Post #6 First Post-op/Second PT appointment

I had my first post-op appointment today. Took a couple X-Rays and got my sutures out. Everything is looking good. I am able to finally take my ted stockings off and I don't need to keep a bandage on it. However, the Dr. said the ted stockings might be a good idea when I'm up walking around to reduce the swelling, but at home I'm fine having them off. Great news cuz those things were giving my leg a rash. Here are the X-Rays:

You can see my lovely screws in this picture, along with the two holes where they drilled through my leg to thread the ligament.  What I thought was interesting is that the ligament is held by some hardware that will eventually dissolve. Dissolving hardware!?  I've heard of dissolving sutures, but hardware?  AWESOME! 

And here is an X-Ray of my bent knees.  It's taken from above so you can see how my kneecaps sit when my legs are bent.  Notice the left one vs. the right.  The right lines up great (after surgery), where the left one is still way off track.  That's how my right one use to look.  I'm amazed at the difference!

The Dr. gave me a paper to give to the DMV so I can get a HANDICAP PARKING PASS!!  Oh my gosh.  I feel like such a dork, being 24, and having a handicap parking pass.  Not that I can drive anytime soon, but if i need to go to the store for something (which is still pretty rare at this point) I am completely winded as soon as I get inside the doors.  Apparently I should of done a lot more push ups before surgery cuz a simple shopping trip for one or two things ends up being an hour long affair, and I'm really for a nap when I get home.  So hopefully the pass will help.

Still on pretty heavy medication, Dr. wasn't surprised by this.  I was concerned that I'm still taking percocet every four hours but he thought that was totally normal.  All he says to me is "This surgery was a very major surgery, and you being in that much pain does not surprise me at all".  I guess that's good to know I'm not just being a complete baby.

Normally I look forward to PT just because I like to see all the progression I've made.  But after today, PT is officially off my list of places I have a good time going to.  My appointments are 45 minutes long and within 20 minutes of my appointment I was in tears.  Today we worked on bending, and my knee is so tight.  I can barely get past 40 degrees but she pushed me to a point where it felt like my leg was going to either snap or dislocate.  After i burst into tears we tried to bend it a different way, and after a few minutes of bending it that way I got to 55 degrees, but by 57 degrees I was in tears again.  We progressed onto activating my quad muscles.  She placed me on a machine that sends electrical signals to my muscles and I had to contract my quad every time the electrical signals would hit.  It feels like tiny little sharp needles and after a high enough amp my muscle will contract.  I then have to intensify this contracting by trying to raise my leg off the table.

That exercise went ok, but I was just so sore from the bending I didn't really care at that point.  We did one more round of bending, it really hurt but at least I didn't burst into tears.  We called it a day and I headed home.  I am writing this blog two hours after my PT appointment and I am still in a high amount of pain.  Within the last 24 hours I have been able to cut back and take half a percocet every four hours.  After PT I have taken a full pill of percocet, and a full pill of oxi.  I am also currently icing it and I'm elevating it.  Still in a lot of pain, and any movement intensifies that pain.

So I'd say today is not my favorite of days.  I'm just worn out and will probably go to bed tonight at eight.  I'm just being a negative Nancy and feeling sorry for myself.  I'm sure tomorrow will be better and I'll forget all about this pain.  And I guess PT after any surgery is going to be painful, so I just need to suck it up.

Right now PT is very painful/frustrating.  I'm one of those people who love working out with a trainer who tells you how long to do things for.  I HATE having to tell people "I can't go any farther...I'm too tired/sore".  So having to tell my PT "STOP I can't bend anymore" feels like a defeat to me.  So maybe all of this is also a pride thing to me.  Either way I know it HURT and HURT BAD.  I have PT again this Thursday, hopefully that appointment goes a lot better.


I'll show how my leg looks after the sutures are out, and the amount of bruising I have 1 1/2 weeks after surgery. 


IF YOU'RE SQUEAMISH YOU MAY NOT WANT TO SCROLL DOWN  ;-)






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