Seven Weeks Post-op!

I was allowed to start walking without the brace last Wednesday. It was supposed to be a gradual process of weaning off of it, but I've practically abandon it. Although I still carry it around with me like a security blanket if I leave the house in case I have to walk too far or it gets sore or I'm around people who may bump into it. It's been very convenient not keeping it on all the time though. I could finally go get my hair cut this week since I could sit in the chair without the brace. It's been a much quicker process to get in and out of cars, and every time my tiny bladder demands that I go to the bathroom it isn't the ordeal that it was before. 

I am nowhere near walking normally yet. I'm kind of bending my knee when it's in the air and keeping it straight when it's on the ground. Next Wednesday I'm allowed to try to walk more normally, with it bent while it's on the ground. My gait is quite goofy, but oh well. My hips have become very sore from walking with the brace on, so hopefully that goes away soon now that I'm walking without it. I've also added some right leg exercises to help reduce the pain from walking unevenly. My right knee is still quite sore, and the left hurts in a new spot every day. That's good though; it means nothing's wrong if where it hurts keeps changing. It's just the muscles, tendons, and ligaments relearning what they're doing. 

My days are still spent doing a whole lot of this, especially before and after go out anywhere or after I shower:

Ice, ice baby.
John always runs up to the ice pack, feels it, then goes "Cold! Icy! Ria's sore leg. Feels good."

I read on some website that for post-op (and any) knee pain, you should RICE. Rest, Ice, Compress (with an ace bandage), and Elevate. All of these things make it feel a better. I've been trying to not take any pain meds, too, even over the counter ones. Today I found out from someone online who had a similar surgery that you're not supposed to take ibuprofen after bone surgery. It inhibits bone growth. So naturally I Google it, then freak out because plenty of actual research articles confirm this, so I called my doctor. He said that the research is 50/50, but to stop taking it because it can be true. It would've been nice to know that 6 weeks ago when I started taking ibuprofen and kicked the hard-core pain meds to the curb.

Hopefully my femur is still healing okay though since I've been trying to do everything in my power to make sure it does. I've been continuing to take glucosamine-chondroitin, calcium + vitamin D, have replaced coffee with green tea since coffee can leech calcium from your bones, and have minimized alcohol for the same reason, not that I even drank that much before. 

Breakfast on the deck. One of my favorite times of the day.

I am also doing lots of this:

I don't mind it. It's my bit of physical activity that I'm allowed to do. I'm actually excited to start the real PT in August, even though everyone says its going to hurt. It's one more step to getting my strength back!

My ROM is slowly but surely coming back. I'm very excited for how far it's come! It's a gradual process, but everything about healing after knee surgery is, and I'm finally beginning to accept that. 

Left vs. right. It's getting there! Woop woop!

The scars are healing nicely, too. I am still baffled as to how they can do a knee surgery with three tiny incisions, but I am incredibly grateful that someone figured that out. I continuously massage the lumps of scar tissue underneath them, and those are slowly going away. The scares are much less painful, too. 

I've been keeping busy with non-knee things as well. Caitlyn's graduation party was this past Saturday. I can't believe she'll be heading off to OSU in August! I got to catch up with a lot of people that I haven't seen in a while at her party, and a few people told me they are reading this blog :) The party was lots of fun. Caitlyn, Nathan, and my mom worked their butts off getting the house ready, and my dad ran a million errands to help since he can't lift anything yet. Caitlyn did a fantastic job decorating. Our backyard looked like something off of Pinterest. I wish I took more pictures!

Congratulations, Caitlyn! Multiple people mixed us up and told me "congratulations" as they handed me a card. 

I hurt my right knee going downstairs and upstairs one time to see everyone on the patio, so for the rest of the night, Caitlyn's boyfriend Joey carried me up and down because I couldn't handle the stairs. It was hilarious, and I'm very glad he was there! Kevin would've done this but his back wasn't in girlfriend-carrying condition. Everyone got a kick out of the difference in mine and Joey's thigh sizes, so they got a picture.

Hooray for Joey and his strong legs! Thanks for carrying me from downstairs to upstairs and back all evening.

We ended the night enjoying the beautiful weather and playing Apples to Apples after everyone else had left the party.

Later in the week, I saw one of my good friends, Christine, who I hadn't seen in way too long! We went to Piada for dinner, then Handles for dessert. The ice cream was melting faster than we could eat it, and we looked a bit like toddlers with how much ice cream was on our hands afterwards. It was awesome. I also had a Starbucks date with Erin Rose. I hadn't seen her in way too long either! She introduced me to their iced green tea with half the sugar, which was incredibly refreshing on a hot summer day. It's been great finally having the time to catch up with friends. That's definitely one of the best parts of knee surgery slowing my life down. 

I have also found a few people online through Instagram and Google who have had similar surgeries. It seems like hardly anyone has had surgery for osteochondritis dissecans (OCD). Tons of people have had ACL and meniscus surgeries, and I'm sure they're all at least a little similar, but I feel instantly connected to anyone who has had surgery for OCD. Out of everyone, I feel like they "get" me the most right now, and understand the frustrations I'm going through while all my well meaning and supportive family and friends keep saying "It'll get better" and "Hang in there!" We can also celebrate together when we get even two degrees more of ROM back, when we take the brace off for the first time, when we start physical therapy, and when we complete previously simple tasks such as cooking breakfast by ourselves or showering while standing up.

A few people have been incredibly inspirational with their positive attitudes, and it's so nice to feel like someone else understands what I'm going through when everyone around me is living their crazy busy lives and doing everything that I used to be able to do. I know I'll get there eventually, but I have found so much comfort in these people that I have never met and probably never will meet. Hooray for the internet!! I will be a HUGE advocate for support groups for my patients once I am working. It's the most awesome feeling to find someone else who instantly knows exactly how you're feeling without having to explain yourself.  

On a different note, I finally remembered to upload the rest of the pictures from when they were doing the surgery. I thought these pictures were really cool when they first showed them to me. When I woke up from surgery, the nurses joked that I got to go home with a piece of Tiffany's since the end of the bone plug is Tiffany-blue. Now I kind of get grossed out looking at the one that goes to my marrow, and it reminds me why my knee still hurts. I also Google-imaged the type of surgery I had. I am SO glad I didn't do that before surgery. It was disgusting. 

To leave you with a much cuter knee picture, check out my nephew James' knees! His chunky little leg rolls are adorable :) 

And here is my nephew John, enjoying one of the most delightful parts of summer--fresh tomatoes, straight from the vine. 

It was also my parent's 30th Anniversary this week. Happy Anniversary, Mom & Dad!! <3

To any of my new knee surgery buddies who are reading this, I wish you happy and healthy healing! We can do this!