Mood: Mondo Cozmo “Shine”
Three+ Weeks Later…
The surgery took place the morning of March 4th. All went well and I was hoe that day, resting comfortably and blissfully unaware of the ‘fun’ that was on the horizon of the following day.
I was given a nerve block above and below the knee, along with the stronger pain meds administered through drip. These both wore off the following day, the 5th of March. Thus began the raw healing process that has continued on through the almost four weeks. That second day was the worst pain I have felt during the entire healing, and it was…something. Even the pain pills I was given did not even seem to take the edge off, and what sleep there was a kind of hazy delirium.
From then on, sleep has remained problematic, as I am always in some discomfort 24/7, though it certainly has lessened over the weeks.
Living With Discomfort As A ‘New Way of Life’
As the actual pain lessened over the weeks, there discomfort, as mentioned, has been present all day every day. Physical therapy really only seemed to increase the discomfort for a good while after each session, sometimes to almost unbearable proportions. Still, progress was made each visit, though it never seemed to…until the next session when the therapist would report on the progress, sometimes it felt good mentally, if not physically.
Even with the progress, felt even more so over this last week, the frustration that came with the incessant discomfort was difficult to deal with, especially at night when the restlessness would settle in, making me feel like I needed to do something, but not really able to do much. Hereon followed nights of restless sleep, sleep difficult to attain. The discomfort was the main cause, it being difficult to nod off with it, or then would awaken me when sleep was had.
This has lessened over the weeks, as well, but if I get 6 hours of actual sleep a night, it is a good night!
A Two-Week ‘Vacation’
With so much time off from work, I prepared ahead of time to have good stack of books to keep me occupied. I also had my iPad so I could get some writing done.
None of these things happened.
Concentration was non-existent during most of those two weeks; anything I read didn’t register and after trying a few times, the frustration was enough to just abandon the attempts. The iPad was more helpful in that I began to watch the run of all seasons of ‘Castle’ on Amazon Prime and also get into ‘Resident Alien’ on Netflix.
Back To…Normal?
After those two weeks, I really had no choice but to return to work. Having used up all allotted vacation pay and with an almost $7000 medical bill needed to be payed, it was a necessity. I really hadn’t thought ahead but quickly realized that only half-days would be possible for the time being. Even then, I still needed to figure out how to fit in all the at-home stretches and exercises would and must fit in. Still, two weeks or so on from returning to work, things have been alright, and this coming week I will begin seeing if I can manage full days a few times a week, anyway.
This last week, thank God, the physical therapy has been giving ‘better’ results as better range of motion and strength have seemed to break through a milestone and feeling that good advancement has done wonders for my mentality and well-being. Sleep isn’t great as of yet, but I am confident it will be better in a week or so.
Concentration is also getting better and my reading has increased…but I have a LOT to read, yet! 😁
A Progression In Pictures
Day One:
The day of surgery. My leg was cocooned in that black binder that kept the knee joint straight. It was removed the second day following the procedure. Underneath was a long, wide ace bandage that went from ankle to mid-thigh.
Day Three:
This is the day after both black isolation wrap and ace bandage were removed. Seems like such a ‘small’ incision for a full knee replacement! Maybe I’m just used to it, though… the lower leg is wrapped in a devise that inflates and deflates to mitigate the chances of blood clots.
Two weeks after surgery:
A X-ray of the new knee, this was the day the staples were removed from the incision at the two week doctor’s visit. Everything looked perfect, thankfully!
Today:
Literally taken the day this was posted, this is the present state of the knee, healing quite nicely, though there will be a permanent scar. I can live with that.
Those white strips were put o the day of the X-ray and will eventually fall away on their own. The whole leg is still swollen, but has been going down a bit over the last few days. In the next week or two, it will noticeably reduce and this is all normal for such a surgery.
Moving On…
All in all, the healing and such are going really well and although I am ready to be rid of the discomfort, it does get better each day. At this pain and tear almost 4 weeks, I am simply mightily impatient for it to be done with! I do not think that unreasonable. Soon enough, I will be able to take a stroll without discomfort or pain, and that is my main goal for the time being. Hikes and other activities to hopefully follow as further goals.
I am here for the rest of this journey and onwards!
