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 Thirty-Nine

Nothing too profound in the way of knee progress or back-sliding today.

This morning after a couple squats, I knew they weren't going to be as much fun as the painless ones yesterday and backed off on the flexion.  I was hoping for and would have welcomed a stretching quad muscle pain but it was pain around the knee that didn't feel right.

I've been really diligent about my daily home physical therapy.  I want my progress to be more obvious but try not to be depressed when it isn't.  I want my flexion to be a little better every day and sometimes it's worse.

Walking is still a problem.  I have plenty of flexion for the walking motion but not without a lot pain and stiffness, especially on the left.  Since each step requires getting through the pain and stiffness barrier while bringing my knee through, my gait is slow, painful and robotic.

Riding my bike on the trainer is always delightful and I do it for a 20 minute Reno 9-1-1 episode or two that I've seen before.  (one day I even watched 3)

Is it OK if tell you about the blood vessel incident in my finger tomorrow?

Day Eight

Vin took Max and I on an outing today in the car.  Max sat in the way back, I sat in the middle so I could extend my legs and Vince drove.  Usually Max gets the middle AND the back but I think he liked having me along so didn't mind putting up with his cramped quarters.

We went to Johnson State College so Vin could do some work in the darkroom.  The hallway was set-up perfectly for my physical therapy exercises.  He got done developing his film the same time I got done with my PT and we drove to Stowe where I walked 1:10 on the bike path along the river.  It was warm and sunny and I was out walking.  It was like a miracle.  1:10 was a comfortable amount of time.  And for everyone that is thinking I was over-doing it --I OK'd it with my physical therapist yesterday.  Vin and Max walked with me.

Vince is a great nurse but he sighs a lot.  If I try to do something myself, he sighs because he feels like he should do it but if I ask him to do something he sighs because he has to do it.
 
Tonight it felt like the baker cyst appeared behind my left knee again (is that possible?) and then disappeared before I had a chance to ask the surgeon for my money back.

I have to figure out how to sleep.  With both knees in rehab no position is comfortable or painless.   For 54 years bedtime had been one of the highlights of my day and now I dread it.  So, I guess one of the goals of this whole knee ordeal is to be able to look forward to bedtime again.

My temp is OK again.

Nurse Tim said that he heard a little gurgling in my lungs so I have to more diligent about breathing into a simple plastic contraption (Voldyne) to discourage pneumonia and improve post surgery lung function.  I'm breathing for two (new knees) now.  So happy I did them at the same time.

Day Three (March 18)

Did PT in the morning after 2 hours on the Continuous Passive Motion Machine (CPM).  They're slave drivers here.  Was flying up and down those stairs during PT (relatively speaking)....I wasn't 2nd up the Empire State Building Runnup for nothing.  Stuck my head outside and just stood there with my eyes closed drinking in the 40 degree, light breezed, sunshiny morning.

Vin loaded me up with Max and we headed home.  Even though I was cold we had to have the windows open because Max was hot.  The countryside was pretty from the car. 

Vin pulled the car up the to kitchen door and I got to do a few more steps.  He had the living room fit for Martha Stewart.  There was a bit of a bed situation (boring now but not at the time) and during the situation, when my friend Linda called, Vince told her there was a crisis and he couldn't talk.  I called her right back because if she's like me she would never ever called call again because now that she was aware of potential crisises she would worry that anytime she decided to call, we may b ein the middle of a crisis.  She has called and visited since so I think we're good.

I've been so groggy and nauseous that I'm going to see if I can go the day without pain meds.  I wonder if everyone in my situation is this stiff.  I can't imagine I'll ever not be stiff again. 

Eating is a huge problem.  I can't even force myself to eat which, I know, is a problem a lot of people would love to have.

Remember....this is just my journal and not intended to be any great literary work of art.  Think of it as educational.

Day One

The day was mostly a nauseous blur.  Made it to the commode followed by a little spin (head and legs) into the hallway.   My nurses said they were ready to catch me and noticed I was consciously trying to make good time back to the bed before I passed out.  Nap time again.  Sat in the chair for a few hours...whoopee.   Some friends stopped in.  Didn't know how a visit would go but it was really fun.  Made me tired.  Vin brought me beautiful roasted chicken and potatoes but I just couldn't eat more than a few bites.  Fitful non-sleeping night.  I'm told my wounds look great.  To me they look like Frankenstein.  No, worse than Frankenstein. Getting lots of calls and emails which it both surprises and makes me happy.

Seventeen Days

I'm just making up the day numbers now.

February 23 I had a GREAT ski before we drive south to the Hartford airport.  No pain.   Then February 24 we flew to Tallahassee for a MFA film school interview.  That made me nervous since I knew that the student's average age was 25 and even with perfect knees I was giving something up being 55.  My strategy was to not use my crutches and not mention my new knee with the interviewers.  If for some reason they asked why I was limping I would just say that I sprained my knee skateboarding.

While in Northampton I had my teeth cleaned at my real dentist's office.  They all knew about the what they consider arrogant orthopedic surgeons vs. the dental profession (I knew they would) and assured me that a cleaning 19 days before surgery was OK.

Before we flew out on Sunday, February 26 I rode the stationary bike with both legs for 35 minutes.  Seemed good.  I was able to retain my exit row seats by convincing the flight attendants I was just transporting the crutches.  Bear in mind that I was fully capable of assisting with the exit in case of an emergency and I wasn't endangering everyone else on the flight just so I could have more leg room.

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.