A Small Victory

I can't claim total victory yet, but I have made it through two weeks of my knee replacement recovery.  My blogging has had to take a back-seat to resting, icing and exercising.  I can now sit in a chair and put in some desk time.  At first I was stunned by the pain and lack of mobility.  Now I am mostly uncomfortable but making progress each day -- as long as I don't give it a rest or slack-off.  TBG has been keeping me fed and drives me to PT, helps me with exercises and keeps my morale up.  This has been a very difficult process. I consider it a victory that after two weeks I am bending my knee beyond 90 degrees.  I'm told that is a good thing!

The staples were removed this morning and that has been a relief.  I am now down to steri-strips which aren't painful (staples pinch!).  I do my PT exercises once per day and go out for short walks three or four times per day.  I have met many men on my block who have had this surgery and they offer me encouragement too.  Today I did not have to use my cane at all and was able to go on a three block walk by myself.  I've also been managing to use both legs on the stairs -- with ample support.  Not just the "up with the good, down with the bad" method I was using at first.

I had hoped to only miss two weeks of work then do a week at part-time,  but that was based on a smaller incision on the side of my knee that is common for a partial replacement.  My ortho went in from the front so I have the incision and underlying wiring to deal with -- basically the same as if I'd done a full.  I'm feeling badly about that and am pushing for progress.  My plan is to be back at work on 6/26, just short of four weeks.

Hopefully, my life will get more interesting once I can expand beyond my house and the few blocks around it, and I'll have better material to post about!