Hi All,
It is has been way too long since my last post. Please accept my apologies for today’s long one.
I am now at 16 weeks post surgery and it has not been easy. At ten weeks my mind started going faster than my body is capable of. The frustration is real. The depression ebbs and flows.
After getting over the sedentary stage of waiting for the cement to cur and the hamstrings to take hold of the anchors then the realization of your limitations set in. Hang in there, the freedom of having your arms back and the weight of the brace off your leg is a fantastic feeling. Using a heating pad at night is relaxing and seemed to take away the incision pain long enough for me to fall asleep.
Stairs and getting in and out of a chair, the car etc.. is not any easy process. I still scrape my incision getting out of the car. My incision is still tender to the touch and sitting for long periods of time is uncomfortable. The nerves at the back of my legs go from itching to feeling like that they have been slapped or ai fell on ice. Sometimes both sensations occur at the same time.
Last week was the first week that I could pick something off the floor with both legs on the ground. It is an awkward position but I can do it. Waiting for my husband to hold the dust pan is really a pain.
PT has been tough these past two weeks. I added bending at the waist, deeper squats, weighted ankle lifts, bridging at different leg widths, box steps, leg presses, one legged bends to the beginning exercises. My PT thinks I could do floor exercises now. I am not sure that I have the mechanics or mental capability to get on the floor. Last time I was on the floor, I was in a fetal position, trying to figure out what had just happened and how injured I really was.
This is the first day that I feel like the muscle is starting to get stronger. I can feel that familiar muscle strain from working out. That actually makes me excited and motivated to do the exercises.
I have been walking almost every day and feel that I am getting faster. I am now at a 20 mile per hour pace. I am not ready for steep hills or long hike, yet enjoying the fresh air.
I made my first trip to the Y since mid June this week. I used the exercise bike on zero tension for 15 minutes, did some arm exercise and then used their table to do my PT exercises. I must confess, it did feel good to go and see familiar faces. I did go into the locker room but not on the pool deck. I hope I can get back to lap swimming after my November appointment with the surgeon. I know my lap swimming mentality would not stick with shallow water walking, even though it would be good for me.
I was not afraid of too many things before my injury and now I look for slipping hazards and other risks a lot more than I want to. I do not like this way of thinking and hope as time goes that will fade.
For those of you who believe in energy work, I recommend a sound bath. I participated in a gong sound bath on Sunday and walked away pain free for a few hours. It was fabulous to cleanse my soul of all the negative energy that this recovery has brought me. It gave me the strength to go back to the gym.
Please keep posting. The support from everyone is important and keep sharing your ideas for coping.