Day Nineteen

Tried ice on my knees and heat everywhere else this morning to loosen up.  Couldn't have hurt....and it may have helped.  Felt proactive anyway.

The knees are swollen, clunky and numb but I guess that's probably normal.

Walking was easier and smoother yesterday than today and because it was easier and smoother yesterday, I was probably more active than I should have been.  I rode and rowed yesterday because it was easy too.  I'll bet that's why the knees aren't bending that well today.  That's what I get for listening to my body (and showing off for the physical therapist).  I listened to the body messages that came in loud and clear today and backed off a set.

According the the PT, the only thing limiting my activity is the short term pain and swelling so whatever I can make myself do....do.  I'm not going to hurt anything because the knees are brand new.  She said if I do something and it hurts for more than 20 minutes after stopping, it may be a good idea to hold off on that one for a while.

I'm focusing on getting protein like a good girl and other than not being able to really move, I feel good.

Tomorrow's goal is to do something that I can fool myself into thinking is productive.  Finish the sweater I'm knitting?  Wrap up the pretty worthless online short story class I'm taking?  Decide on just one of the six books I'm picking at and go with it? 

The vitamin e hasn't helped yet, I can still see my scars.

Hang in there with me, something interesting is bound to happen at some point.

Thirty-Two Days

Parked the car by the bridge at the end of Young Road so I wouldn't have to go down any hills unless I wanted.  Good idea.  Double poled in the sun for an hour and a half.  It was fast but I made sure I didn't slip and that did the trick.  And guess what?  I realized that I could snow plow if I had to with no repercussions.  Even with all of these new conclusions and even though it would be in my nature....I'm not going to push it.   I doubt my heart rate is ever over 100 but being outside is good stuff for the old head.
I still use my crutches to keep weight off the knee...mostly to keep the swelling down so I'm able to get out every day.  I look so forward to that time.  Lately, but before I was couch ridden, I would try and get some exercise everyday but I'd do it mostly just to get it over with.  Now I actually really look forward to it.  Everything changes when you identify and stop taking things for granted.  So, my knee....which could have been perceived as a TOTAL disaster, ended up spawning this incredible benefit.  (this is my attitude when it is sunny).
The baker cyst is still missing and I'm in almost no pain at the moment.
If a fit upper body helps with knee replacement recovery, I'll be dancing in a week.
Until tomorrow.

Thirty-Four Days

Awoke to a knee that is as good as it gets these days.  It was going to be in the 40's so I waited until late morning when it got slow.  I planned an ambitious ski and headed north into the hills.  I got about 2 km, slipping like crazy.  THAT (slipping) is the culprit.  The happy knee started to blow up and I knew when I got to the Center that I was going to have to head back home before I couldn't move.  I limped south, side stepped down the step hill and made it to the house in 1:05.  Took a meloxicam, 5/325 vike and iced.  I wrote about my eating, knit, put a few things on ebay and read until I went to the post office. The knee retreated enough to drive...and while it was still light I parked on the side of the road and double poled on the flats for an hour without incident.  Feeling OK tonight.
Emailed with the girlfriends about our trip to NYC coming up.  I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit nervous about driving to Burlington, getting on a plane to the city and spearheading a 4 day outing.  As long as I bring a few just-in-case pills I should be OK.  If it wasn't Linda and Sarah, I wouldn't go.
Most days I'm pretty comfortable.  The message from the physical therapist seemed to be a big set back from which I am finally rebounding.
Quality of life is sitting at about 50% when it is sunny.

Thirty-Six Days

Weird.  I skied 2:10 on the flats, did 10 minutes of upper body rowing and have pretty much no pain.  I think skiing on powder is good and skiing on frozen granular is bad.  Whatever it is, I'm not complaining.  Skiing on the flats like I've been doing won't increase my fitness.  I doubt I'm even maintaining but being out does wonders for me mentally and since I'm sentenced to the couch most of the time, getting out is HUGE.

Even with a pill, it was hard to get comfortable enough to sleep last night.  Although I have very little pain right now, I'll probably take one before I hit the sack tonight since the pain is more obvious when I'm in bed.

I find myself getting cocky and walking without crutches when the pain isn't bad and it ALWAYS sets me back.  It's usually the next day or later in the day when I ski that I am kicking myself.   I should always use my crutches to keep weight off my right leg/knee.  The knee is always swollen and even when it isn't hurting, it is too swollen to straighten...another reason it's hard to walk and crutches are good.  It's swollen hard.  It used to be swollen and more liquidy soft and spongy.  The baker cyst isn't bothering as much as earlier in the winter. 

I'm babbling.

Forty-Two Days

A more cheerful sitting situation there could not be.

I sit on that pink couch all day.  Ignore the wires and it's a pretty happy spot.

I do best if I can stay off my knee other than getting a little exercise.  As much as I hate sitting all day, I know I'm lucky to be in a situation where that is possible.

I have to say I have been pain free all day.  That's before, during and after a 2 hour ski along the river.
Plus 11 minutes of one legged upper body on the rowing machine.

Ice and 1/2 meloxicam.

I'm trying to get up enough courage to post a photo of my muscle-less thighs.  I caught site my right thigh the other day and thought it belonged to someone else.  Like to someone from Biafra.

Forty-Four then Forty-Three Days

Yesterday was a pretty pain free day.  No skiing.  8 minutes of one-leg upper-body-only rowing. March 12 is my surgery and after that I'm on my way to taking being pain free for granted. 

Then today.  If my knee felt this good every day until March 12, I'd be psyched.  I did 20 minutes of one-leg, upper-body-only rowing while watching Reno 9-1-1.  Other than that I was perched on the couch.  Took 1/2 meloxicam then went to Highland Lodge to ski with Vince.  For over an hour of uphill I was totally pain free and I might add that it really couldn't have been more breathtaking.  Then the downhill started.  Against my will I snow-plowed as best I could coming off Barr Hill.  I could feel the knee swelling.   Maybe from being on it that long or maybe from the pressure of the snowplow, I'm not sure, but I wasn't nearly as mobile as I was when we started.  Very slowly, side-stepping down a slight decline with more pain then I'd like to admit, I tried not to bend my knee (easy, because it was too swollen to bend) or grimace.  I pretended I was still in my element so Vince wouldn't stress but he was on to me.  Conversationally as not to arouse panic,  I asked how far it was back to the lodge.  His body language indicated that it wasn't right around the corner and got me thinking that we may have a situation here.  There was a house in the distance.  I couldn't see if the driveway was plowed and didn't know how would I get from the trail to their door if it was...but it was something.  On the ski trail, I was trying to figure out a way to appear as though I was moving a lot faster than I actually was, while in reality I was moving more slowly than anyone had ever moved (you can't even imagine).  Still wearing my no-big-deal demeanor, all I could do was keep moving and hope for the best.   It was hard to ignore Vince's sighs and pretend to not hear the under-his-breath, for my 'benefit' comments that were just loud enough for me to know he was saying something and the exact wording wasn't important. 
Wait. Is that a snowmobile?  Thirty seconds later, rounding the corner pulling a track-setter was the Highland Lodge snowmobile (or an angel) with just enough room for me to fit between a lopper and a shovel.  I hadn't been worried a bit.

I can't say I wasn't worried about a knee explosion, and being out of pain meds once I got settled but, it didn't happen.  Once home, I iced and took the other half of the meloxicam.  It's good.

My plan was...if there was an explosion...to tell Vin I wanted to pick up a few things in Morrisville then sneak off to the emergency room somehow.  Luckily I didn't have to think it through all the way because driving would have been impossible.

Forty-Seven Days

Did 35 minutes of upper body rowing while watching some 'Reno 911'.  Skied 1:35 in 35 degrees after a night of rain.  Took 1/2 of a vike before I went out but not even sure I had to.  The knee is still very swollen, firm and ugly.  Because the general knee swelling and huge baker cyst,  it is impossible to straighten my leg. I have to walk slowly and with a limp.  Nice.

It was very damp last night and this morning but I had very little pain.  Even though my knee is firm (it USED TO jiggle when I tapped it but now it doesn't really move), it seems to be less swollen.  I did ice and took a half of meloxicam today.


Somedays I feel like something as specific as a knee replacement couldn't possibly fix all of the wacky knee things I have going on (firmness, baker cyst, limping) and today was one of those days.

Forty-Eight Days

Did my pain management and skied 1:20 south along the river.  Heaven.  Do I sound like a broken record?  I was actually hoping to get to the point where I sounded like a broken record....i.e. find a routine that worked.  So now I know how I can get away with a little ski, I rented a car so I'm not stranded here on the couch while Vince is in school 9 hours a day and my couch nest is right where I want it...filled with good books, a writing pad and knitting.  Life is good.

I still have pain but it is tolerable.  A week ago I didn't know how I would make it to March 12.
The knee is still very swollen.  I googled 'swollen knee + coagulated blood' and got a couple articles.  One where the guy died and the other where they amputated the leg.   Then I notice the articles were from 1880.

Forty-Nine Days (and some Fifty)

I hope it's not bad luck to miss the post with 50 days to go.  I'm down with the pain management.  Pre-ski vike and 1/2 meloxicam.  Skied 2 hours today and 2:15 yesterday.  Both days started out south along the river.  Yesterday I climbed up out of the valley toward Greensboro which felt fine but coming down, which is generally pretty close to the most fun thing ever possible, was sort of scary.   I've never been aware of my knee in a snowplow and this time it was all I could think about.  The doc says I can't do anything to make the knee worse but what I'm worried about is short-term....having it explode and getting stranded.
You're wondering why I take, what sound like, chances.  I want to be fit for the surgery and I love being out so it's worth the little bit of risk I am taking. 
My knee is swollen as usual. Instead of being mailable, liquidy and loose, it's a bit spongy and sort of hard.  NOT liquidy.  I'm going to do a little research of my own because it's different than it used to be.  The PA and doc aren't concerned.