Another week gone by - time seems to be passing very quickly at the moment considering I don’t feel like I am actually doing a great deal!!
Knee update - range of movement is pretty good, I went to the physio yesterday and I am almost at 120 degrees which I’m pleased with after 4 weeks.
My walking is good and he has suggested I ditch the crutch completely - I am happy to do this for short walks but I would hate to walk into the village as I have been and feel like I cant face the walk back so I will take this easy at the moment. Another good thing about walking with a crutch is it‘s a good visual tool to show others why I am walking so slow!! I am toying with the idea of a walking stick though just to be different - could be a strong look…
The physio also got me trying to step up and down on stairs. After psyching myself up I managed to step up onto the step - it was mainly mind over matter as I had built up in my head that I wouldn’t be able to do it. Stepping down was a very different matter and I am not there yet mentally or physically. I shall concentrate on the going up for now and hopefully that will build up strength and confidence to help with eventually stepping down.
Pain update - Not a great deal of change in pain levels. I was kind of hoping that the pain would have started to decrease by now but that isn’t the case yet. Still having trouble sleeping through the night due to discomfort and there’s still pain and discomfort during and after exercising or walking. Still taking codeine tablets but reducing these to one in the morning and one at night so relying on paracetamol as the main painkiller. Codeine really makes me sleepy and I am thinking about going back into work in a couple of weeks so need to balance pain levels with the need to fall asleep during the day!!
Swelling update - The bruising down the leg and onto my foot has all but disappeared which I am relieved about as has the swelling in these areas but I still have a fair amount of swelling above the knee and on the left side of my knee (the un-operated side). This swelling is inhibiting movement so I am making a concerted effort to ice and elevate the knee to get this swelling down. I have to say that icing and elevating is something I am a bit lax at as I feel bad about lazing around - I know I shouldn’t as icing and elevation are really important but that’s just me!! I was also a bit concerned over the weekend that my knee was itchy with a slight rash. Having spoken to a GP and my consultant it was agreed that it is unlikely to be an infection in the knee joint itself and more likely to be skin irritation so fingers crossed it clears up soon.
Challenge TV update - Joe Pasquale once presented “The Price Is Right” and was really bad at it!!
This made me laugh out loud when you said the crutch was a good visual aid for people to let them know why you were walking so slow, what visual aid did you use before the op 🤣🤣🤣 also you don’t need to worry about falling asleep whilst at work, we all know you can sleep with your 👀 open in meetings 😁 good to hear the mobility is getting there, keep up the good work love ya Janet