Days 13 & 14

Well, Sara was back off to work.  Which means I am left to my own devices.  Wednesday I basically turned into a vegetable.  I think I put so much effort into hanging out with the kids that I was worn out.  I basically sat on the couch and zoned out all day.  There was an NCIS marathon on I think, as I went in and out of sleep most of the day, with the exception of doing my exercises.  Overall, noneventful. 

Thursday, two weeks post op and finally able to put some weight on my leg.  Standard is 20% of your weight, but I began to think, and what is 20%?  I mean, I've spent my entire life walking around with 100% of my weight on my legs, so how do I figure out what 20% is?  And yes, the obvious answer is a scale, but we don't own one, yet, so I was winging it.  I'm not sure if anyone had the same experience as me, but it certainly was an unusual feeling placing my foot down and rolling through a gait cycle, even though it only had been 2 weeks since I used it.  I was apprenshive and also wobbly even with the little weight I was putting on it, but hey, it was a milestone reached and I was happy to see progress.

I had my secont PT appointment with Charlie.  He said my range of motion had improved since my first appointment, so I guess I am heading in the right direction.  The goal is to be at 100% range of motion by week 4.  Me being the typical competitive athlete asked how I was doing compared to others who had gone through this surgery and compared to protocol and he told me I was doing well.  I was able to get on the recumbent bike and do some light pedaling for 10 minutes.  Let me tell you, it felt AWESOME to be doing something other than passive movement exercises.  He added two more exercises to my three times a day routine and told me I could start cycling at home on a trainer with no resistance.  Let me tell you, the feeling of "moving forward" in recovery does wonders for your psyche.

Once the help, Sara, and the kids were gone, the days grew long.  Definitely time to find something to occupy my time!

• Prepare for alone time -not only do you need to find things to keep you occupied, but you have to think ahead and consider what you will need to have access to throughout the day.  Have TV trays set up in the area of where you plan to spend your time so that you can have a place to put things.  Consider having lunches already made or plan on making simple lunches like PB&Js.  Have magazines, books, movies, etc. set up and readily available to pass the time.
• Exercise -I know I'm beating a dead horse here, and it may seem obvious, but it is key to recovery.  Do your exercises and you will be less likely to be down as long.  However, do not overdo it...do what has been prescribed for  you and stick to it, nothing more, nothing less.