Wow! I've made it to the two-week mark! And I'm feeling pretty great since yesterday when I made excellent progress and gained some confidence in my leg.
Today I made further progress. I went to the gym again but this time I used only 1 crutch to get there. At the gym I used the stationary bike again, starting off slowly in the lower part of the pedal rotation and then gaining enough flexion to make the full circle. I tried to pedal fast enough to activate the television audio but no dice... subtitles it was.
So I rode the bike for about 15 minutes and then went upstairs to the leg press. I did 15 presses with my bad leg only on the lowest weight which I think was 15 pounds. Then I did 15 with both legs on a higher weight, then 15 again on the bad leg and lower weight, then back to both legs. I thought about doing some hip abductors, and tried it a bit, but then wasn't sure if I was supposed to do a thing like that. So I went down on the mat and did some abs and some lying around elevating my leg against the glass of the squash court. Ahh, workouts.
I don't have a very clear workout plan. All I know is that my PT told me I can do the bike and the leg press so that's what I did. I should figure out a more extensive upper and core body workout plan to compensate for my self-pitying overeating. I didn't weigh myself before this all started for a reason...
At home I've been much more comfortable the last couple of days. It's like my quad muscles kicked in once again and are suddenly now somewhat useful. I can lift my leg up onto the couch using my quadriceps instead of turning around and lifting it up with my hamstrings. I can also lower my leg slowly to the ground. These are things I was not able to do for the first week and a half or more. Actually, it might have been just yesterday that I suddenly felt the change.
I've also been walking around my place without the brace on and without having to hold onto furniture for support. I know this goes against my doctor's orders, but I feel like the longer I am stuck in the brace the more muscle mass I'll lose and the less opportunity I'll have to work on flexion. I've been very careful and haven't had any mishaps. Yet.
As far as how my emotional state is, I'm feeling really great. Getting back to work and the gym, and seeing real improvement has done a lot for me. Yes, it sucks to be kind of missing a beautiful time of year, but I think I'll survive. I should try to get outside a bit more and stop letting this leg keep me all cooped up.
And finally, here are my 2 weeks post op photos:
Look how the bruise has just about disappeared!
My scar looks beautiful except for a spot or two of bloodiness that hasn't cleared up yet. And pen marks that haven't washed off.
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