Week 2
The days are starting to roll one into another, so I will not do a day by day except to point out of few milestones.
Most days are
- Get up around 6:30am when the kids do, listen to them getting around for school, and at some point make it to my home office and do some emails, blog, etc as long as I can. Each day got better – started 20min and one time I managed 2.5 hours – but really about 60-90min is all I should do before I get up to do something else – anything else.
- Do PT exercises on the bed
- on back, squeeze lower abs (only) inward for 5 seconds. Do not engage anything else. Must be able to breathe. Try it – it’s harder than you think!
- on front, squeeze lower abs and glutes for 5 seconds. Must be able to breathe.
- Rock back and forth on hands and knees
- Get on CPM for 1:20
- Do PT exercises
- Get back to office, do some more emails
- Do PT exercises
- Either get on CPM for 1:20 or eat lunch – or vice versa – NAP
- Do PT exercises
- Get into Ice machine for 30-90min, watch TV
- Do PT exercises
- Back to office for emails
- Do PT exercises
- Dinner while in ice machine 60min
- Do PT exercises
- CPM for 1:20 while watching TV
- Strap into ice machine and go to sleep
All in all I have easily 6 hours of work to do, not including the ice machine time which ends up being about 10 hours/day (including sleep – I change the ice overnight using a cooler next to bed)
Special Milestones
On day 7 I managed to get myself in and out of CPM solo – every time.
Day 8 we got my handicap plaque. Amazingly the DMV was AWESOME. The DMV guy saw me hobble in and immediately told everyone in line to get out of my way and for me to come up to the front of the line. He took the form and helped me finish it and told me to take a seat and he would come get me. 15 min later he came and delivered to me the plaque – no charge, no lines, no standing. It was great. As a bonus I got to see some scouting friends who happened to be there, one of the boys was getting his learners permit!
On day 10 I managed to shower by myself.
Day 12 was my boys orchestra concert. Scouting friends loaned me a wheelchair so I could go. This was an adventure as we didn’t practice ahead of time – but we managed. However, sitting 3+ hours in that thing made my right leg really angry. Not so much I needed a pain pill, but it was getting close.
Day 13 was PT#3 – these first 6 visits will be pretty much same. Movement, strength, check form, new work to do, questions and answers, soft tissue work review protocols. The soft tissue was really a big deal this time as the concert really did a number on my leg it seems.
Day 14 was Doc visit – I saw the assistant Doc (who was involved in surgery). I’ve decided I need to stop asking when I can get in the pool – every time I ask I get an answer which is further out 🙁 At first it was 2 weeks, now it is 6. BOO! We talked about the numbness which is, in my opinion the WORST side effect and he said it could be a couple weeks – but it could be a few months. Nothing to do to speed it up except maybe massage the areas to send signals down them.
Cleared to drive SHORT distances but not go downtown.
Got another exercise to do – little circles – but I need someone to help me. Ug, I thought Liz was going to be freed of burdens from me but no.
Stairs they said I could try but since I didn’t remember the crutch training I should either do butt scoots or wait until training. If I could avoid them, avoid them. Thankfully, I can avoid them so I think I will delay that for another week.
Onwards we go!
Scroll way down if you want to see what the leg looks like after Day 14! (not totally gross but some might not like it!)
The funny pattern on the skin is due to the ice/compression machine and will fade. The blood still has not cleared out