Technically I am in phase 3 now, but there is no sudden change of activity or guidance. Everything is gradual. I did however ask if we could do a few new exercises in PT and Sandy showed me a few. They really were very simple stretching exercises mostly, but she warned I might be sore. When this morning rolled around, I sure was!
It can be frustrating how exhausted I get after doing such simple things. However, things are getting easier. I went to the grocery store again this past weekend and it was easier than the first time. The only way to get better is to keep pushing myself, but the recovery from each effort is still daunting.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Friday, July 9, 2010
First Day Back in the Office and Other Things
In the past week I have challenged myself 3 times and boy am I beat! On Sunday I went to the grocery store with my husband and I walked through the entire trip! I used the cart to support myself and didn't make any extraneous trips. If we forgot something my husband went back for it, and he found it nice that my default slow speed meant I was usually still about where he left me when he got back! I normally have a tendency to wander off. (Ooh something shiny!) Anyway, by the end of the trip I was absolutely shaking from the effort and very weak, but it was still very satisfying. I iced as soon as I got home and rested. Overall it was a good experience.
Building on that success, I went into the office on Tuesday. I managed to make it 6 hours before thecrazy nerve tingles in my knee got out of hand. It's not pain exactly, just uncomfortable niggling tingles shooting through my knee. They get worse as I spend more time in one position, and eventually get constant and very distracting. There was some soreness as I walked out of the office too. I came home, applied ice, and rested until the tingles stopped. However, the next day I was so exhausted I felt almost ill so I guess I needed that next day to recover. It's the weak muscles that are such a huge limitation now. Ice makes the tingles go away quickly, but building muscles means wearing them out first. I just lost so much muscle in my entire body by being inactive for so long.
Then yesterday I really pushed myself. I drove 2 hours to a meeting and then 2 hours back afterward. Driving has been pretty easy, but can cause those nerve tingles since it is a lot of sitting. I arrived early for the meeting and found a spare office to remove my brace and ice right away. That helped a lot. I made it through the meeting and drove back, going straight to PT where I took it pretty easy. I was so tired I felt a little disoriented, but no harm was done. It did take me a long time to get out of bed today though.
Other things going on besides me wiping myself out repeatedly: The cane use appears to be aggravating a tendon in my shoulder causing a pinched feeling. I was trying to treat it with heat and massage, but Sandy, my PT, said to cut that out and use ice. I am never sure which to reach for since random pain is just random pain to me. She said it was probably an inflamed tendon so ice should calm it. She also gave me a sample of BioFreeze, which feels pretty cool (hee hee). I need to focus on getting away from the cane soon anyway, so this is further motivation.
Also, (insert drum roll!) I have a new lesson learned.
Lesson Learned # 12: Keep icing regularly even when the swelling stops. As I increased my activity, Sandy instructed me to ice regularly. The ice has had the unexpected effect of making the straight leg raises (SLR) easier! It is finally not so painful to get in a good "locked" position. The SLR are probably the single most valuable (and most difficult) rehab exercise. I wish I had known regular icing would help with them earlier, but I am glad I figured it out.
So overall, I am making progress and wiping myself out a lot. But hey, I am not going to get better by sitting on my bum. Well, at least not all the time. I am still exhausted from yesterday, so excuse me while I go sit on my bum for a little while. But this weekend I will be back to grocery shopping.
Building on that success, I went into the office on Tuesday. I managed to make it 6 hours before thecrazy nerve tingles in my knee got out of hand. It's not pain exactly, just uncomfortable niggling tingles shooting through my knee. They get worse as I spend more time in one position, and eventually get constant and very distracting. There was some soreness as I walked out of the office too. I came home, applied ice, and rested until the tingles stopped. However, the next day I was so exhausted I felt almost ill so I guess I needed that next day to recover. It's the weak muscles that are such a huge limitation now. Ice makes the tingles go away quickly, but building muscles means wearing them out first. I just lost so much muscle in my entire body by being inactive for so long.
Then yesterday I really pushed myself. I drove 2 hours to a meeting and then 2 hours back afterward. Driving has been pretty easy, but can cause those nerve tingles since it is a lot of sitting. I arrived early for the meeting and found a spare office to remove my brace and ice right away. That helped a lot. I made it through the meeting and drove back, going straight to PT where I took it pretty easy. I was so tired I felt a little disoriented, but no harm was done. It did take me a long time to get out of bed today though.
Other things going on besides me wiping myself out repeatedly: The cane use appears to be aggravating a tendon in my shoulder causing a pinched feeling. I was trying to treat it with heat and massage, but Sandy, my PT, said to cut that out and use ice. I am never sure which to reach for since random pain is just random pain to me. She said it was probably an inflamed tendon so ice should calm it. She also gave me a sample of BioFreeze, which feels pretty cool (hee hee). I need to focus on getting away from the cane soon anyway, so this is further motivation.
Also, (insert drum roll!) I have a new lesson learned.
Lesson Learned # 12: Keep icing regularly even when the swelling stops. As I increased my activity, Sandy instructed me to ice regularly. The ice has had the unexpected effect of making the straight leg raises (SLR) easier! It is finally not so painful to get in a good "locked" position. The SLR are probably the single most valuable (and most difficult) rehab exercise. I wish I had known regular icing would help with them earlier, but I am glad I figured it out.
So overall, I am making progress and wiping myself out a lot. But hey, I am not going to get better by sitting on my bum. Well, at least not all the time. I am still exhausted from yesterday, so excuse me while I go sit on my bum for a little while. But this weekend I will be back to grocery shopping.
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