Post-Op Week 1: Bend It Or Someone Will Bend It For You

I went for a follow-up visit with my surgeon yesterday. He's happy with my ability to walk (partial weight-bearing now with crutches) and with being able to straighten my leg. He doesn't think that I am progressing far enough with being able to bend it though. Truthfully, I have only been working on flexion since Wednesday. So he wants to see me again next week and if I can't increase the degree of flexion, then he is going to send me to physical therapy. If I can, he thinks I'll be fine to progress on my own.

I'll admit, I've been a little hesitant about moving it. It's not the pain, just the uneasiness about stressing the graft. But if my doctor since my doctor is so confident about this graft then I should be as well. So I have been bending my knee... a lot. This photo was taken last night as I watched TV and slid my leg down the wall in the process. I can get my knee to past 90 right now when I push. The biggest difference that I noticed is how fast the swelling went down when I started bending it. I can see my kneecap today. The pink sock is a compression stocking. I started out (the day after surgery) with a Jobst garment that went to my hip but it got really hot so I switched to this one from Zensah. It really helps having something over the calf keeping any swelling moving upward.

Sparta thinks it's great that I'm spending time on the floor. When I first had surgery I was worried that she would hurt me. She is a good size dog and when she plays she likes to be right under your feet. She also likes to sit and lean into your legs. Turns out though, the cats have been more of a problem. They like to walk right across my legs while I am asleep. My grey cat, Strider, once stepped right on my kneecap sending me flailing. It didn't really hurt. It's just now that I've had this surgery, I don't want anyone near it. I'm sure that this feeling will fade as it starts to feel more normal.