Post-Op

Had my post-op appointment with my orthopaedist today. From the looks of things, I'm recovering quite well. Today they took the stitches out and just put steri-strips on and checked to see how much flexibility I have and how much swelling. With the constant icing I've been doing and not overdoing the moving around, the swelling is not too bad. My flexibility is good right now as I can straighten my leg and bend it to about 90 degrees. For 4 days off surgery, that's pretty darn good! Today I've been working with just one crutch and have taken a few steps with no crutches. I feel like a newborn pony who is learning how to walk and learning to trust her legs. I also had Dr. B explain the pictures to me that they took during the procedure. Apparently the back of my knee cap looked like a shag carpet. It was gross looking - supposed to be shiny and smooth but far from it. They cleaned it up and made it as smooth as they could. My meniscus looked really good and my kneecap alignment was great so, as I noted before, no lateral release to realign my kneecap. The bad news is that there are worn spots on the inner part of my femur at the knee joint (it's called medial something). Dr. B recommended that I take up throwing darts or something much less dangerous to my body. In all seriousness, he said the marathoner or triathlete life isn't for me any more. Where I am now, I'm probably a candidate for knee replacement in 20-25 years so any high impact activity will just speed that up. Not anything I want to make happen any faster than necessary! So, that means no more running for me and I'm ok with that. I want to find a way to exercise and be healthy while not having the pain. I foresee time spent improving my swimming stroke and working on my cycling. Probably a focus on weight training to support my improved knees and possibly some yoga.

I've got a few more days before I can drive - hopefully by Thursday. I've got a few exercises to work on at home and then I go back in 3 weeks for another check. Wish me luck!!