Physical Therapy

I went to my 1st session or evaluation for PT at Rehabilitation Associates with Heather M Walling. I had been her patient before surgery & enjoyed working with her. The session went much better than expected. I was able to straighten my knee out & got quad muscles to relax & respond better. I have more range of motion now, so I was very pleased with the outcome of that visit.Now, I have 4 pages of exercises/ stretches to do daily. I will be in PT twice a week for 10 weeks. So i hope to be walking & running by the new year.
I really HATE being LAME!! This is not my thing to lay around when there are dishes, floor & clothes to be cleaned. This morning after getting the kids off to school I actually slept till 1pm! I feel like a lazy bum. but yesterday I was very tired all day & didnt feel well...so I guess this recovery will do what it wants with my body.

LIFE after KNEE Surgery

on friday I received anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) knee reconstruction with a hamstring tendon graft & Arthroscopy for a torn meniscus.

I have been pretty much immobile since then. I have crutches which I LOATH! Friday after surgery- I woke up in a lot of pain. so they gave me a few doses of Morphine & some percocet later... which felt great. I was very dehydrated. had Dry mouth & a head ache. couldn't even eat a cracker -I tried - about chocked on it. So the alternative was applesauce - that went down a lot easier. I drank 2 Gatorades & felt a tad better. Then when I got up from the chair to move to a wheel chair - I became very nauseated & remained that way the rest of the day and into that night. Saturday was somewhat better.

I had to get the surgery I had a severe tear, pieces of the torn meniscus moved into the joint space. This made my knee catch, pop, or lock.There were weeks when I was unable to straighten it. My knee felt "wobbly" & gave way without warning. It would swell and become stiff right after I would Re injure it or within 2 or 3 days. This would last 2-4 weeks every time i would slip on it.If I went into a squatting position, just doing housework I would have pain and slight swelling. During the surgery the Doctor also found that my bones were grinding on eachother.

I am an avid runner/racer & I enjoy playing & umpiring Fast pitch softball so for me to have a fully functional knee is necessary.

Saturday & Sunday & today have been frustrating. I am a very active person & cannot stand to be confined. I am stuck to getting around on crutches. Even getting in bed has been a royal pain. just lifting or moving my leg in any way causes great pain & cramping. Hip, thigh & calf muscles are all tight & sore. not responding as normal. This has caused me great frustration. The pain these last few days has been very great. I am trying to move my ankle & knee a small amount. The 1st night my incisions bled more than expected. I have been attempting to keep it elevated & Iced but despite this the swelling is much more than I expected. I just hope I don't regret getting this surgery by 2012.

I get extremely upset that I cannot function in a normal capacity. Resting is a challenge for me. Right now I don't know what is too much activity or what is acceptable. I suppose I will find out on Tues when I got to the Physical Therapist.