Wow.......So I cant believe I have survived 2 weeks since surgery. Honestly, its been a couple rough weeks but I definitely feel Im on the upswing! :)
I had my first post op appointment where they removed about 25-30 stitches. It was a little traumatic but I was really happy to see they used the incision scar from my ACL surgery a couple years ago. This means I have only 1 gigantic scar down the front of my knee. They also told me that I had 4 defects, not the 2 they saw previously on the MRI's. They used all of the cells that had been sent and also took this opportunity to realign my knee cap and cleaned up the remaining pieces of cartilage that were still causing damage under there. I love my doctor by the way and as I was waking up from surgery said something along the lines of my knee isnt looking too young anymore. Oh well, as long as I can get back to walking and riding my bike (like I used to) I'll think Im doing pretty good. The doctor also told me I can touch my toe down (25%) to stabilize if I need to. My next appointment is in 2 weeks. At that point they'll release some of the angle on my brace and said I should be able to put my foot down about 50%. This would continue every 2 weeks until I am walking with crutches, then I will start physical therapy. The removal of the stitches allows me to shower (by myself) without my husband sitting outside the shower holding my braced leg straight out so it doesnt get wet......a little uncomfortable for all of us! The showers have made me feel much better and Im starting to get around the house better too. Im looking forward to the next appointment because I think I'll be able to drive after that.
Im still on the CPM machine and currently at 75% increasing 5% a day. I had quite a bit of trouble yesterday around the 70% mark and had to back it down quite a few times. Today, I was concerned moving towards 75% but the stretch happened pretty quickly and I didnt have as much trouble as I thought I would. I am definitely concerned with the amount of muscle mass Ive already lost in my leg; in my hamstring, quad, and calf. When the time comes, Im afraid walking is going to be pretty tough.
Overall, a pretty good week!
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