Saturday, October 21, 2006
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Post-surgery
It's been a while, I know, since I last posted. To update, I had my right knee surgery on September 25. At first, the pain was pretty much nonexistent, that is until the nerve block wore off after a day or two and then it became rather unpleasant for a while.
Physical therapy began two days after surgery on Wednesday, September 27. At that first visit, they only had me do some work on quad sets (tensing and releasing the thigh muscle), along with some hamstring and calf stretches, straight leg lifts, and applied electrical stimulation to my quadriceps to help contract those muscles. The surgeon had called me that morning to see how I was doing and told me that the surgery had gone very well, so I was feeling pretty good about things - that is, until I got home from therapy and discovered that my body does not like narcotic pain medications. I spent the better part of Wednesday evening in the bathroom throwing up, which was less than pleasant to say the least. My doctor prescribed me an anti-nausea medicine to help control the vomiting which helped, but did tend to make me very sleepy.
Getting around the house those first few days was rather tricky. I'm not the most graceful person anyway, and using crutches with having to dodge the dogs and cat took some work! Once I was allowed to bathe, that was rather difficult as well, as was getting in and out of bed. I spent the better part of my days during the first week resting on the couch with an ice pack on my knee as per the surgeon's request.
One week after surgery, I had a postoperative appointment to have my sutures removed. Unfortunately, I was once again very sick with nausea and vomiting. So the physician's assistant recommended completely stopping the narcotics and seeing if I could tolerate the pain using only Tylenol or Advil. They also replaced the elastic bandage with a TED compression thigh-high stocking. These things are a nightmare! They are very snug to help reduce swelling (this particular surgery is associated with a lot of swelling which is what makes recovery so slow), and incredibly awkward to apply. This was soon replaced with my GenuTrain compression knee sleeve, which isn't very comfortable either, but I continue to wear it every day to help with the swelling. As it turns out, I did okay without the heavy-duty pain medications, having only minimal to moderate pain, but that was far better than the nausea and vomiting on the narcotics.
At two weeks, I saw the surgeon again and he said my knee actually looked very good and that things were coming along as expected. I had had some painful clicking and popping with flexion and extension, but he said that was normal and it would go away as the swelling gradually subsided over the next several weeks. He also said I could progress my activities as tolerated per the physical therapists, but cautioned me that my knee would continue to remain quite tender for at least another four to six weeks.
At two and a half weeks postoperatively, the therapists had put me on the stationary bike for the first time and what a humbling experience that was. It took me over ten minutes simply to get the pedals to turn over just one revolution and even then it was excruciatingly painful at the top of the stroke when my knee was flexed the most. I rode for four additional minutes after that, and it seemed like hours. I was crushed emotionally, having come from competitive endurance cycling to this - barely able to turn the pedals on a stationary bike at zero resistance. But I kept at it, even though I still can't use the right leg to push that pedal down first to get the bike started, and have to start with the left pedal for now.
They said I could ride my own road bike at home on my trainer, but for no more than ten minutes at a time. It sounded so pathetically short a time, until I got on the bike and found myself watching the second-hand of the clock tick off those slow and painful ten minutes. Now at three and a half weeks, I'm still restricted to ten minutes on the bike at a very slow pace, but it is gradually becoming easier.
I've had physical therapy twice every week since surgery, on Mondays and Thursdays. The therapists have gradually increased the intensity and quantity of my workouts, but it has been slow going. We're still using the electrical stimulation under a heating pad with the quad sets, and still doing hamstring and calf stretches, along with the indoor bike. They also have me doing an extension stretch with the exercise band, step-ups on the aerobic step, heel slides to increase flexion and straight leg lifts to help regain quad strength.
Today I additionally got to use the leg press and leg curl machines, using with both legs together. Granted it was at the lowest weight resistance, but I did it and it actually wasn't all that bad. The biggest surprise came when the therapist gave me the go-ahead to get out on the tennis court this evening to practice my swing only - at my request, of course! So this evening Steve brought out the bucket of practice balls and hit some easy ones right to me so I wouldn't have to really move and could concentrate solely on my swing, since I absolutely cannot pivot on my knee at all yet and really can't move very quickly yet either, even though I have been off the crutches for a couple of days now. After so many weeks off regular exercise, I was pretty well fatigued after less than 30 minutes, but it was so mentally therapeutic for me to be able to get out and do this today. I did ice and elevate the knee immediately upon returning home to help keep any swelling down.
Anyway, I know it's not even quite been a month yet and I still have a very long way to go, but I am starting to see some progress, and Dr. Gollehon said that based on how easily the kneecap snapped right back into the proper track once he did the lateral release, he is convinced the surgery was a success and that I will see dramatically positive results once the healing process is complete.
Physical therapy began two days after surgery on Wednesday, September 27. At that first visit, they only had me do some work on quad sets (tensing and releasing the thigh muscle), along with some hamstring and calf stretches, straight leg lifts, and applied electrical stimulation to my quadriceps to help contract those muscles. The surgeon had called me that morning to see how I was doing and told me that the surgery had gone very well, so I was feeling pretty good about things - that is, until I got home from therapy and discovered that my body does not like narcotic pain medications. I spent the better part of Wednesday evening in the bathroom throwing up, which was less than pleasant to say the least. My doctor prescribed me an anti-nausea medicine to help control the vomiting which helped, but did tend to make me very sleepy.
Getting around the house those first few days was rather tricky. I'm not the most graceful person anyway, and using crutches with having to dodge the dogs and cat took some work! Once I was allowed to bathe, that was rather difficult as well, as was getting in and out of bed. I spent the better part of my days during the first week resting on the couch with an ice pack on my knee as per the surgeon's request.
One week after surgery, I had a postoperative appointment to have my sutures removed. Unfortunately, I was once again very sick with nausea and vomiting. So the physician's assistant recommended completely stopping the narcotics and seeing if I could tolerate the pain using only Tylenol or Advil. They also replaced the elastic bandage with a TED compression thigh-high stocking. These things are a nightmare! They are very snug to help reduce swelling (this particular surgery is associated with a lot of swelling which is what makes recovery so slow), and incredibly awkward to apply. This was soon replaced with my GenuTrain compression knee sleeve, which isn't very comfortable either, but I continue to wear it every day to help with the swelling. As it turns out, I did okay without the heavy-duty pain medications, having only minimal to moderate pain, but that was far better than the nausea and vomiting on the narcotics.
At two weeks, I saw the surgeon again and he said my knee actually looked very good and that things were coming along as expected. I had had some painful clicking and popping with flexion and extension, but he said that was normal and it would go away as the swelling gradually subsided over the next several weeks. He also said I could progress my activities as tolerated per the physical therapists, but cautioned me that my knee would continue to remain quite tender for at least another four to six weeks.
At two and a half weeks postoperatively, the therapists had put me on the stationary bike for the first time and what a humbling experience that was. It took me over ten minutes simply to get the pedals to turn over just one revolution and even then it was excruciatingly painful at the top of the stroke when my knee was flexed the most. I rode for four additional minutes after that, and it seemed like hours. I was crushed emotionally, having come from competitive endurance cycling to this - barely able to turn the pedals on a stationary bike at zero resistance. But I kept at it, even though I still can't use the right leg to push that pedal down first to get the bike started, and have to start with the left pedal for now.
They said I could ride my own road bike at home on my trainer, but for no more than ten minutes at a time. It sounded so pathetically short a time, until I got on the bike and found myself watching the second-hand of the clock tick off those slow and painful ten minutes. Now at three and a half weeks, I'm still restricted to ten minutes on the bike at a very slow pace, but it is gradually becoming easier.
I've had physical therapy twice every week since surgery, on Mondays and Thursdays. The therapists have gradually increased the intensity and quantity of my workouts, but it has been slow going. We're still using the electrical stimulation under a heating pad with the quad sets, and still doing hamstring and calf stretches, along with the indoor bike. They also have me doing an extension stretch with the exercise band, step-ups on the aerobic step, heel slides to increase flexion and straight leg lifts to help regain quad strength.
Today I additionally got to use the leg press and leg curl machines, using with both legs together. Granted it was at the lowest weight resistance, but I did it and it actually wasn't all that bad. The biggest surprise came when the therapist gave me the go-ahead to get out on the tennis court this evening to practice my swing only - at my request, of course! So this evening Steve brought out the bucket of practice balls and hit some easy ones right to me so I wouldn't have to really move and could concentrate solely on my swing, since I absolutely cannot pivot on my knee at all yet and really can't move very quickly yet either, even though I have been off the crutches for a couple of days now. After so many weeks off regular exercise, I was pretty well fatigued after less than 30 minutes, but it was so mentally therapeutic for me to be able to get out and do this today. I did ice and elevate the knee immediately upon returning home to help keep any swelling down.
Anyway, I know it's not even quite been a month yet and I still have a very long way to go, but I am starting to see some progress, and Dr. Gollehon said that based on how easily the kneecap snapped right back into the proper track once he did the lateral release, he is convinced the surgery was a success and that I will see dramatically positive results once the healing process is complete.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
We now have a photo gallery started of Friday, September 1, 2006
Roddick Junior?
Well, Andy has certainly been living up to his name - playing to the crowd, an eagerness to play and the will to win - no missing mojo here! In addition to straws, bells, and anything else that he can pounce on, he absolutely loves his tennis ball and always keeps it within his reach. In just a few short days, he and Spyder have already become fast friends and Spyder certainly is Andy's biggest fan, but even though this cat can chase down that little yellow ball with the best of them, don't look for him at Wimbledon or the US Open.....at least not yet! 
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Andy
We went to the Adoptathon held by the Franklin County Humane Society on Saturday at PetSmart. Andy immediately caught my eye, even though he was in a kennel with several other cats. His smoky grey coat with the unique circular and triangular white markings was striking, but what really amazed me was his calm and relaxed attitude despite all the hustle and bustle of activity going on all around him. When I took him out of the kennel to hold him and carry him around the store, he sat quietly in my arms, observant but fearless of his surroundings, even though he is only five months old. It didn't take long for Steve and me to decide we wanted to adopt him, so after filling out the paper work and having our references checked, we were approved. Once we had purchased the items we would need for our new kitty, we gathered him up in the carrier and brought him home to meet his new brother and sister. To our surprise, once inside the house, he immediately hopped out of the carrier as soon as the door was opened and walked right up to both Zoe and Spyder to casually introduce himself. Since Andy is Zoe's third "cat sibling", she adapted immediately to him being here. Spyder is still requiring a little extra attention to reassure him that he is still my baby, which he always will be, but he is beginning to accept Andy, even letting him sit on my lap without getting upset. Andy himself is incredibly adaptable. After investigating every inch of his new home, he was immediately content to lie on the couch and boldy greeted our neighbors who, of course, wanted to come see the new addition. He has yet to run and hide, preferring to be in the center of any activity, and was immediately comfortable and at home in his new surroundings, including sleeping on the bed with Steve and myself, purring so loudly he sounded more like a lion rather than a housecat!I think he is going to be a pleasant and comforting companion for me as he is small enough to lie on my lap and is happy to do so, especially now since my current orthopedist has determined that I am going to need surgery on both my knees. The right one will be done first, on September 25, with the left one to be done as soon as the right has recovered sufficiently, hopefully within a couple of months after that. Apparently the knees have degenerative patellofemoral osteoarthritis, patellar tilt, a thickened and scarred plica, as well as bone spurs and tracking disorders, so I am going to have arthroscopic surgery to try and repair these problems. I am aware that the rehabilitation and physical therapy is going to be long, slow and painful, but I'm prepared and willing to undergo it in order to restore my physical abilities without the severe pain I am currently experiencing. And it certainly should help me get through those long boring winter months when I can't do my regular activities to have both my dogs and my new kitty around! Steve is going to be playing tennis in the Avery Cup this fall, so I'm hoping that I will at least be on crutches and able to get around sufficiently to go watch him play some as well. More updates on both the animals and my knees as things progress.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Greetings from San Diego!
We just got back from about a week in sunny San Diego, and I'm still readjusting to the time change, so will write more later. However, suffice it to say that I had a blast! We visited the fabulous San Diego Zoo and the incredible Wild Animal Park, watched seals play in the Pacific Ocean at La Jolla, walked the lovely beach at Coronado where the mica content of the sand makes it shimmer just like gold, toured the Birch Aquarium at Scripps where we watched the keepers feed the sharks, strolled through the multitude of museums and lavish gardens at Balboa Park, visited the lighthouse at Cabrillo 
and naturally sampled much of the fine dining in the area. In addition, we watched a very lifelike exhibit where robotic dinosaurs stomped their feet, moved their heads and tails, and growled! We also took a 3D, edge of your whirling seat ride which shook, bucked and twisted to match the narration from the "pilots" on a simulated ride to "Dinosaur Island" which kept me laughing the whole time. Naturally, I'm totally exhausted from the plane ride, waiting hours in the airport for layover, and the subsequent time change, so that is all for now, but I'll try and write some more later. However, Steve did take literally hundreds of photos which are in his gallery Here - enjoy!
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