Day Forty-Five

Another 15 miles on the Stowe bike path and another double decaf Americano.

Progress.* 
I got off the bike without help from Vince and I walked into Black Cap Coffee afterwards without my crutches or noodles for legs.  

Went for a walk with with my friend Linda who will walk my speed as if it was her speed.

Yesterday the right knee had a bit of a fever which was gone today.  There is swelling.  The right more than the left but nothing not normal.

With every ride my legs seem a little stronger but 15 miles in the wind is about my limit...and I'm not sure it would be good to do that every day at this point.

I'm unfortunately still on the involuntary simultaneous bilateral total knee replacement weight loss program.  I just started drizzling olive oil, lots of olive oil, over everything I eat except oatmeal.

*my May Day resolution is to show some progress every single day.  Hold me to it.

I already know what I'm going to do for progress tomorrow....

Day Forty

Yippee.  Physical therapy tomorrow.  I can't wait and I'm nervous.  Therapist Vinny hasn't seen me walk since I watched the Youtube videos.  I want to surprise him.  The sharp pain in the front left knee still keeps me from being able to bring my knee through smoothly but I may be able to grin a bear it for a few strides.

He sees every step I take from the time I get out of the car and walk across the parking lot until I leave.
"I saw you walking from the car," he says every time.  Then a little later, "I saw you walking down the hall."  I can't take a step without him seeing it.  I guess that's part about being a good physical therapist (actually, I think he's and athletic trainer)

Rode about 15 miles on the Stowe bike path again today.  Nothing is more fun these days.  The first pedal stroke surprised me with a painful protest at the top of it.  I forgot the knees don't bend that well yet.  A short involuntary scream, couple more revolutions and I was warmed up.  It was all good until, at the end, when I got to the car, stopped and couldn't lift my leg over the seat to get off (I probably could have but convinced myself I couldn't) and had to have Vin tilt the bike and pull it out from under me.

For my knee comrades.
Now, about my finger's blood vessel incident that may be related to the surgery...
All I was doing is sponging down the sink.  Suddenly I felt a pop in the inside of the middle section of my right ring finger.  I looked and there was a purple star shaped mass turning purpler .  I felt and it was hard.  My finger was dark red.  It hurt but not as bad as that sharp pain in the front left knee.  More of a tingle.  Half an hour later purple star morphed into a whole purple finger mid section and stayed that way.  I googled 'spontaneous hematoma finger' (sometimes you just don't know what to call things) and there were tons of forums.  Evidently I'm not the only one it's happened to.   Seems like it could have had something to do with taking coumadin (blood thinner/blood clot precaution) after surgery.  Always something.  The tingling stopped almost immediately and now, the purple band is barely visible.  I'm going to make a point of getting more vitamin K (greens...helps with clotting which is usually what you want) and vitamin C to strengthen my blood vessel walls.

Day Twenty-Two

Yesterday's melt down either didn't need to happen or fixed me for today.

Not being able to walk yesterday really bummed me out (i.e. pissed me off).  Swelling seemed to be most of the problem, so today I did my in-house laps before my knees had a chance to swell.  I iced first thing.  Did a partial set of PT, that didn't include riding or rowing, then walked.  Heel first, then toe followed by bringing the knee through....over and over and over.  I was a runway model.  The amount of concentration it took was overwhelming.  Seriously.  It was oddly exhausting and I finished with a much deeper respect for the runway model profession.

Day Nine

Now THAT was a lousy night.  It's good to have one of those once in a while so when I start thinking that all nights are lousy, I know they could be so much worse.

I started the day gradually and before I knew it, I was moving around normally....whatever that means.
Except for walking around the outside of the house six times, and going up and down the stairs four times (which are both really fun) my physical therapy is a blur.  Just stretching and being stretched hours a day.

I feel really stiff but I felt stiff for my last PT visit and my flexion was better than before so I don't want to just give up. 

The hardest thing I do all day, besides sleeping (or not sleeping), is extension work.  Like putting a pillow under your feet and sitting with your legs straight out in front of you so your knees hang down in the middle.  On a good day I can do 10 minutes before I start screaming.  No one is sitting here with a gun to my head or anything so you're probably wondering why I don't just stop at nine minutes before I start screaming.  The answer is....I don't know.

Day Five

I was complaining about my back today.  I try to make my complaints different every day to keep them interesting.  Friends George and Elinor picked up on the new complaint and came knocking on the door with a huge fuzzy triangular back pillow that velcros into millions of nifty comfortable positions.

The physical therapist came today for the first time.  I was doing some of the exercises right.  From what I could tell, if an exercise is comfortable, it's wrong.  The flexion in the right knee was 85 degrees.  The flexion in the left knee was 85 degrees.  It may have been 90 but I think that was when the PT was pushing on it.  Seems like that would make it a fake number?  In any case, I can't imagine it will ever be more than that. 

Miserable as this whole rehab ordeal is I know if I had to do it over,  I would do both knees again. 

Sixteen Days

It was Monday February 27.  I was up thinking I would be able to do some housework before I went out to ski for 3 hours when all of a sudden my right knee exploded.  Half hour later, just to make sure I was staying inside, my left knee exploded like never before, almost.  So that's what it will be like when I can't use either leg (i.e. simultaneous bilateral knee replacements).  I managed to upper body row...barely...for 35 minutes.  It seemed as if there was no reason for the episode but thinking about it, it may have been the flying and walking without crutches interview and two legged stationary bike the day before.  In any case, I was relieved to have a pain med.

Twenty-Six Days

Skated and 1 1/2 hours and not very far.  A half hour out I got slammed with the flu and it took me an hour to limp back.  Couldn't even blame it on my knee.  So.  I was immobilized for a whole different reason.  Good thing I had my convalescence corner all set up because once I got home I couldn't do anything but lay down and try not to move at all.  Probably lost another pound.  I'M NOT A HYPOCHONDRIAC!

Almost wish I had more knee pain since everyone that has gone through the surgery says that now they are pain-free.  I'm already pain-free sort of.

I have an interview for the Florida State MFA film program in 10 days.  I think I try to walk into the interview without crutches like a normal young applicant.  Don't think I want to mention the knee replacement since they'll equate it with 'old person'....I probably would.  We both know that once I get a new knee, I'll be as good as new but I doubt they would know that and I'm sure my age is already a strike against me.

Twenty-Seven Days

Had my first of several Dr appointments for the surgery.  A pre-op evaluation by my primary care doc.  The scale said I'd lost 5 pounds.  Wonder how much my thigh muscles weighed?  I'm down to 118 which is 'weigh' to skinny.  Seems like I eat plenty but when I sit around most of the day I don't get hungry.  Plus it's a pain to grocery shop and cook since it is hard to get around.  My weight may be shrinking but at least I'm still 5'8 1/2".
Skated 2 hours today and again....NO PAIN.  I'm hoping to build up my thigh muscles and gain some of that weight back.  Not sure of the last time I was this thin.  When I broke my leg in 1975 I think I was around 120.