ACL Repair Day 4

Above is what my leg looks like under the bandages. There’s a medium sized blood blister on the left under the bandages. I try not to poke at it too much. The surgeon’s graffiti tag on my leg reminds me that humans did this work. How wild is that? Members of my species augmented my natural structure and stitched me back up.

The feature photo above shows me pre-bath. With help, I had a plastic garbage bag wrapped around my knee and secured with medical tape. I awkwardly lowered myself onto a stool in the shower and used a handheld showerhead to wash myself, with help. Many standard daily tasks I’m used to doing have taken help. I’m lucky to have an unabashedly supportive partner who is not queasy about seeing me in some pretty ugly states….or at least he doesn’t show it.

I had a pretty pleasant day today. I insisted on stopping all meds last night, including Tylenol Extra Strength. The drugs felt like they were causing me more bodily and mental distress than the physical pain they took away. I was having constant flashbacks and waking nightmares, and/or nausea. Not being drugged up allowed me to sleep more peacefully throughout the night without waking up or nightmares. I had a lazy wake up without disturbing thoughts and I needed that. It was a pretty nice morning to wake to. The sun was out and the light caressed my face through the window. My head hurt, probably from withdrawal, drug induced hangover and lack of sleep the previous nights. But I felt so much better sober and more lucid.

I started the day working on straightening and bending my leg as much as I could. Then using my crutches for support, I tried shifting some weight on my right leg, breathing through the discomfort. I also have been trying to activate my quad, feeling much like B in Kill Bill trying to wiggle her big toe. I will my quad to activate and it gives me a little shiver every 1 out of 8 tries. Eventually it picks up and gets going a little more.

It was a pretty busy social day. Two friends came to visit consecutively starting with breakfast. I received more caring messages from other friends offering help and checking in. It‘s warmed my heart and I very much appreciated the attention. I also have more delicious gifted soup and stews than I know what to do with. Eat them I suppose, though my food intake is still less than usual. However, it is quickly rising as I increase activity. Once friend took me out in the town for a bit of sunshine and air. While I only hobbled with crutches no more than 15 meters in total probably, I felt pretty knackered.

I tried using these grippy toes socks today to help prevent slipping and they worked great! While I was moving around fine with socks, I was very aware of how slippery my feet felt on the floor. It’s winter so going sans socks left me cold. These guys performed great for what I needed today.

I’m pretty happy with my progress so far. I am eager to start working out the rest of my body soon though. My body needs to move to stay limber and feel good, and for someone who was lifting heavy weights and running 5 days prior, this was way too much inactivity for comfort. My neck and back are feeling sore and tight. But as many people are reminding me, one step at a time.

I know it will be crucial to keep my nervous system stable to be able to heal well. This means staying away from triggers as much as I can, keeping realxed, staying on top of my pain management and mobility routine, going for easy outings, eating the right nutrition, keeping a good social balance and nuturing a healthy mindset. I know I can heal my knee pretty damn well if I do those things and this actually seems more palpable than other things I'm healing. I'm off to a good start.