Post Surgery: Day 5

And the last day of the PT sheet:

• keep your extension perfect (of course)
• your flexion should be at 100 degrees
• pain medication should be used only as needed

So far I haven't had a Vicodin since yesterday afternoon. I still don't have any pain when I'm just sitting, but walking hurts a lot more today. PT is about the same, pain wise, as it was on day two (3-4 on the pain scale).

I steadfastly refuse to take any Vicodin today, though. Not unless I happen to get up to a five or something. Because I'm a tough girl, and I can handle this! Or something.

By the way, for me a 1-2 is something like, okay, ouch that doesn't feel good, but I can live with it. Like when you whack you shin on the bedframe and it aches a little. 3-4 is more like this hurts enough that if I could stop doing what I'm doing (i.e. leg extensions), I would, because wow, uncomfortable. A couple times it's gotten to the point where I've been punching my other thigh toward the end of my ten minutes of weighted extensions because I really don't like how it feels.

Also, starting yesterday I've had kind of an odd popping behind my knee when I go from bent to straight leg. Not behind the knee cap, but the back of my leg, right below the surface of the skin. I don't know what that's about, and it doesn't hurt, but it doesn't feel pleasant either. I'll have to bring that up with my physical therapist tomorrow morning.

Oh! I keep forgetting to mention, but my GP called me before I went into surgery on Tuesday and told me by blood test came back normal, so I don't have a protein deficiency. Which means I don't appear to have a clotting disorder, yay! So as soon as I'm done with my three weeks of preventative Coumadin, I'm done with blood thinners for a while. Woo!


I'm so glad that I'm done with the hourly PT tonight.  It feels like I'm just a life support system for my knee at the moment.