Recovery, Part 3

I am progressing fast, but still a very long way from fully recovered. Day 19 (Saturday 7-2-11) I actually drove a car about 3 miles. But that's about the limit before leg posture-induced pain gets to be unbearable. Plus, the gas and brake pedals need to be the same height, and close to the floorboard, so I can "heel-and-toe" them. Lifting and bending that leg are still severe problems to overcome.

I haven't needed the walker for several days now, and I was also able to bathe without the shower chair for the last couple of days. The swelling in my leg has gone down to mostly just the knee itself. I still have to wear the compression hose to ward off blood clots for another week or so. I also still need the ice pack machine at least once a day, in the evenings.

Therapy is extremely brutal, but effective. They have me doing strengthening exercises as well as flexibility. I really push things very hard in therapy, knowing as I do now what is necessary. That's probably why I am recovering a little faster with this knee than the other one 2.5 years ago. It is excruciating, but well worth it. There is no other way.

I can get down to nearly straight at roughly 5 degrees with some pain, and Friday I went beyond 90 degrees flex with a whopping lot of pain. When I hit 0-120, therapy discharges me. The hardware limits are 0-140, which I achieved with the other knee a couple of months after discharge from therapy. I still have a very long way to go with this right knee. But I will get there!