The surgery was one week ago today. Here are a few random reflections on the past week:
- The doctor is superly optimistic that the surgery was successful. He was able to get my leg fully straight and he hopes we can keep it like that. It is great to be able to lay down with a straight leg for the first time in a LONG time. Praising God for good news!
- I was impressed with my experience at the Mayo Clinic and everyone that worked with me. Being asked “what do you do for a living?” lends itself to be able to talk about faith with many different people there. Praising God for such an awesome medical facility!
- This being my third time round (or 5th if you add in the 2 manipulations) is SUCH a different experience. This doctor’s healing philosophy is very different and I am loving it. The other times I LIVED in that CPM ( constant moving Knee machine) for many hours a day for weeks, OR I was having to coordinate rides to PT several times a week to have someone else force my knee to do things it didn’t want to do while they said calming things like “Just relax”, OR I was constantly putting some funky ice machine contraption on my knee to keep it in ice as much as possible. This time: no machine, no PT, no ice. I do my own exercises at home several times a day with help from my in home trainers ( my family). I am moving around quicker and more pain free than I anticipated. Praising God!
- The winter’s crud struck our family hard: Eric was super bad the day after my surgery so literally came in my hospital room only for the morning dr.’s report and then decided he needed to stay away from me. Leesa was supposed to come home and help out over the weekend but she ended up getting it quite badly and was told she shouldn’t expose me to it. I thought I maybe had escaped it but yesterday morning it paid me a nice ( or not so nice) visit and I am dealing with the plugged head, cough and feeling plain cruddy. I am praising God that I didn’t get it before surgery, in the hospital or even in those toughest first days at home.
- My friend, Jana, came to help out for a few days. Feeling badly that we are exposing her to illness but it is great to have companionship as the days get long and isolating. It is also great to have an excuse to let someone else cook and do the dishes and wait on you so I can focus on healing and recovery. Several from church have sent awesome meals over as well which has helped so much. Praising God for faithful friends!
- I have QUITE the battle wound. I will refrain from posting it as it is a bit disturbing but if any of you are into that kind of thing..message me and I will send you the pic. Someone told me I should flaunt it so I guess I will!
- What’s next? I press on pressing on as the first two weeks are critical for healing. In two weeks I will go back to see my surgeon to take out my sutures. He wants to be the one to do it to make sure the knee is healing properly.
On Bended (and also straight!) Knee ,
Pam
