All American Surgery Update - Three Months

What I Would Have Done Differently - PATIENCE
This is really nobody's fault but my own. Before the surgery, my doctor's told me that full recovery would be at least a year out. And I believed them, but I really didn't believe them. I knew it'd be a slow process once the walking boot came off and I started moving on my own, but I didn't realize it would be this slow. Patience has never been my virtue.

I had my three month checkup at the beginning of the month, and handed over my walking boot in exchange for a very sturdy brace complete with boning and more straps than I know what to do with. The Physician's Assistant told me we'd be looking at wearing that for 2-3 weeks, with its removal directed by the physical therapists I could now start seeing. I, of course, thought this meant I'd be off like a shot...how wrong I was!

What is Frustrating - Brace + Cane
Not only am I still wearing the brace moving into the third week with no end in sight, but I am now one week into using a cane to help when I walk. Unfortunately, both my left knee and hip have reacted poorly to this whole walking thing, and ache badly enough that I am not sleeping at night. With the introduction of the cane, I am sleeping better and my hip seems to have largely resolved, but we've actually had to start taping my knee and that is still unhappy, even with the use of the cane.

What I'm Looking Forward To - Getting Ride of Both!
I am crossing my fingers that by the end of this week, continuing all of my Pt work, we'll get to the point where I can kick at least the cane, if not also the brace, to the curb. I'm also looking forward to being able to comfortably walk down stairs. I don't yet have that roll-through motion, so it is a little tricky, but I am going to keep stretching and working on the flexibility so hopefully we'll get there soon!

What is Working - Physical Therapy
I sort of love physical therapy. I know this makes me really weird, but after THREE MONTHS of complete inactivity, it feels so great to be able to actually get to put some work into the healing process. Right now the big priority is bringing back the flexibility. The strength actually seems to be pretty decent, but we've got to get it to stretch!

What I've Accomplished - Moving a Space Suit
At work, I am largely able to sit every day without spending time on my feet. This last Friday that was not the case, and I not only had to take down my exhibition, but also move a space suit that came in for our new exhibit that took a good couple of hours. It was by far the most I have been on my feet since the surgery, and while I'm still feeling it, it was not so debilitating that I had to stay in bed the next day. I did have to sit and keep everything elevated, but I survived!

This Week's Goal - Adding in Cardio
I've had a gross couple of weeks, I will be honest. With my knee and hip hurting so badly, I fell back onto some bad comfort food consolation habits, and didn't do any physical activity beyond my daily routine and physical therapy. Now that the hip at least is under control, I really want to start stepping up my game. I've got a wedding to go to in two and a half months, and something extra magical happening in August that I need to be able to stand and dance for!