one in the afternoon, so that's some significant progress. I know from past experience in 2011 that there will be days when things don't go so well, but this is two days in a row that have been quite pleasant, so I'm going to enjoy it while I can!

Not that it's all that interesting, but I'll mention medicine since that's the sort of thing that's really important but because it quickly becomes very fuzzy in one's memory.  Yesterday, for PT, I took two Percocet, about 2 hours apart in the morning.  Since then, I have taken no Percocet.  I took a Tylenol PM at 9:30 last night just before bed and it kept me pain free and drowsy until about 4:30 this morning.  I dozed from then until getting up at 7:00.  From there, the day went smoothly enough.  My knee did ache after doing my exercises, so I took an ibuprofen at 9:30.  After lunch, I lay down on the daybed, propped up my leg, took a regular Tylenol and slept soundly for 2 hours.  That's it so far today, but considering last night's success, I'll probably take another Tylenol PM tonight.  The fewer Percocet, the better, although I realize I need to take something pretty strong to get through PT, but that's not until Thursday, so I'll enjoy today while I can!

Good night then, and here's hoping there's just a bit more progress tomorrow!

The Coué Method

In an attempt to be totally honest, I have to say that I had another rough night last night, but morning brought a new day, and as it turned out, a much better day. Many factors made it a better day--the stunningly mild and sunny weather, a settled tummy, a goal to achieve--but I would like to think that a positive attitude made the most difference.  Have you ever heard of the Coué Method?  In the 1920s, it was a great fad which originated in France, spread to Great Britain, and thence to the U.S.  The premise was optimistic self-talk, all based on the phrase, "Every day, in every way, I'm getting better and better."  Is it simplistic?  Sure it is, but sometimes simple ideas are quite effective, and for me, this was a day when I looked in the mirror, told myself to buck up, and told myself that everything was better.  And you know what?  It was!

At 8:00 a.m., I finally staggered out of bed, and although I had no appetite, I made myself eat some cheese and crackers so that I could take a Percocet, and with it, a Zofran to help with the nausea the Percocet causes.  If I haven't mentioned it, I still can't face coffee, but I did manage a Diet Coke, so at least I got a little caffeine! I rested/iced/elevated for an hour, then got up and did the minimalistic exercises the therapist had given me on Friday.  As a side note, I was encouraged to find that I could finally get up from the couch unassisted, so I moved my operation from Stan's recliner back to the couch which is "my" place in the family room.  At 10:00, I got dressed (by myself, thank you very much) and took a second Percocet, then Stan and I headed out for my first real PT appointment.  

After 50 minutes of semi-pain and torture, I was encouraged that my previous extension of 15 was now 10 and previous flexibility of 70 was now 80, so that was factual progress.  Feeling happy, and the weather being so lovely, we stopped at Subway on the way home to get my favorite Subway sandwich combination (flatbread, ham, bacon, lettuce, tomato, pickle, mayo), came home and ate while watching another WWII documentary (we're on a kick about WWII).   Even though I was feeling pretty perky, it seemed prudent to recline on the couch, elevate and ice, read, and eventually drift off to sleep.  Stan puttered outside in the backyard and took a short bike ride during this time which, of course, makes me very happy.  He needs some time to himself!

There wasn't much afternoon left by the time I woke at 4:00, but I enjoyed some computer time, doing lots of walking in the house, and more reading.  In case you haven't noticed, I'm doing a LOT of reading!  We had soup for dinner, watched the first half of another WWII movie, "Into the Storm," and now I'm about ready to call it a day.  

Was it a "normal" day?  No, not exactly, but it wasn't a day spent writhing in pain in bed, or moaning in the recliner.  It was a good, active, productive day, and tomorrow will be a little better.  Every day, in every way, I'm getting better and better!

Day of Rest

If Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest, then I certainly followed the letter of the law!  That's all good, though, because in my humble and unscientific opinion, bodies heal fastest and best when they get plenty of sleep, and I'm getting plenty of sleep.

Because of going to bed so early last night, Stan and I were both up before dawn, right at 6:00 a.m.  Although I was still not hungry, I ate crackers and drank ginger ale for breakfast, then read in the recliner, iced and elevated, for an hour and a half--but no Percocet. Once Stan disentangled me from the foam wedge and the ice packs, I walked around the house a few times then climbed the stairs to go to my bathroom to take a shower and wash my hair, sitting on the shower bench, of course.  It was a relief to feel clean and not to wonder if I smelled slightly stale! Going down the stairs was exhausting, to the point that halfway down, I sat down and just scooted down the rest of the way. 

Stan, the expert grilled cheese sandwich cook, made me a sandwich for lunch and, amazingly, I ate all of it! All that excitement, however, was tiring, so it was back to the daybed in the office for a nap from 1:30 to 4:00.  For the next two and a half hours, I alternately sat in the recliner and read and walked.  Stan, at 5:30, left the house to (a) go get a view of Mercury on the evening horizon and (b) get a few things at the grocery.  I'm so glad he got to do something interesting!

We had a nice little dinner, each eating what appealed to us while watching half of a movie.  And now it's 8:30 and time for bed which doesn't exactly make this a normal evening, but makes it semi-normal.  I'm dreading PT tomorrow morning, but it's time to get the show on the road and work on flexibility!

Moving on

Okay, then!  The first and hardest three days are behind me, and it's time to move on.  I'll be honest and say that last night and early this morning were horrendous, due not to knee problems, but due to internal/intestinal problems which I suspect, as always, were the result of the anesthesia, the nerve block, and the Percocet.  With the anesthesia effects long gone and the nerve block removed, all that remains to trouble me is Percocet.  I did take one last night at bedtime but have not taken one all day and have absolutely no pain, so until it's time for physical therapy on Monday, I don't plan to take another one.  I may take a Tylenol before bedtime tonight, but with no pain, I'm not even sure there's much need for that.  When the hospital called today to check on me, I reported 0 pain, although  I do have discomfort because my leg is still so swollen, but my knee has no pain.

It would be remiss of me not to tell you about last night, however, because last night was bad. I slept only in 30-45 minute increments, but spent the same amount of time in the bathroom so by the time my "problems" were solved, I was exhausted and have slept a lot today. This morning I slept first in bed, then in the recliner.  During the afternoon, I dozed in the recliner with my leg elevated on a foam wedge, and my knee was wrapped in two gel packs.  By late afternoon, I felt much more human.  Before dinner I had a nice long phone chat with the older son, had half a grilled cheese sandwich and Lay's Baked Chips for dinner, then had a brief 15 minute visit from the younger son.  Stan, of course, has taken good care of me all day and is being as kind and thoughtful as it's possible for anyone to be.

The only real exercise I've taken is to walk around the house many, many times.  I've done lots of ankle pumps (for blood clot prevention), but have been too tired to do much else.  Tomorrow, however, I've made Stan promise to get me exercising.  It's a hard road ahead, but it's not an impossible road so I'm ready to tackle it!