Or Knee 2.0, or FrankenKnee, as I think about it. Yesterday, Feb. 9th, was the end of my 5th week after surgery. How time flies when you’re having fun. Many, many thanks to all who have prayed and are praying for me. My new knee is doing well, my progress is stellar according to medical and physical therapy staff. I have been walking without a cane for 2 weeks, and went off my serious pain meds 8 days ago. (They were not kind to my digestive system, so now I rely on Tylenol or Aleve.) My flexibility and range of motion is very good. Yesterday at the end of PT, my knee flexed to 123 degrees. My good knee is 135. The beginning goal was to get my new knee to 120, after 3 months. I tried to get Dr. Mark to say I was done, but, no, he said we’re shooting for better than the good knee. PT’s, they thrive on this stuff.
That’s not to say that I am without pain. I still have some pain, swelling, inflammation, all the fun things that go with this type of surgery. I am told to expect this to be with me through the first 3 months (7 or so more weeks to go), and even then, I am to expect some occurrences for a year. So, when people ask how I’m doing, I say … ‘Two answers! I am doing very well, progress to recovery is generally ahead of average results … and I still have 2 months of serious recovery to go and a year to learn what I can and can’t do with this new part.”
For instance, I was able to join our fabulous worship team last Sunday at Hope Chapel and stand in front and help lead worship for 35 or so minutes. Niiiiice to be able to do that. I found myself a bit concerned with balance and stability. One of the things that is affected by this surgery is balance because the strength of the repaired leg is greatly diminished for a while. I am working on standing on my left leg, solo, for up to two minutes to restore all the juxtaposing muscles that work together to maintain balance. Closing my eyes (which I often do during worship) proved to bring on a bit of vertigo and concern for remaining vertical :). So, I occasionally grabbed the podium to make sure I was stable. I did get a bit tired and had a stool close by to lean on a bit to make sure I had the stamina to complete the day. I find stamina to be greatly affected and thankfully, it is gradually being restored.
The end result on Sunday? — I was exhausted and when I made it home, I slept really hard for a couple of hours. Missed a phone call with the phone next to my head and I never do that. After waking, Deb and I had our own private Super Bowl party at home, trying to stay awake through it all.
So, next steps are to go to my 6 week checkup with Dr. Pearce and begin more rigorous workouts to finish off my recovery. My PT says I can begin swimming and lifting as pain allows. He even says I can begin swinging golf clubs, maybe an 8 iron through wedge. The shorter clubs are advised because the inertia, torque is kept low enough so the pressure on my knee is not excessive. My brother, John, scoffs at this notion. He says there is no such thing as an easy swing in my makeup. It’s all I got, all the way through, so, the question I have to ask myself is “Do I have any moderation left in my arsenal of golf swings?” I certainly haven’t used any of that ammo to date. Maybe next weekend I’ll try a smooth, moderate swing. (It’s kind of a joke, anyway. I only play golf 2 or 3 times a year, but, it’s one thing I can do athletically and more impacting things are discouraged..)
So, thanks again to all for your prayer, care and support. We are getting better daily. Blessings.
