It's all a blur. To those who are following my posts, I'm sorry I'm not more diligent about doing regular updates. I will try to do better. But please know that the only reason I'm not blogging is because things are going fine.
Since my first bike ride out on the road, I've relearned how to ride and have found that I bike faster than I did pre-surgery. I've also rebuilt my running endurance and again, I'm faster than I was pre-surgery. My PT said that could be because my range of motion is improved, but is more likely due to the focus on core strength in my therapy regiment. I can vouch for improved core strength! My neck and back don't hurt much any more, and I can do all kinds of things, including elevated planks, where my feet are in straps that are hanging from the ceiling. I even did inverted "jumping jacks" while in plank position.
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and my physical therapy sessions are now over. I've made such good progress that I no longer need assistance in rebuilding my strength and endurance. I've been cleared for all activities, except for squats that go beyond 70 degrees, which is fine with me. I'm gearing up to go back to Tae Kwon Do, and have started stairclimbing again. I am following my triathlon training program, and have found that the more active I am, the less my hip hurts.
My worst days are when I don't have time to get my PT exercises in (still have to do them, even though I'm not going in!). After a couple days of skipping PT, my sciatica comes back full force and I start limping again. This is not the same kind of pain I had pre-surgery - it's nerve and muscle-related, and not in the joint. Plus I know exactly how to make it go away...a single day of jogging and lower-body strength training works like a charm every time.
I had hoped to compete in a triathlon by the end of the year, since I've done one every year for the past 5 years, but given my work/school schedule, I barely have time to get my training in. So I'm not thinking I'll be ready to be competitive. Plus I live in Wisconsin, and I'm not too keen on traveling with my bike to the islands and getting a crash course in ocean swimming just to find a race. But there's no reason I can't do one on my own. So on December 31, you will find me in my gym, swimming 1/2 mile, biking 12.4 miles, and jogging 3.1 miles - in whatever amount of time it takes me.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
Weeks 8-12
The past month or so has been very busy with school, work, and PT, so I haven't had much time to muse about my recovery. But yesterday was a big day, so I wanted to share.
Rehab has been mostly about strength training lately, but some new things are being added it that are making me very happy. I'm starting to feel like a normal person instead of a recovering patient. Jogging is in full force, three times a week - every other session I increase my mileage. I'm doing leg presses with hundreds of pounds of weight, and am getting some really strong abs from the planks, core marches, T-stances, torso twists, and even the straight leg lifts. I'm also doing jump squats, jumping drills, and sprint drills. On non-jogging days, I'm just supposed to get in 45-60 minutes of general cardio, preferably no or low-impact. I usually swim or use the stationary bike. Swimming is building back up slowly - the other day I managed 550 meters, which was exciting for me. Biking was getting boring, but then my therapist told me to get out on the road. He said using clipless pedals would actually be a great workout for my hip. Yay!!
I was so excited to start the next day - it was time to get back on my race bike. I haven't actually been on a bike that required pedaling or balance to stay upright since July of last year. It's hard to believe it's been 13 months since I've seen the bike trail. I ran through my checklist: water, sunglasses, helmet, watch, etc. After I was all ready, it was time to get on the bike. And I froze. After all this time and prep work, I realized I was scared to death.
What if I crash? What if I forgot how to ride? What if it hurts? What if I tear something else? What if I just can't? Wow, at least I wasn't alone. Hubby was right there with me, telling me that everything will be ok. So I clipped my right foot onto the pedal, took a deep breath, and started to go.
Oops. The gear's too hard, and I can't get enough speed to clip my left foot in. Ok, shift and try again. Oh, now I can't find the clip with my left foot and I wobble to a shaky stop. Third time's a charm. Off I go, and turn onto the road leading to the bike trail. But it's uphill, and I'm not conditioned. I quickly change gears to try to the easiest setting so I can make it.
Wow, turns out I forgot how to change gears on my bike and instead quickly made it as hard as humanly possible. There's no way I'm strong enough to push the pedals, and I start to go down. Luckily, my foot snaps out of the pedal just before I topple and I manage to stay upright. I ask my husband to hold the bike up and turn the pedals while I relearn how to shift.
The ride is a slow one. It does not escape my attention that I am decked out in sleek racing gear on my skinny road bike, and I'm being passed by old men on clunkers. But I love life's little ironies, so I just smile. We went four miles out, then turned around and came back. By mile six, I could definitely tell my hip was not too happy, so I slowed down even more. But a couple of downhill sections let me get up to 15+ mph, and I remembered why I loved my fast bike. By the time we got home, I decided that I would dismantle the trainer and ride on the road every time I biked from now until the snow flies. Overall, it was a great ride, and I'm thrilled to be on the road once again!
Rehab has been mostly about strength training lately, but some new things are being added it that are making me very happy. I'm starting to feel like a normal person instead of a recovering patient. Jogging is in full force, three times a week - every other session I increase my mileage. I'm doing leg presses with hundreds of pounds of weight, and am getting some really strong abs from the planks, core marches, T-stances, torso twists, and even the straight leg lifts. I'm also doing jump squats, jumping drills, and sprint drills. On non-jogging days, I'm just supposed to get in 45-60 minutes of general cardio, preferably no or low-impact. I usually swim or use the stationary bike. Swimming is building back up slowly - the other day I managed 550 meters, which was exciting for me. Biking was getting boring, but then my therapist told me to get out on the road. He said using clipless pedals would actually be a great workout for my hip. Yay!!
I was so excited to start the next day - it was time to get back on my race bike. I haven't actually been on a bike that required pedaling or balance to stay upright since July of last year. It's hard to believe it's been 13 months since I've seen the bike trail. I ran through my checklist: water, sunglasses, helmet, watch, etc. After I was all ready, it was time to get on the bike. And I froze. After all this time and prep work, I realized I was scared to death.
What if I crash? What if I forgot how to ride? What if it hurts? What if I tear something else? What if I just can't? Wow, at least I wasn't alone. Hubby was right there with me, telling me that everything will be ok. So I clipped my right foot onto the pedal, took a deep breath, and started to go.
Oops. The gear's too hard, and I can't get enough speed to clip my left foot in. Ok, shift and try again. Oh, now I can't find the clip with my left foot and I wobble to a shaky stop. Third time's a charm. Off I go, and turn onto the road leading to the bike trail. But it's uphill, and I'm not conditioned. I quickly change gears to try to the easiest setting so I can make it.
Wow, turns out I forgot how to change gears on my bike and instead quickly made it as hard as humanly possible. There's no way I'm strong enough to push the pedals, and I start to go down. Luckily, my foot snaps out of the pedal just before I topple and I manage to stay upright. I ask my husband to hold the bike up and turn the pedals while I relearn how to shift.
The ride is a slow one. It does not escape my attention that I am decked out in sleek racing gear on my skinny road bike, and I'm being passed by old men on clunkers. But I love life's little ironies, so I just smile. We went four miles out, then turned around and came back. By mile six, I could definitely tell my hip was not too happy, so I slowed down even more. But a couple of downhill sections let me get up to 15+ mph, and I remembered why I loved my fast bike. By the time we got home, I decided that I would dismantle the trainer and ride on the road every time I biked from now until the snow flies. Overall, it was a great ride, and I'm thrilled to be on the road once again!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Back to Normal*
Wow, once again it has been awhile. Last time I posted, I was getting ready to head out on a road trip to a game convention with my husband. While fun, these things require lots of sitting, which is a bit of a challenge for a recovering "hipster" (a term I've seen in various places now). The drive took 8 hours, which we expanded to 11 due to frequent walking stops. I felt that I arrived in one piece, but the next day, Thursday, my body told me otherwise. I could barely walk, and sitting was pure torture. But I pushed on (wait - isn't that how I got into this mess?) and made it through a day filled with walking back and forth down a 2-block-long hallway and sitting in uncomfortable chairs for 3-4 hours at a stretch. And I iced. We brought the Game Ready unit, and that saved my butt - literally!
Friday was a little better, so I enjoyed the day a bit more. And, on Saturday, I was reminded once again that I was a work in progress and not a fully recovered being. Out came the crutches so I could actually do more than lay in bed all day. After a day on the crutches, I felt much better, and then it was time to go home. This time, I actually helped drive! Through bad storms that turned out to be thinly veiled tornado threats, and possibly the real deal (found out when we got home). I've seen strong winds and driving rain before, but I've never quite seen such strong winds changing directions so often and truly sideways rain. I was scared, but didn't stop - what was I going to do? Run away from a tornado? Eventually, we got out of it and enjoyed the rest of the trip home. I drove for a total of 1.5 hours. Woo hoo!
The next day, I was back at work. Full-time, with allowances for doctor's appointments and physical therapy. I made it, but it was rough. By Tuesday evening, I was thoroughly exhausted and slept 12 hours. Oops. Sorry, boss! So I missed Wednesday, but went right back Thursday, just in time for a long weekend.
While all this is going on, my therapy has changed a bit to introduce some fun exercises, like deadlifts (which I call T-stances, because you're not really lifting anything). They really work your core! Also added sideways walking on the treadmill at 1.3 mph. For the first time, I started to feel like I was getting back to normal. The stretches for the sciatica worked wonders, and now that only flares up once in a great while.
Fourth of July weekend brought some challenges, but I opted out of most of them and decided to rest instead. Sunday was the only active day (outside of daily PT). We went to a party and decided I could try my hand at playing catch and frisbee. I caught things that were within one step of me and in front. No twisting, and no running! After 15 minutes, I was toast and laid down with three ice packs.
Then yesterday, my world opened up, and I declare normalcy*!! Sam, my ever-enabling therapist, changed everything up on me. I can now swim without the pull buoy (no frog kicking!), increase resistance on my bike as needed, and do up to 20 minutes a day on the elliptical. I can also begin distance walking, up to a mile, with a goal of building up to 3.5 mph. On top of all of this, I have real training exercises - walking lunges, squats, weighted side-stepping, torso twists, deep core exercises, and leg exercises on weight machines. Life is good.
Notes for the 5-7 week range: Scar massage is very important! I have trouble laying on my side because there are little rocks inside my hip. That's scar tissue build up, and I'm struggling to break it down. The trip from crutches to walking goes very fast once you can be weight bearing. Don't overdo it, or the crutches will be back. Try to go back to work part-time to start. Sitting is just too hard. Pull buoys are the best things ever. Get a disabled sticker for your car, if you can - it's great to park closer to the door at big stores, and it's really great for those who live or work in a metro area.
*Normal is a state of mind. There are still things I can't do, and I'm sucking air and gasping in pain more often than I used to. That's because I'm doing more. It will go away eventually, and then I'll be back to "true" normal. But, boy, this feels great!
Friday was a little better, so I enjoyed the day a bit more. And, on Saturday, I was reminded once again that I was a work in progress and not a fully recovered being. Out came the crutches so I could actually do more than lay in bed all day. After a day on the crutches, I felt much better, and then it was time to go home. This time, I actually helped drive! Through bad storms that turned out to be thinly veiled tornado threats, and possibly the real deal (found out when we got home). I've seen strong winds and driving rain before, but I've never quite seen such strong winds changing directions so often and truly sideways rain. I was scared, but didn't stop - what was I going to do? Run away from a tornado? Eventually, we got out of it and enjoyed the rest of the trip home. I drove for a total of 1.5 hours. Woo hoo!
The next day, I was back at work. Full-time, with allowances for doctor's appointments and physical therapy. I made it, but it was rough. By Tuesday evening, I was thoroughly exhausted and slept 12 hours. Oops. Sorry, boss! So I missed Wednesday, but went right back Thursday, just in time for a long weekend.
While all this is going on, my therapy has changed a bit to introduce some fun exercises, like deadlifts (which I call T-stances, because you're not really lifting anything). They really work your core! Also added sideways walking on the treadmill at 1.3 mph. For the first time, I started to feel like I was getting back to normal. The stretches for the sciatica worked wonders, and now that only flares up once in a great while.
Fourth of July weekend brought some challenges, but I opted out of most of them and decided to rest instead. Sunday was the only active day (outside of daily PT). We went to a party and decided I could try my hand at playing catch and frisbee. I caught things that were within one step of me and in front. No twisting, and no running! After 15 minutes, I was toast and laid down with three ice packs.
Then yesterday, my world opened up, and I declare normalcy*!! Sam, my ever-enabling therapist, changed everything up on me. I can now swim without the pull buoy (no frog kicking!), increase resistance on my bike as needed, and do up to 20 minutes a day on the elliptical. I can also begin distance walking, up to a mile, with a goal of building up to 3.5 mph. On top of all of this, I have real training exercises - walking lunges, squats, weighted side-stepping, torso twists, deep core exercises, and leg exercises on weight machines. Life is good.
Notes for the 5-7 week range: Scar massage is very important! I have trouble laying on my side because there are little rocks inside my hip. That's scar tissue build up, and I'm struggling to break it down. The trip from crutches to walking goes very fast once you can be weight bearing. Don't overdo it, or the crutches will be back. Try to go back to work part-time to start. Sitting is just too hard. Pull buoys are the best things ever. Get a disabled sticker for your car, if you can - it's great to park closer to the door at big stores, and it's really great for those who live or work in a metro area.
*Normal is a state of mind. There are still things I can't do, and I'm sucking air and gasping in pain more often than I used to. That's because I'm doing more. It will go away eventually, and then I'll be back to "true" normal. But, boy, this feels great!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Sciatica...bummer
Well, Sam ran me through some diagnostics after I told him my hip has been hurting and my butt has been burning. His prognosis: early signs of sciatica. The solution: more time laying down with ice, and gentle stretching. The stretching is new, so that's exciting - plus it feels sooo good! The laying down with ice is not new, so I'm a little bummed about that. It also stalls my progress towards being able to work an entire day (which, admittedly, I'm not too upset about). Turns out I was sitting too much. For reference, I had been sitting about 4 hours a day for work, then 30 minutes on the bike, various time in the car, and a couple hours of random sitting, including meals. Probably 7-8 hours per day in total. Butt time sure adds up fast!! ;-)
Tomorrow hubby and I head out for a road trip we'd been planning since January. We prepaid for everything, so we're going. It should be interesting - at least my seat reclines in the car, so I can alternate between sitting and laying down during drive times. The hotel has a fitness center and a lap pool, so I can do all of my therapy. I can't wait to leave this house! I hope it all works out well.
Tomorrow hubby and I head out for a road trip we'd been planning since January. We prepaid for everything, so we're going. It should be interesting - at least my seat reclines in the car, so I can alternate between sitting and laying down during drive times. The hotel has a fitness center and a lap pool, so I can do all of my therapy. I can't wait to leave this house! I hope it all works out well.
Monday, June 21, 2010
I Can Walk!! (a.k.a., Man, my butt is HOT!!)
Well, I fell behind again, after working so hard to get caught up on my progress. I just got so excited last Wednesday when I was given clearance to walk AND drive! My days quickly filled up with all the things that had been neglected while I was busy laying down and not walking.
So, last Wednesday I met with Sam, who had put me on one crutch the Monday before. He took my one crutch from me and asked me if I wanted it back. I didn't play along, and told him he could keep it. I'm no fun, I know. ;-)
I walked around the gym for a few minutes, and then Sam introduced me to a whole new set of rehab exercises. No more isometrics!!! Woo hoo! I was so tired of counting to ten 360 times a day. We kept the squats, internal/external rotations, leg lifts, quadruped rocking and external leg fall-outs. And we added:
1. weighted leg extensions
2. weighted hamstring curls
3. toe tap-ups (marching in place and tapping each foot on a step)
4. step downs ("bad" leg on step, good leg steps up and down)
5. hip hiking (kinda like belly dancing without the forward rotation)
6. "marching" while laying down (lay on back with bent legs, then contract abs and "march" in place)
7. clamshells
8. aqua walking - normal walking in chest-high water
I also only have to do one session a day, instead of 2-3 each day. That is good, because this all takes about an hour, not including bike and commute to the pool time.
I was so excited that as soon as I got home, I started to clean the house. Nothing major, just walking a glass from the family room to the kitchen, and wiping dust off a tabletop. Nice, easy, movement. That night, I slept for 10 hours. The next day, I did what I could to help my dear husband out around the house. I also focused on improving my sitting times, in preparation for my return to work. I can sit for 1-2 hours at a stretch, but then I have to ice my hip. That should make a 9-hour workday pretty tough. Hoping it gets better! We went out to dinner, which was nice, but the chairs were too uncomfortable to stay long.
Friday brought a bizarre household accident. I was heating up my lunch in the microwave, and when I hit the start button, the cabinet below the microwave opened up and spilled its contents all over the floor. Said contents were serving bowls and platters in a variety of materials. We had two casualties (one a favorite serving dish, the other a 10-pound ceramic chip bowl). The 10-pound bowl landed on my foot, causing lots of pain and cursing. Luckily(?), it was my right foot, which meant I was good if I had to go back on crutches. Life is so fun! After rest, ice, and elevation, I developed a nice knot on the top of my foot that made wearing shoes difficult.
Saturday I went with my husband to run errands and see how long I could last out and about - I drove! I made it 3.5 hours before the couch beckoned. Later that night, we went out for dinner, and about halfway through, my butt starting burning. Just a little at first, then it got really hot. Then a line of fire started going down my hamstring. I have no idea what caused it, but my skin was on fire, too. We left and went home to ice down.
Yesterday was Father's Day. In the morning, we went over to my husband's parent's house and made them breakfast. Then I iced. We then went downtown to a lakefront art festival and walked around for a few hours with my parents. I had to sit a few times, but it all seemed to go ok. At dinner, though, that burning started again. I had no choice but to put up with it, and it eventually passed. I iced as soon as I could, and slept 11 hours last night. Anyone else experience a hot butt and excessive sleeping after they started walking?
I have a session with Sam tonight, so I'll ask him about it. And we'll see if I get any more exercises to get me back in running order!
So, last Wednesday I met with Sam, who had put me on one crutch the Monday before. He took my one crutch from me and asked me if I wanted it back. I didn't play along, and told him he could keep it. I'm no fun, I know. ;-)
I walked around the gym for a few minutes, and then Sam introduced me to a whole new set of rehab exercises. No more isometrics!!! Woo hoo! I was so tired of counting to ten 360 times a day. We kept the squats, internal/external rotations, leg lifts, quadruped rocking and external leg fall-outs. And we added:
1. weighted leg extensions
2. weighted hamstring curls
3. toe tap-ups (marching in place and tapping each foot on a step)
4. step downs ("bad" leg on step, good leg steps up and down)
5. hip hiking (kinda like belly dancing without the forward rotation)
6. "marching" while laying down (lay on back with bent legs, then contract abs and "march" in place)
7. clamshells
8. aqua walking - normal walking in chest-high water
I also only have to do one session a day, instead of 2-3 each day. That is good, because this all takes about an hour, not including bike and commute to the pool time.
I was so excited that as soon as I got home, I started to clean the house. Nothing major, just walking a glass from the family room to the kitchen, and wiping dust off a tabletop. Nice, easy, movement. That night, I slept for 10 hours. The next day, I did what I could to help my dear husband out around the house. I also focused on improving my sitting times, in preparation for my return to work. I can sit for 1-2 hours at a stretch, but then I have to ice my hip. That should make a 9-hour workday pretty tough. Hoping it gets better! We went out to dinner, which was nice, but the chairs were too uncomfortable to stay long.
Friday brought a bizarre household accident. I was heating up my lunch in the microwave, and when I hit the start button, the cabinet below the microwave opened up and spilled its contents all over the floor. Said contents were serving bowls and platters in a variety of materials. We had two casualties (one a favorite serving dish, the other a 10-pound ceramic chip bowl). The 10-pound bowl landed on my foot, causing lots of pain and cursing. Luckily(?), it was my right foot, which meant I was good if I had to go back on crutches. Life is so fun! After rest, ice, and elevation, I developed a nice knot on the top of my foot that made wearing shoes difficult.
Saturday I went with my husband to run errands and see how long I could last out and about - I drove! I made it 3.5 hours before the couch beckoned. Later that night, we went out for dinner, and about halfway through, my butt starting burning. Just a little at first, then it got really hot. Then a line of fire started going down my hamstring. I have no idea what caused it, but my skin was on fire, too. We left and went home to ice down.
Yesterday was Father's Day. In the morning, we went over to my husband's parent's house and made them breakfast. Then I iced. We then went downtown to a lakefront art festival and walked around for a few hours with my parents. I had to sit a few times, but it all seemed to go ok. At dinner, though, that burning started again. I had no choice but to put up with it, and it eventually passed. I iced as soon as I could, and slept 11 hours last night. Anyone else experience a hot butt and excessive sleeping after they started walking?
I have a session with Sam tonight, so I'll ask him about it. And we'll see if I get any more exercises to get me back in running order!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Week 3-4
Now we're getting somewhere! On my 4th rehab appointment with Sam, we started doing some weight-bearing exercises. He laid a scale down on the floor next to a phone book. I hopped up on the scale for my baseline weight (it was not a pleasant number, but I'm grateful I haven't gained any more weight since the surgery). Then I stepped onto the phone book with my good leg, leaving my surgery leg on the scale, standing "normally." Sam had me calculate the % weight I was putting on my surgery leg (25%). Then he told me to increase it to 50%. Seriously, I wasn't expecting a math quiz, and it's really early in the morning! But I manage to divide my actual weight by 2 (hey, I figured out 25% easily enough), and start to lean. And lean. And lean some more. I tell Sam I can't possibly reach 50% without falling over, since I'm leaning so far to the right. He just laughed and said I still had a little bit to go before I was simply standing straight up. Wow! My equilibrium is toast.
Once I figure out 50%, we go to 60% (more math!), and then back to 50% for exercises. I now get to add:
1. Mini-squats - same as a regular squat, but not as far down. Full weight-bearing!
2. Calf raises - also full weight-bearing
3. Standing internal/external rotation
4. One more isometric - quad lifting
Sam decides to check and see if I am ready to start driving yet. For this, he places a pen on the ground, just inside my right foot. He instructs me to pick my leg up and place my foot on the other side of the pen, just like moving from the gas pedal to the brake. As has happened so many times before, I will my leg to move and it just sits there. I stare dumbly at my foot, wondering why it won't respond. I stare harder. It twitched. Yay! But the pen has defeated me, and I have one more week to wait before I can try the driving test again. I'd say I'm disappointed, but if I knew there was a driver on the road who couldn't make her leg move just by thinking "hey, leg - move!," I certainly wouldn't want to be on the road with her. I'm content to wait.
I also switch to 2 appointments per week, so now I'm seeing Sam on Mondays and Wednesdays. My first Monday falls within Week 3-4, so I focus on really nailing my new exercises so I can pass the pen test.
The standing leg rotations are done with my good leg on the floor, and my "bad" leg bent at 90% from the knee, with my knee on a stool. These are killing my kneecap. All of a suddon, the squats hurt my knee, as do the leg extensions. Really sharp pain, just under my kneecap. I mention this to Sam on my Monday appointment, and he looks concerned. But as my appointment went on, we started to see a trend - the pain intensified when I put pressure on my right knee. We decided I would either skip the leg rotations or add additional cushioning to see if it was just my weight on my kneecap that was causing the problem.
Also on Monday, I am happy to report that I was given authorization to toss one crutch out the window. I can now mobilize about my house with a free hand! This is an amazing accomplishment, and I spend Monday evening, all day Tuesday, and most of today moving things from one place to another, just because I can.
Sam wants me to build up to 45 minutes on the bike. I can do that by doing 4 10-minute sessions, and running them all together, or just continue adding time onto a single session until I hit 45 minutes. I opt for a combination, and am doing 2 bike sessions per day, adding time until I hit 22.5 minutes each. I'm up to 16 minutes each, and then I can feel my tendon start to twang. Have I mentioned how much I love my Game Ready ice machine? I extended my rental another month because it is so wonderful to just wrap that cuff around my hip and have the ice water course around the entire area. It just feels so good, and no fussing with towels and melty ice packs. Plus it calms twangy tendons down in a hurry! If you can get one of these, I highly recommend it.
My next rehab appointment is today at 5:30. I bet I pass the pen test today. Pedestrians, beware!
Once I figure out 50%, we go to 60% (more math!), and then back to 50% for exercises. I now get to add:
1. Mini-squats - same as a regular squat, but not as far down. Full weight-bearing!
2. Calf raises - also full weight-bearing
3. Standing internal/external rotation
4. One more isometric - quad lifting
Sam decides to check and see if I am ready to start driving yet. For this, he places a pen on the ground, just inside my right foot. He instructs me to pick my leg up and place my foot on the other side of the pen, just like moving from the gas pedal to the brake. As has happened so many times before, I will my leg to move and it just sits there. I stare dumbly at my foot, wondering why it won't respond. I stare harder. It twitched. Yay! But the pen has defeated me, and I have one more week to wait before I can try the driving test again. I'd say I'm disappointed, but if I knew there was a driver on the road who couldn't make her leg move just by thinking "hey, leg - move!," I certainly wouldn't want to be on the road with her. I'm content to wait.
I also switch to 2 appointments per week, so now I'm seeing Sam on Mondays and Wednesdays. My first Monday falls within Week 3-4, so I focus on really nailing my new exercises so I can pass the pen test.
The standing leg rotations are done with my good leg on the floor, and my "bad" leg bent at 90% from the knee, with my knee on a stool. These are killing my kneecap. All of a suddon, the squats hurt my knee, as do the leg extensions. Really sharp pain, just under my kneecap. I mention this to Sam on my Monday appointment, and he looks concerned. But as my appointment went on, we started to see a trend - the pain intensified when I put pressure on my right knee. We decided I would either skip the leg rotations or add additional cushioning to see if it was just my weight on my kneecap that was causing the problem.
Also on Monday, I am happy to report that I was given authorization to toss one crutch out the window. I can now mobilize about my house with a free hand! This is an amazing accomplishment, and I spend Monday evening, all day Tuesday, and most of today moving things from one place to another, just because I can.
Sam wants me to build up to 45 minutes on the bike. I can do that by doing 4 10-minute sessions, and running them all together, or just continue adding time onto a single session until I hit 45 minutes. I opt for a combination, and am doing 2 bike sessions per day, adding time until I hit 22.5 minutes each. I'm up to 16 minutes each, and then I can feel my tendon start to twang. Have I mentioned how much I love my Game Ready ice machine? I extended my rental another month because it is so wonderful to just wrap that cuff around my hip and have the ice water course around the entire area. It just feels so good, and no fussing with towels and melty ice packs. Plus it calms twangy tendons down in a hurry! If you can get one of these, I highly recommend it.
My next rehab appointment is today at 5:30. I bet I pass the pen test today. Pedestrians, beware!
Week 2-3
I'm on my own this week. The parade of visitors, helpers, and well-wishers has finally ended, and it's just me, my books, and my cats. I started working from home part-time, which has been difficult. I hate to admit it, but the thought of going back to work just drains all my energy. The work itself is pretty easy - since I'm not in the office, people don't really know I'm back, so they leave me alone. I'm using the time to get caught up on the backlog of email that came about during last year's project from hell.
From a recovery standpoint, I'm doing well. Still no pain, and the stitches have finally come out. The redness was definitely due to the tape - once I took the tape off and left the incision sites open to the air, things started to calm down quickly.
Time for my third rehab appointment! Sam told me not to get too excited, because even though it's been 3 weeks since my surgery, and the protocol has me doing more weight bearing in week 3, from a rehab perspective, I'm just coming into week 2. What? I really don't get this new-fangled counting scheme. Anyhoo, I get some new exercises.
I can now bike 20 minutes a day, broken into 2 pieces. Woo hoo! Also, I get to remove internal leg rotations on the bed and replace them with standing internal leg rotations. Also added:
1. External leg fall-outs - essentially just letting my operated leg fall outward (controlled falling, anyway) to the point where the hip brace stops it.
2. Quadruped rocking - this one is both fun and embarassing! I get on all fours, and just slowly move back and forth, stick my rear end back as far as I can. Fun because it's a different kind of movement and I'm not laying on my back, and embarassing, because I can only think of one activity that uses this type of movement. (!)
But regardless, things are going well, with one exception. I was given some leg lifts to do while lying on my stomach, but they produced a kind of twangy sensation that left me a bit more nauseous with every rep. Dr. Birmingham told me to knock those off immediately, as that sensation could indicate tendonitis was getting ready to kick in.
I'm able to do more things around the house now, like run into chairs with my hip brace and knock things onto the floor with my crutches. I know how much my husband appreciates the extra work I'm creating for him as I assert my independence. But I seriously can't take much more of this sitting around. My leg wants to walk - it keeps doing it all by itself, with no prodding from me.
From a recovery standpoint, I'm doing well. Still no pain, and the stitches have finally come out. The redness was definitely due to the tape - once I took the tape off and left the incision sites open to the air, things started to calm down quickly.
Time for my third rehab appointment! Sam told me not to get too excited, because even though it's been 3 weeks since my surgery, and the protocol has me doing more weight bearing in week 3, from a rehab perspective, I'm just coming into week 2. What? I really don't get this new-fangled counting scheme. Anyhoo, I get some new exercises.
I can now bike 20 minutes a day, broken into 2 pieces. Woo hoo! Also, I get to remove internal leg rotations on the bed and replace them with standing internal leg rotations. Also added:
1. External leg fall-outs - essentially just letting my operated leg fall outward (controlled falling, anyway) to the point where the hip brace stops it.
2. Quadruped rocking - this one is both fun and embarassing! I get on all fours, and just slowly move back and forth, stick my rear end back as far as I can. Fun because it's a different kind of movement and I'm not laying on my back, and embarassing, because I can only think of one activity that uses this type of movement. (!)
But regardless, things are going well, with one exception. I was given some leg lifts to do while lying on my stomach, but they produced a kind of twangy sensation that left me a bit more nauseous with every rep. Dr. Birmingham told me to knock those off immediately, as that sensation could indicate tendonitis was getting ready to kick in.
I'm able to do more things around the house now, like run into chairs with my hip brace and knock things onto the floor with my crutches. I know how much my husband appreciates the extra work I'm creating for him as I assert my independence. But I seriously can't take much more of this sitting around. My leg wants to walk - it keeps doing it all by itself, with no prodding from me.
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