Andy's ACL Reconstruction Adventure

Day 20

Andy — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 18:59:44 +0000

I figured it was about time for another update. Tuesday will be 3 weeks since my surgery, and things are moving along pretty nicely. I go back to the doctor tomorrow, and hopefully I will hear good news. I’m heading back down to Auburn either tomorrow night or Tuesday morning, as I hope to start physical therapy in the loveliest village some time on Tuesday.

That said, I had my last PT session in Decatur on Thursday, and they said I’ve been making great progress. I’m doing all of my leg lifts with weights now, and they’ve added in some hamstring stretching. The hamstring stuff is kind of painful, as it feels like I’m really pulling that muscle every day. The good news, however, is that they finally let me get on the exercise bike on Thursday. I had been looking forward to that immensely, and it was great to be able to get back on. They told me that riding the bike is one of the best things I can do for my range of motion, and I was really happy to hear that since I love riding so much.

This past week has been kind of tough, motivationally speaking. I’ve had some good days and some bad days. It’s really been rough being here at home, as all I have to do most days is sit around the house and do my exercises. The improvement doesn’t seem to be coming quite as fast as at first, and it’s hard to stay motivated to keep pushing myself during my workouts. I constructed a nice playlist on my ipod filled with all sorts of music from the Rocky saga, and that’s helping me out. I think going back to Auburn and returing to some normalcy will help too.

The leg itself is feeling better. I’m getting pretty close to being able to walk normally without my brace on. I’m still supposed to wear my brace when I go out, and it’s more difficult to walk with that thing on than with it off. However, I’m sure it’s helping me during this time while my graft hasn’t totally set yet.

Anyway, I made a resolution to myself this morning that I’m not going to let negative thoughts bring me down throughout all of this. I’ve beaten a lot of other tough things in my life, and there’s no reason I can’t do the same here!

Day 11

Andy — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 04:25:35 +0000

Every day now when I wake up my leg feels a little bit stronger and a little bit more normal. I ditched the crutches today for good. I’m slowly re-teaching myself to walk normally, since they told me at PT today that I needed to stop keeping my leg straight when walking. So, I’m trying to bend it more and walk more naturally. My balance is pretty good now, though, and I don’t think I have to worry about any falls.

I also conquered stairs for the first time since my surgery today. I can now retire my “sitting on my butt and pushing myself up each stair with my hands” method in favor of regular walking. I suppose my dream of having one of those sliding mechanical stair-chairs has now been rendered unnecessary.

Alas, feeling confident after letting the stairs know who is once again boss, I decided to try my luck at getting in and out of the shower myself. Previously, my patient and gracious dad has been helping me in and out of the shower with some very clever usage of a step-stool and one foot shimmying (demonstration not forthcoming). I was able to get in and out quite easily, with the help of some shower shoes to help me gain traction.

I decided not to drive to my PT appointment today, but I might try getting behind the wheel tomorrow. It shouldn’t be a big deal, since the surgery was on my non-driving leg. That’s really the only thing holding me back from being able to do pretty much everything I need to for daily activities.

PT itself was basically business as usual, with the exception of one fun drill. They had me stand on a mat, with my eyes closed, while the trainer pushed me from various directions. I had to compensate by shifting my weight so I didn’t fall over. I didn’t realize how much the muscle-mind link between my left leg and brain had eroded, and it was pretty darn tough. I didn’t fall, but I really had to think about it.

Anyways, hopefully more (small) improvements will be coming daily now.

Day 10

Andy — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 15:17:06 +0000

Sorry for the lack of the promised update last night, I was super tired because I hadn’t slept very well the night before.

I went for my doctor’s visit yesterday and received lots of good news. They took out my stitches, and they told me that I don’t have to wear any braces when I am at home. When I’m moving around, they said I should use either my sports brace (picture forthcoming at some point), or the crutches. Also, I can start driving pretty much whenever I want, since I have stopped taking Lortab completely as of two days ago. I might attempt that on Friday.

I also had a PT appointment yesterday, and they threw in some new exercises. These involved standing up and doing calf raises, balancing on my left leg (while holding on to a bar to steady myself) and marching in place.

Also, at PT I walked (more like hobbled) completely on my own without crutches or a brace for the first time. That was a big moment for me, as I didn’t think I could really do it. Now, I really feel like I’m getting over closer to being back to normal.

So at this point, I just keep going to PT and working out at home. I go back to the doctor on August 10th, and I’ve pretty much decided to head back to Auburn on August 11th, as I should be pretty capable at that point.

I will keep posting updates as relevant and interesting things happen, but I won’t bore you with things you’ve already read…

Day 7

Andy — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 02:17:32 +0000

Physical therapy visit number two was today. They continue to tell me I’m making really good progress. I was able to bend my knee 100 degrees on my own today, a goal that they wanted me to be able to do by my second week of PT. They were also impressed that I can keep my leg very straight. I was surprised that there was nothing much new at PT today, I just did all the same exercises I’ve been doing at home. Of course, they also hooked me up to an electronic muscle stimulation machine and iced me down afterward.

There hasn’t been much else new today. I continue to get more confident standing with my weight distributed equally on both feet, as well as walking with the crutches.

The next big news will probably come from my second Post-Op visit to the doctor at 8:45 on Wednesday. I may not update tomorrow, but I will definitely post on Wednesday with what the doc says.

Day 6

Andy — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 04:29:59 +0000

WARNING: Pictures of my incisions are at the bottom of this post. They’re not that bad. Don’t say I didn’t warn you, though.

It’s hard to believe we’re already at day 6. It seems like my surgery was just yesterday. There’s not much new to report today.

I continue to practice walking with the crutches, and the swelling of my leg seems to be going down. I’m starting to get pretty restless just sitting around all day and I can’t wait for the OK from the doc to get back to quasi-normal activities.

This lifestyle may seem lax, but at the end of each day I am physically exhausted. Just getting myself around the house and performing basic life functions takes way more energy when your leg isn’t functioning properly.

Tomorrow is my second trip to PT, and I will be sure to report how that goes.

Below are the pictures (as promised) of my incisions. They’re not really too gross. The black stuff is all just stitches, not blood.

Incisions

Another angle

Day 5

Andy — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 14:49:37 +0000

Sorry about the lack of an update last night. I was pretty tired and decided to just go right to bed. Yesterday was pretty similar to Day 4. I was still pretty sore and doing my exercises twice a day was a bit of a painful experience.

I did manage to start walking a little bit yesterday, with the assistance of the crutches. I didn’t feel any pain when I placed all of my weight on my left leg, which was a bit of a surprise to me. It’s still a slow process, and it takes me a long time to walk anywhere, but being able to do that seemed pretty significant to me.

I’m still trying to increase the time between taking pain pills, and I am only taking 1 pill every 6 hours now. I’m hoping I can stop taking those pills pretty soon, because I hate taking medicine.

I’m really looking forward to going to my next physical therapy session on Monday so I can see how I’m progressing.

Day 4

Andy — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 03:38:56 +0000

Today was a pretty light day in terms of activity, but I use that term lightly (double pun?). I didn’t have to actually go to physical therapy today, but I think I more than made up for it with my workouts here at home. I was feeling pretty sore all over today – my body’s response to the first day of therapy and just trying to move around the house. Surprisingly, my arms were really sore all day, especially my biceps and triceps. Getting yourself around on those crutches really gives your upper body a workout, and I guess my arms are just complaining a little bit.

I’ve started trying to stand around on both feet without crutches a little bit, and there is really no pain associated with it. I just don’t have full confidence in my quad muscle in my left leg to keep me upright, since it’s relatively weak right now.

I spent about half the day upstairs today, which was a first, and I slept in my own bed for the first time last night. That was really nice, as it is infinitely more comfortable than the couch.

Sorry for no pictures today. I had my mom take one of my leg without the band-aids on, showing the stitched up incisions. I didn’t manage to get it put on the computer in time for today’s post, so it will probably make it on tomorrow.

I think tomorrow I’m going to try to walk a little bit (with the assistance of the crutches). I feel like that will be a big step (hope the puns tonight have had you kicking and screaming in laughter).

Day 3 – Physical Therapy Begins

Andy — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 21:58:17 +0000

Today was the day I had simultaneously been looking forward to and dreading ever since I found out I needed surgery. I’ve wanted it to get here because it means the first true day of recovery has arrived, and I’m on my way to getting back to normal life. However, I had heard many horror stories about physical therapists jerking legs around and causing all sorts of horrific pain. Thankfully, that scenario didn’t materialize at all.

The physical therapist I’m working with here in Decatur is a pretty cool guy from Oklahoma who is a huge Oklahoma football fan. Thus, we pretty much discussed football the entire time I was there, especially since SEC Media Days coverage was on TV.

He had me do some pretty simple exercises – mostly leg lifts in various forms, as well as an exercise where I lie flat on my back and pull my left heel back to try and bend my leg as much as it will allow. I was able to bend it about 95 degrees on my own, and 110 degrees with his help. He told me my performance was really good, and that some people weren’t able to do the things I did today until 2 weeks after their surgeries. I think my dedication to strengthening my legs before surgery really paid off.

Since I did well today, I don’t have to go back to PT tomorrow (which is what would normally happen). My next appt isn’t until Monday (with Wednesday and Friday appts to follow). However, I still have to do the set of exercises twice a day each day. I just finished my second set for today, and they were a little bit tougher than the ones this morning

I know I promised a picture of my strangely shaven knee, so of course I delivered. In fact, I have TWO pictures for you. Enjoy..

Doing an exercise

Leg hair comparison

Doctor’s Visit

Andy — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 03:34:38 +0000

As I mentioned in the last post, I had my first post-op doctor’s appointment this afternoon. By all accounts, it went really well.

For the first time, they took all of the wrappings and bracing off of my leg. I was expecting some gruesome sight, but it really looks pretty good. You can see where the scope points were, but the rest of the leg looks great. The doctor said he was impressed that there was very little swelling (a testament, I think, to my ability to keep my leg elevated the whole time since I got out of surgery). My leg does look a little funny, though, since they only shaved the middle portion of it. From both my ankle down and my thigh up, I’m still very hairy, with nothing in between. I’ll try to post a picture of that tomorrow before it starts growing back in.

The doctor said that I could start putting as much weight on my left leg as I felt comfortable doing, which I considered remarkable considering my surgery was one day ago. I still haven’t had much confidence to try yet, as I’ve just lightly rested on it a few times, but I’m sure I’ll be able to do more and more as the days go by.

I’m going to attempt to take my first post-op shower tomorrow morning, so I can finally get cleaned up for my first physical therapy appointment at 11:00 tomorrow morning. I’m a little nervous about the rehab, but I know it’s going to be very important to do what they say so I can get full use of my leg back. I’ll be sure to post about how that goes tomorrow as well.

Day 2

Andy — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 17:53:31 +0000

Day 2

It’s day 2 of my ACL adventure (I debated whether to call this day 1 or day 2, since it’s technically day 1 of recovery, but I ultimately decided I didn’t want to call the surgery day… day 0). I slept on the couch downstairs last night, and I still haven’t been upstairs since I’ve gotten home. I’m not sure when I’ll be able to do that, since stairs can be pretty tricky to navigate. I had a little bit more pain through the night, but have continued to take 1 Loritab pill about every 4 hours. The pain is still quite bearable, and I can even flex my quad muscles a little bit.

I’m getting a lot better at getting off the couch and moving around using the crutches. I have an appointment with the doctor at 3:15 this afternoon, so I’ll really get a chance to move around a good bit again for that. I’m hoping I won’t get sick in the car this time. I’m anxious to hear what all the doctor has to say today.