December 26, 2007

Part III of ACL Surgery: First Shower and Weaning off the Pain Meds

Thursday (Three days Post-Op)

I was allowed to shower today. I just had to make sure not to let the water hit my knee directly, but it was o.k. if I got the stitches wet. With Lil C sleeping in like a teenager, my Mom helped me get up and get a shower. Without the brace on my leg, it felt awful. It also seemed to be a bit more swollen today. While my thigh already appeared to be wasting away, my knee looked so strange and big in comparison. Showering was absolute agony, but it felt so good to get really clean. My Mom stood right by the shower because I felt so unstable. Getting out of the shower was the hardest part. I never could have done it alone. Thank God for awesome Mom’s.

When I got out, I started seeing spots again and had to sit down. The shower felt good, but was so stressful and uncomfortable. Mr. BBM is going to have to rig up something a little easier for me. After icing my knee down, I went through the first round of exercises that I must do every day, three times a day. I was able to complete:

20 ankle pumps (to help get the fluids moving out of my knee)
20 ankle rotations in each direction to help with ROM and swelling
3 sets of 10 leg lifts (My PT said I may need help the first few days doing these, but I did them on my own with no problem.)
10 gentle bending stretching sitting on the edge of the bed. My Mom said it looked like I was to about 70-75 degrees which is just awesome for three days post-op.
10 quad sets. Today I was actually able to see my knee cap move a bit when I flexed my muscles. That’s improvement from yesterday.

I’m still in bed, making sure to elevate my leg and ice it often. There is definitely throbbing in my knee and the lowest incision is sore (the brace makes contact with it and that hurts), but I’m improving already.

Friday (Four Days Post-Op)

Mr. BBM forgot to set the alarm and wake me up for pain meds. That was a mistake. I got them two hours late and I paid for it. I’m so sore. Getting up this morning was rough. My leg started throbbing as soon as I lowered it down to crutch it into the bathroom. I couldn’t wait to get back in bed. I took my brace off and saw lumps on my legs from the swelling that accumulated in between the brace brackets. Need ice and more elevation now. I wanted to feel even better today. I’m a bit discouraged.

I spoke with my PT on the phone today. He told me to loosen up my brace over my painful incision and to keep my brace loose at night so as to eliminate the fluid pooling in my leg. It was a weepy day today. The pain meds are making me a bit nauseous, so I’ve been trying to cut back. Cutting back has been a bad idea. I think it’s just too early.

My incisions feel fine except for the lowest one. It’s the biggest one and unlike the other, has steri-strips over top of the stitches. I think this is where the drain was which would explain why it’s extra sore and a bit messy looking. I made it through my exercises today with a bit more pain than yesterday and am so thankful for a good friend who sent me a gift of candy cane peppermint tea which has done wonders for the nausea.

Tomorrow night is our family Christmas party at my Mom’s house. I’m going to try to go but am very nervous about the process of getting there and staying comfortable. I’ve been assured I can disappear to a bedroom for a rest if I need it. I’ve been requiring regular naps this week. I think I’m still catching up from all the lost sleep pre and immediately after surgery. Plus, this recovery is as emotionally exhausting as it is physically. I’m looking forward to hitting the one week mark, which I hope will bring greater relief.

I enjoyed a pre-med late night snack of peppermint tea (Thanks TKDDaughter) and English Fairings (Thanks TSDAdam). That was a nice way to end an otherwise uneventful day.

Saturday (Five Days Post-Op)

Despite a healthy dose yesterday of both prune juice and blueberry smoothie with more fiber than a cardboard box, still nothing. The Vicodin and Percoset need to go. As of this morning, I have switched to ibuprofen alone and am hoping that will do the trick. I’m nervous that it won’t but something has got to give here. (I know this is more than you ever wanted to know, but there’s not a whole lot to write about when you’re lying on your back non-stop.)

I woke up this morning without having had pain meds for several hours and getting out of bed was quite an experience. Once my leg is off the bed, the throbbing starts and I start feeling dizzy. I did manage to crutch it around my bedroom a bit and was able to put a bit more weight on my leg today. It doesn’t feel as awful as it did mid-week.

Mr. BBM is currently setting up a plastic chair in the shower and I’m hoping that today’s shower goes more smoothly. I can’t tell you how much I just want to feel normal again.

This morning’s first round of exercises brought a flexion that is knocking at the 90 degree mark. I am almost there. If it wasn’t for the throbbing pain when my leg is hanging off the bed, I think I’d be there. I want to hit that 90 degrees within the next day or two so that it’s easy by the time I see my PT again on Wednesday. It’s funny how much I want to make him happy and proud of me. I think it’s been particularly beneficial that I did a month of physical therapy first. We’ve developed a good rapport. I feel like he really wants to see me succeed and knows how to get me where I want to be.

Everyone kept telling me this was going to be a long road. It really hits you just how long after you have the surgery. Before it’s like "Yeah, yeah, long road, six months, o.k." and after it’s like "They really weren’t kidding when they said it was going to be a long road." You take extreme pleasure at an extra 5 degrees flexion and any decrease in pain is such a welcome sign of recovery that you’re ready to leap for joy. Of course you can’t leap for joy, but you do mentally. I thought that by today, I’d be getting around my house better, but it’s just not happening yet. My bedroom and I are really bonding.

I got a card in the mail today that said something about how I’ll have that black belt before I know it. I sobbed. I can’t even think about it right now because it just seems so far away. It’s not even the belt, just going back to karate in general is going to take so long and be such a mental challenge. I don’t ever want to go through this again, so I’m going to have to be so careful. I think it’s going to be just as hard mentally to go back as it will be physically to get ready.

As a woman, this surgery is also quite a blow to your wardrobe. There is nothing suitable to wear to this party tonight. I very well may end up going in a pair of my husband’s over-sized scrub pants and a sweatshirt. Oh well, they’re lucky I’m even attempting to show up.

I made it through my shower with a plastic squishy lawn chair in the shower and a card table chair outside the shower to allow me to keep my leg up. Mr. BBM had to keep repositioning the shower stream so I didn’t drown. I told him to stay near since I needed him to hand everything to me and be there in case I didn’t feel so great.

As he stood there in the bathroom, keeping an eye on me through the curtain, I started laughing. I’m sure the image of helping your wife shower is so much better in the head than in real life. Here I am, seemingly an 80-year old invalid with a mishapen leg, trying to figure out how to scrub her butt in a lawn chair. I just had no idea it was going to be like this. I don’t think Mr. BBM did either. I have no idea how people do this who don’t have good help. It would be pretty much impossible.

Post shower, I was able to sit up, dry my hair in a chair and GASP! put on make-up. I feel like a human being again and I’m getting around a bit better. I seem to have kicked the heavy pain meds too, as ibupofen seems to be doing the job as long as I’m not looking for complete relief. What is complete relief anyway after this surgery? I can’t wait to find out.

I made it to the Christmas party after remembering a pair of black capri cords I got last year for Christmas that I never wore because I didn’t have the right shoes to wear. I wore my brace over top and it was uncomfortable, but better than showing up in scrubs. I parked myself in a recliner chair with pillows and a rolled up towel for the entire night, minus two trips to the bathroom. It went fine, but I watched that clock like a hawk to make sure I got my ibuprofen on time. I really needed it. My sister’s boyfriend also bumped my foot twice and that made me yell out loud. I made Mr. BBM stand guard at my foot for a little while afterward. I had a couple relatives come over and joke with me, pretending to slam their hand down on my knee. I laughed nervously, and told them I still had one leg and two arms that work properly.

I’ll spare you the details on the "main event" of the night, but I will say this: a Christmas "miracle" occurred (Thank you BobSpar for the prune juice advice). I’m feeling much better in that department. I know that’s a lot of information for the random internet readers; but failing to mention that as an issue after this surgery would be just plain dishonest.

My knee is rebelling against the no vicodin/percoset evening and is pulsing with pain. I’m countering with ice and hoping for the best.

Sunday (Six Days Post-Op)

Last night was a very rough night. I could not get comfortable and did not sleep very well. I also went pretty much the entire night until around 5:30 a.m. with no pain meds at all. I guess that explains the pain. It’s not awful as long as I stay horizontal and keep my leg elevated; but when I’m up and about, I can’t wait to sit back down.

I seem to be stuck in the second plateau here. The first days are the worst by far and now I seem to be stuck in the "it’s not terrible but it’s still not great" phase. I can’t wait until this phase passes and I can be a bit more active. Maybe by Christmas? I don’t want to be miserable all day on Christmas. The one incision is just so sore. The other three don’t seem to be bothering me at all. I can’t wait to get these steri-strips and stitches off and out. I think that will make a big difference. Here’s hoping anyway.

I got a call from the hospital today. An RN called and was checking on my progress and to see how I’m feeling. She also inquired about my stay. I told her the truth, that I had some great RN’s, LPN’s, CNA’s, etc. but that I had two experiences with RN’s that were just awful. I told her in detail about them and she seemed very sympathetic. She said that’s why they make these calls, so they can improve. She offered to let me talk to her manager, but I opted for a name and address instead since I want to write it down, and make sure I have it all. When she gave me the name of the nurse manager, I almost died. I’m hoping that this person is not the same person as the nurse I had the first night. I asked the RN on the phone about it. It’s a possibility. I told her that my biggest complaint was actually against her and asked for her supervisor’s name. She gave me a name and an address. Now I just need to write it up.

I think I’d like to volunteer at the hospital as an advocate for orthopedic patients. Seems to be like there is definitely a need as my experience can’t be the only one like that.

I feel asleep watching "The Bruce Lee Story" tonight on TV. I recorded it on my DVR so that I’ll have it for discouraging days ahead.

Monday (Seven Days Post-Op)

One week post-op and I’m not where I want to be at all. My Mom says I’m expecting too much. I have screws in my legs and that’s going to take some time to feel better. I tried to go without any pain meds today and that was a mistake. I was going to try to take a shower this morning but I couldn’t do it. I had to elevate my knee again. I took some ibuprofen and am going to attempt a shower a bit later.

This morning, I completed my first round of quad sets, stretches, leg lifts and knee bends. I was able to make my heel touch my bed skirt today. That’s 90 degrees. I would have been more excited if it hadn’t hurt so badly. I’m rewarding myself with some chocolate from Adam.

We had visitors from out of town so I made every attempt to be social. After a couple hours down on the couch, it was time for a break. I have my routine down in my bedroom and I’m just not as comfortable when I’m not there.

I was determined to feel the Christmas spirit. Feeling too miserable for church and terrified that I’d be bumped by someone, we skipped this year. It’s the first year I’ve missed Christmas Eve service in a long time. To make up for it, we spent the evening watching Christmas specials and movies on TV and sipping peppermint tea.

I discovered one perk to being out of commission. Mr. BBM had to bring up all the presents by himself. He also had to assemble a train table with over 64 bolts in it for Lil C. I’m glad he had some help from his Dad and his Dad’s fiance.

I’ve gone back to the heavier pain meds for night time. I just can’t make it through the night and/or get comfortable in order to fall asleep without one. I’m not taking the full dose, but it’s just enough to help me fall asleep and stay asleep. Sleeping with an immbolizer on is no treat. I currently have a set-up of about four pillows at various angles to help. It doesn’t help much.

I’m hoping for a Christmas miracle for tomorrow: no pain.

Tuesday (Eight Days Post-Op)

I was able to put on a mostly happy face today despite the continued discomfort. I’ve been corresponding with some fellow ACL reconstruction alumni and that has helped. It’s not just my Mom. I am expecting too much according to pretty much everyone who has gone through this. I’ve been told there’s a big difference after the two week mark, and that after three weeks I won’t be constantly reminded of the ordeal from the throbbing and burning. I’m really looking forward to that.

I’ve never been one to wish my life away, but this is an all out different scenario. If I could jump ahead to when my leg would feel better, I’d gladly do so. I want to feel better as soon as possible. Today I watched my kids playing with their new toys and jumped in with them as much as I could. Lil C was kind enough to bring her brand new Mickey Mouse Clubhouse over to the ottoman I was propping my leg on so that I could play with her a bit.

Everyone got me nice stretchy legged athletic clothing this year for Christmas. It was very thoughtful considering I was thinking I’d have to wear scrubs to PT again tomorrow. I may be hurting tomorrow, but I’ll be stylin’ too.

I hope all of you had a very Merry Christmas. The silver lining to mine? Mr. BBM is going to have to figure out where all the new things will go!