Day After: At Home

Things moved very quickly after that. On the first post op day, I was walking around in my immobilizer without crutches. I did my PT exercises and found out the next challenge going to be gaining the mobility and strength back in the leg.

I got a great balloon bouquet today from my staff. It has the biggest balloon I have ever seen. It is a Mylar balloon happy face (complete with hair) that measures 3 feet from top to bottom. It has four other cool balloons. It was very nice.

From my friend Rocky, I got a brown bag labeled, medicine to make your heal faster. Inside, I found 8 Tastykake Lemon Pies. What makes this gift special is that Rocky is a Mechanical Engineer, and he has been working as a consultant to Tastykake Bakeries in Philadelphia a couple of days every few weeks for over one year. These pies are fresh from the production line. Very good. I have hidden them from my children and our guests (ok, I know it is a little selfish).

From Kathy, I actually have a bag with a gift for each day of my expected 11-day recuperation. On day one, I got some bible trivia coloring books (for ages 3-7). On day two, a two-foot, plastic putter, with realistic looking oversized golf ball and portable golf hole. And, she brought me banana bread (my favorite is Kathy’s banana bread!).

I try to watch a movie, that afternoon. But it does not work. I cannot concentrate. And I so looked forward to watching all the Indiana Jones movies in a row. I figure the 12-hour oxycotin is messing up my mind.

I decide to use the oxycotin only at night. I take Naprosyn (Aleve) and Tylenol to the max. But, the pain is not that bad. I keep changing the ice.

Chris at PT said that by using the Patella Tendon, my thigh is thinking “Houston, we have a problem, I am not going to use this muscle.” My job at PT will be to convince it otherwise.

And of course, I have no mobility. If you figure that lying on your stomach, most people can bend their knee from the flat position to almost touching their heel to their behind. That would be about 170 degrees. At best, I get 30 degrees.

I watch my tape of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. I laugh. My daughter Stephanie watches with me. I did not remember they use the sh*t word so often. Only a PG rating. Hmmm.

CONTINUE...