Nearly 13 Weeks

I just reread the last post here and realized how slowly things are changing. On June 3rd I was hoping to drive soon and I was occasionally going without the cane in the house. Now it is June 21 and I am driving short distances and regularly going without the cane in the house. Hmm. That doesn't seem that much of a change for 18 days.

So it goes. I am getting a little stronger. Every few days I just catch myself feeling maybe not so weak. On Saturday I actually ran a few errands. I can't shop for groceries, but I could walk into the grocery store, find one thing in the produce section, and go straight to the checkout. It was a huge challenge! So, does that deserve a woohoo? Meh. I wouldn't have done that on June 3rd, so I guess it is progress.

The straight leg raises are still very painful and are really the only part of PT where I haven't come a long way. Whenever I do them, I try to do 40-50 total. The first ten are one at a time, and I rest after each. I try to visualize the pain as water flowing over me and dissipating, flowing down to the floor and away from me. The second ten I do in sets of 5, and if I can, the rest I do in sets of ten. They get easier as I go, which is why I can keep increasing the number in each set.

Last week I was having a particularly hard time and could only manage sets of 5 all the way through to 50. I had been pondering why and I think I have figured it out. It was the same culprit as before: those stupid prone exercises! My leg had been straightening easily so I thought I could cut them out finally, but spending a little time prone seemed to help something shift in the knee so that it was less painful to lock it straight. Honestly, the remaining pain I am dealing with is very hard to describe, so forgive me for failing to convey it. It just hurts whenever I rely on the muscles around the knee to support it. That occurs when I lock it straight, lift the leg in any way, or if it has been in one position for too long and the muscles cramp from holding it there.

I am still in less pain than before the surgery and I try to keep that in mind. However, I am pretty sick of being a little weakling. Meep.