The most progress yet!!

Day 13

This afternoon, after visiting the office for the first time today since the surgery (though I've been fine and working from home since sometime last week), I went back to the gym! I haven't been to the gym since maybe two weeks before my surgery when I came down with a cold and the never returned.

I actually hesitated going because the image of a girl hobbling around with crutches in a big brace, entering the gym seemed too much for me to handle. But I had already declared publically that I was going to give it a shot, so off I went. For those out of the loop, my gym is a three minute walk down the street.

It probably took me ten minutes to crutch over there.

Once there, I definitely attracted some attention, the front door girl asked me what I did to my leg immediately. Other people held the doors for me, and later my friend the Kung Fu instructor/Fitness Orientation guy who has been asking me about my knee since he oriented me came by to say hello and see how I was doing.

I went over to the stationary bikes section and got onto a bike with a good view of the TVs. My physio said this morning that I could go on the bike but I probably wouldn't be able to do a full rotation on the pedals. Even just pedalling back and forth on the lower part of the rotation would be a good start, he said. I've read accounts of others online who say that getting on the bike is great for helping with the healing process. I think it releases some kind of acid or fluid or something that helps to increase range of motion. After about five minutes of pedaling back and forth, I was actually able to do a full rotation pedal!! Then I continued to cycle for about ten more minutes! I didn't want to overdo it but it felt pretty okay. I mean, it wasn't like I was burning many calories. I was going so slowly the bike's computer didn't even register my efforts and therefore I couldn't even activate the audio for the TVs, but man, it felt great. It was pretty difficult at the bendiest part of the pedal-action, such that I had to use my other foot to kind of pull the pedal along instead of pushing it with my bad leg. I feel confident that by Friday, if I continue to go to the gym and work on the cycling, I will achieve my 105 degree bending goal. Maybe even beat it!

After around fifteen minutes on the bike I figured that was enough so I went over to the mat area where I did a bunch of crunches, first with my legs bent and down and then with them up on the ball. I used my legs to pull and push the ball around, I did some bicep and tricep work, and I could even do the plank on my toes (without the brace!) I'm not completely sure as far as leg exercises what else I should do, or maybe what I shouldn't do, but I'm not really pushing it and nothing I've done has caused me any pain yet.

I left the gym feeling so great! It's nice to be back doing some of the things I enjoy, even if it's not quite the same. It feels wonderful to see real signs of progress. It even just feels good to be working on getting better in a busy and full of life environment like the gym where everyone else is working on the same goal, if for different reasons.

Then I came home and ate ice cream, souvlaki and nachos Iin that order) with friends while watching Heroes.

Here's to my two week anniversary tomorrow!!! My how time flies.