The Knee...

About time for another blog update... I'm not too good at keeping up with it, but here goes...

After getting home from our trip to Ontario in early February, I had a few friends evaluate my knee and sadly all confirmed my most probable diagnosis of my injury.  Thankfully I was able to get a brace that allowed me to function better (and manage at work).  Wednesday I had an MRI and saw the orthopedic surgeon, confirming that I tore my ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) in my knee.  Surgery really being the only viable option, was scheduled for the upcoming Monday.

Waiting...

The nurse checking my name, etc. before giving me my IV.

IV in and waiting for the anesthesiologist...

And.... I don't remember this pic... or anything after it until the surgery was over!

Surgery went very well, the doctor found no further damage to my knee during surgery, and was able to reconstruct my ACL (use other tissue to give me a new one).

Home and resting on the couch with all my post-op apparatuses.

It is certainly different being on "this side" of orthopedic surgery... the one getting operated on and having to go through the recovery and rehab myself instead of helping others through it!  I certainly expected the worst and it has not been Nearly as horrible as I thought it might be.  Not to say I care to go through it again, but could have been Much worse.  Andrew took very good care of me after surgery, and my mom came over during the day for a few days that week to help me out so that Andrew could work which was very nice.  She was such a help for me getting around when I needed to but also just doing whatever needed to be done from laundry to dishes to food preparation among other things... not to mention just having the company.  So blessed!

Since I was rather incapacitated and didn't plan for Valentine's Day in advance... my mom helped me bake some brownies for Andrew's Valentine's chocolate =)  Needless to say it was a very simple Valentine's which was Just fine!  I thoroughly enjoyed my roses  (which I didn't get a picture of) sitting on the coffee table since I was spending many, many hours on the sofa =)

After a week I was able to get rid of a crutch and just use one... did that for the second week, and that was really the end of the crutches... thank goodness.  One night during that first week or so, I wanted to get out of the house for a while.  Andrew needed to go to Lowe's, so I accompanied him... legitimate chance to ride the scooter!  Way too slow to be much fun, but nice to get out regardless =)

The range of motion in my knee and strength of surrounding musculature progressed very well post-op and continues to do well.  The recovery road is long any way you cut it with ACL reconstruction... at least 6 months... but I am very thankful to have the first portion of it behind me!

because everyone takes pictures of injuries and recovery progress... =P