The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

(The end of this post has pictures of my stitches. If stitches gross you out please don't scroll all the way down!)

The Good:

I thought I'd have more time sitting on the couch than I knew what to do with, but it's been such a busy few days. On Thursday, John, Kel, and my nephews came over, and my parents made steak, asparagus, salad and baked potatoes for dinner. I was provided with hours of entertainment.

John sang the ABCs to me multiple times. 

I got to hold James! I swear he smiled two seconds after this, and I'm not trying to eat him.

Kevin and John played a game, and I cheered them on. Kevin threw the ball up to the balcony, and John threw it back down. He thought it was hilarious when Kevin would miss or if the ball got stuck between the rungs.

Kevin also juggled for me, but I can't get the video on here at the moment. I got to just hang out with everyone and relax for the rest of the night. The pain was pretty bad by the time time I went to bed though. It's been the worst at night so far.

Friday evening, my Aunt Barb, Uncle Dan, Grace (my cousin), Luke (her husband), and LJ (their two year old son) came in on their way  back home to Chautauqua Lake, NY from Nashville, and my parents had everyone over for dinner. We had a full house. 

After dinner, I was so antsy to get out of the house and was feeling pretty good, so Kevin and I went to Menchie's with Nate and Kylie. Getting in the car was quite a hassle. I sat in Kevin's front seat with the seat reclined. Not super comfortable with the brace.

I also got an incredibly sweet get well card from Grandma Baker and Zeek,

and enjoyed the beautiful spring flowers.

Saturday, my baby sister had her senior prom! I hobbled around on crutches to help take pictures of her and her boyfriend Joey.

Saturday evening, we went to my friend Jessica's graduation party. She just completed her Special Education degree from Ohio University. Congratulations, Jessica! This time, I sat in the back seat which was a bit easier. I managed to play corn hole standing on one leg, and we all played Cards Against Humanity. It was an awesome party, and it was wonderful being out of the house. 

The Bad (and also a little TMI):

I am frustrated with how long it takes to do everything since I am used to moving around so quickly. Getting up to pee is a 10 minute process, and I have a tiny bladder so this happens quite often. I am still trying to figure out how to go to the bathroom with a full leg brace on, because the million ways I've tried so far are incredibly uncomfortable. 

Showering is quite an ordeal, and so far I've only sponge bathed because of my stitches. Kevin installed a long-handled shower head in our downstairs bathroom, and my mom tried to wash my hair while I sat next to the tub. The chair didn't quite reach to the tub, and the floor was soaked within about 10 seconds of her trying to wash my hair. 

She wiped up the floor so I wouldn't slip, and I stood with my brace on hunched over the tub washing my own hair. Then I sat in a chair and washed myself with a soapy washcloth. What normally takes 15 minutes turned into an hour long process, and was was completely worn out by the end of it. I felt a million times better though since I had felt so disgusting since the surgery. This is definitely giving me more perspective to what my patients go through. 

The CPM (continuous passive motion) machine is becoming more painful the more degrees of ROM (range of motion) that I have to add. It feel like my skin is stretching way too far, and that the stitches are going to rip. I dread it now. 

I am in a battle between wanting the relief of the pain meds, and not wanting the side effects. I spoke too soon when I said I wasn't getting any side effects! I have been incredibly nauseous the past few days, and I'm not sure if it's the meds or a bug that went through my family. Half of of my family has had a 48 hour stomach bug this week, so it may be that. 

Here comes the TMI part...apparently pain meds are notorious for causing constipation. Combine that with not being nearly as active as normal and finding it difficult to even sit on a toilet because of a full leg brace...and you know where this is going. It's causing quite the problem, so I'm trying to only take the pain meds when I absolutely need them. So far, that has been every time I use that awful leg bending machine. These have been staples in my diet the past few days:

Coffee, Metamucil, Colace, and hot water. Plus tons of fruits and veggies.

I've also been taking extra strength probiotics because my body doesn't handle antibiotics well, and they pumped tons of antibiotics in my IV during surgery to prevent infection. I'm trying to prevent any additional problems the antibiotics may cause. 

Overall, I am lucky and the recovery process is going incredibly well, but there are definitely frustrating moments. 

The Ugly:

Here

.

..

...

..

.

come

.

..

...

..

.

the

.

..

...

..

.

.

stitches! 

You were warned. They actually really aren't bad at all, but I know some people are easily grossed out. I unwrapped the bulky bandages for the first time last night, and my knee looked about how I expected it to. The doctor signed my leg before surgery to be sure of which leg he was operating on. 

Lastly, I have my follow-up appointment tomorrow morning. I am not looking forward to getting the stitches out. I'm not sure if that happens tomorrow, or later. Hopefully everything looks good though!