Post-Op Week 3

This picture was taken pre-surgery! 

Notice how my knee cap is way 

over to the right! They centered it 

during surgery.

Overall Feelings

I was super excited to ditch the crutches! I could finally use my hands to bring myself a glass of water! Yay! I was hoping I could just start walking at a normal speed without much pain. I mean, I got to a point where I didn't have much pain walking on crutches, so why not?! Sadly, that was not the case. At first, it was painful to walk, and I could only really walk at a snail's pace. It took a lot of thought to just take the next step. 

I know that my doctor said I could use crutches as needed, but I really wanted to push myself. I think a lot of my pain is coming from the fact that both my knees are having to compensate for my lost muscles in the operated leg while I walk. And walking is a good way to gain muscle! I think it was the right decision to push myself a little bit because by God's grace, every day my pain level decreases while walking! The first 2 days of walking were really hard. But starting on day 3, things got better. I'm technically on day 4, and I haven't felt any pain today while walking! Huge praise! 

Standing still was when I felt the most pain. My physical therapist told me this is because a lot of pressure is built up and when you're still, and you can feel the static pressure resulting in pain. He said this is the reason why people's backs/necks feel worse sitting at a computer versus standing up and walking around. 

Physical Therapy

I had my first physical therapy appointment. The physical therapist was really happy with where I was starting out! He said he's had 3 other MPFL patients in the last year, and that I am much further along than they were when they first started. What an answered prayer! He showed me some basic sitting exercises to help strengthen my leg muscles and regain my ROM (range of motion). I've heard about a lot patients being in pain as they tried to bend their knee. It actually felt good to bend my knee! Don't get me wrong, it was a weird sensation due to the fact my knee has been straight for 2 weeks. But my knee has been dying to bend, so in that sense it felt good! 

One of my family members asked me what I did to be at the level I was at such an early stage in the recovery process. Here's my thoughts as to why this was the case: 

    1) The Lord's miraculous work. I have been praying over my knee multiple times a day, and many other people who know me personally have also been praying for me. I really hadn't been doing much exercise at all; there's no real "worldly reason" as to why I was at the level I was. The Lord just answered our prayers favorably, and I am so thankful! 

    2) The Lord sovereignly placed me with a great orthopedist. Come to find out, several people from my church have also seen my orthopedist. His method so far has worked! Full weight-bearing after two weeks was definitely the right course for me. I pushed myself through the pain of walking those first few days, but the results were worth it! 

Sleeping

I'm thankful that my sleeping has significantly improved since week 1. However, I really do get tired of having to sleep on my back the majority of the time. I'm a side sleeper, so that makes things difficult for me! I have found that sleeping on my non-operated side with a pillow between my legs helps! I will admit that after a while this becomes painful, but it is nice to give my back a break! I'm not sure when I am technically allowed to sleep without my brace, but I began sleeping without it this week. I found that I was more uncomfortable sleeping with the brace on. I would wake up with my leg and foot asleep, and my back would be sore from sleeping unevenly throughout the night (the brace elevates your leg slightly resulting in an uneven back). I am very careful about keeping my leg straight. In fact, because I've experienced muscle atrophy, I can't even lift my leg to bend it if I wanted to. 

Activity Level

You would think that because I'm walking, I would be able to do more. Not the case! Like I said, on day 3 of walking, my pain levels felt a lot better. I decided to help my husband do a few of the house cleaning chores...big mistake. I couldn't handle being up for even ten minutes. I decided to stick to just focusing on walking to get myself necessities, nothing extra. That means most of my time is still spent on the couch! I have to remember that every day The Lord is improving my knee, even if it is every so slightly. I have to remember to be thankful for those improvements (both small and large) every day.