Good to hear from you! The first few nights I slept in a recliner with a blanket between my legs. At day 3, I moved to my bed and used a pillow between my knees. I am a side sleeper and was afraid to sleep on my brace side. The brace always felt heavier at night. I used the ice machine regularly for the first two weeks. After my two week check up, In decided to use a heating pad at night. The first four weeks, I took extra strength Tylenol every 6 hours to stay ahead of the pain.
Walking with two feet on the ground at 6 weeks with brace and crutches was wonderful. I did the “heel toe, heel toe, eyes 50 feet in front of you” mantra for a bit. While still crutches, I walked 10 mins one way and 10 mins back to where I started. That wore me out.
Last week, I walked gingerly and little unsteady.
I walked more over the weekend and my leg did fine. I felt it getting weaker if I went too long and made sure that I sat on ice pack when I got home. I have strict orders to not walk up any hills.
Stairs started once my brace was completely straight but not opened. I still go down and up them with one leg at a time.
My uninjured side is quite sore from compensating for the weakness of the injured leg.
Do not be hard on yourself, the pain is real. Someone drilled holes in your tushy and then tied your hamstrings to the screws, after your body had a traumatic event. If you can tolerate the pain pills, take them.