Your Life Safe and Sound

  Saturday, it's been a big day.  I went to the range first thing, only one other shooter there.  Then  I went and got adjusted, boy did my back make some noise!  The best part is that I felt better right away.  My knee has been really stiff for the last few days, and right away it felt better.  I am always amazed how adjusting your back affects all parts of you body.  I have to make that a weekly part of my life, I just do.    I went back to work at LaSalle thursday, mostly testing and paperwork thursday and friday, the outage and the real work starts Monday.  I get to stay on day shift, 7-7 for a week or so.  It sure feels good to be back.  It was still hard to walk a lot, and the stairs are still tough, mostly I think I'm just not used to being active for so long.  I keep telling people that it's a work in progress, I guess that's for me too.  I want to be able to just step back in and do well, but I'm willi...

  Wednesday.  Today was the last day of PT, I'm going back to work tomorrow! I am excited, not nervous.  It's a scaffold job at the LaSalle nuclear plant, it typically lasts 6-8 days, so by next weekend I'll probably be laid off.  I figured with all the other people there, and it is a nuke plant, the work won't be that hard, and it should be a good job to go back to work after the surgery.   All the exercises I've been doing have gone up in weight, I feel like I'm stronger, and the bones don't hurt.  I still have some pain/discomfort when I kneel, I definitely don't have the range of motion to comfortably kneel yet.  Going down stairs is still tough, I just don't feel strong, or confident enough at that yet.  I'm anticipating that getting back to work will help restore some of the normal motion and activity range that I am used to.  I really want to get back to living my life, and not always being in pain.  I've been off one more week ...

  Tuesday, another cloudy, cold day, but it is another day.  PT yesterday was tough.  They had me doing some new exercises, I thought I was in ballet class.  Walk on just your toes, down and back.  Walk on just your heels, down and back.  The toe part was weird, but ok.  I almost couldn't walk on just my heels, without touching your toes to the ground.  Then the stool scoot.  I still don't know how to do that.  I can't get enough traction it seems like.  I guess I just can't bend my knees enough to get my foot planted enough to get traction.  After all that, man did my feet hurt.    My right knee is still really sore at night.  I stopped taking the prescription pain pills last week, only using Advil and Tylenol, and not very much of that.  I guess I need to take more at night.  I'm thinking about trying the heating pad tonight, maybe that will do it.    I'm trying to sleep without my feet up...

  Saturday, it snowed last night, and it sure is pretty out there.  Warm, wet, slushy, not fun to shovel snow out there, I'm glad those boys of mine like to shovel snow.   After PT yesterday, I think I ended up measuring 110 degrees of flexion and 4 degrees of extension.  New world record, for me anyway.  For the first time while she was measuring the extension, I could feel my leg actually stretching, straightening out as I tried to get as much as possible.  They had me use the hip machine, and a couple other exercises I haven't done before, today I feel sore in all new places. 

  Thursday.  Wow, it's been 10 days?  I guess the whole 30 days makes a habit doesn't work with me.  The recovery is coming along, I'm trying to not take any prescription pain pills anymore, just using Advil and Tylenol.  Tomorrow will be the first PT day like that, I'm not really sure how that will go.    I start back to work  2 weeks from today, February 6th at LaSalle nuclear station.  There area a few nuclear refuel outages this spring, LaSalle, Byron, Quad, and then Braidwood.  Braidwood ends in early May, and these are not without breaks in between, but pretty close.  I'm thinking these will be the best way to go back to work after surgery.  I haven't called the panel company yet, maybe I should do that for later in the year.  I hear about work at Citgo, and the peaker plant that's being built in Elwood, who knows what will happen next.   My PT progress is going ok according to Jessica, I think the last meas...

  Monday, stinkin Monday.  There are an awful lot of memes out there about Mondays.  I used some heat packs this morning for the first time today.  I put them in the velcro wrap around my knee for the drive to PT this morning.  My knee felt nice and warm when I arrived, and I got the bike to go around right off the bat.  I did spend a minute back and forth after that just to get moving, but that is the best start so far.    They had me do the testing against the machine, some testing against a computer connected machine to gauge my progress, I did the same testing in the beginning.  I'm not sure how much you really learn from this stuff, there seems to be an awful lot of subjectivity involved.  I know everyone needs some quantifiable way to measure my progress.  Saying that everything is harder or easier doesn't help I guess.   The measurements of flexion and extension are better overall, but I feel like I may have reached ...

  Sunday   Well, I've sort of let this slip haven't I?  I'm not sure what happened, but here we are.  Physical therapy wise, I think it's been an overall positive week.  I feel like I'm finally getting somewhere, albeit very slowly.  I think the best measurements were on Wednesday, 110 and 4 after warm ups.  Friday was a cold, rainy day, and the changing weather has a real effect on me.  Pain and stiffness keeps much bending from happening.  I think when we measured after a really good stretch and work out, it was about the same.  I can usually get the bike to go around after 4 or 5 minutes of warm up, and I started using the leg extension machine.  Functionally I feel like I'm getting better, but I'm still having a hard time just standing for a long period.  Moving around, walking, stairs, etc is all good, standing still, not so much.  Still working mostly on extension, my hamstrings and all those tendons, etc are reall...

  Monday again.  Today was a good day.  I haven't been able to say that for a while.  I was awake until about 2:30 am before I finally fell asleep.  So many things going on in my head, and I guess I'm just not active enough to be tired.    I feel like I may have finally turned the corner, for real this time.  Two days of not much exercise, mostly just working on extension while I'm sitting.  I went to PT today, driving my truck, myself.  It was a beautiful, sunny day, and I just needed to get out, alone.  It took almost the whole 10 minute warm up time to get the bike pedals to go all the way around, but it worked.  Cassie measured my extension and bending right away.  I don't remember the numbers for sure, something like 96 and 12 maybe?  We got right to work, focused first on extension, another measurement, and then exercises to build up muscle, before measuring the bending.  I think at the end of the session...

  Sunday   Another Sunday, it's getting a little easier to sit in Church, I'm on for security next week, so I have to get my act together.  We definitively can't have a static security presence, I need to keep moving around.  Just last week is when the church shooting took place in Texas.  I just can't stop thinking about that, every time I go into the auditorium, I think about that happening here.   Another day of mostly resting, not much activity.  I did talk to my friend the PT guy, and he seemed encouraged by the numbers, so I guess I should be too.  I'm starting to see the end of the calendar, as far as my back to work goal is concerned.  It's getting closer, and I'm hoping for a lot of progress here in the next few weeks.  My goal is to be back by the end of the month.  I guess it's something to shoot for.  I'll be back to PT tomorrow morning, Just keep going! 

  Saturday   I spent most of the day just resting, and reading.  Didn't sleep very much again.  The pain after PT in the back of my knee seems to get worse in the night.  I decided to not do much, just try to rest.  Everything at PT is so intense, I just want some time not in constant pain.  I was actually able to go a while longer between pain pills, and I used the lower dose ones.  I'm going to try to save the stronger stuff for active exercise days, and see how that goes.    I made spaghetti and meatballs for dinner, the pantry is getting kind of slim, trying to use up some of the random stuff in the freezer.

  Friday.    Last day of PT for the week.  Started out feeling a little looser than before.  Cassie worked a lot on extension, I think it measured 7 degrees when we were done.  It's getting there, just doesn't seem to stay.  I took Emerson to church to spend some time playing video games with friends for the afternoon.  Not having a chance to put my feet up very well wasn't the best.idea, but it was good to see him having fun.  I took him home, and then Kym and I came right back for a leaders meeting.   The motion on the bike wasn't as good as Thursday, couldn't get the pedals to go around this time.  Maybe Monday will be better.  The incision is still looking good, no eruptions.

  Wednesday, Happy Year!  It's a cold, snow covered day, but the sun is shining.  It's been a long time since I wrote, they have been some tough days, emotionally and physically.  I'm going to try to recall what I can from the last 5 days, exactly what I didn't want to have to do.  That's why I started this dumb blog.  Here goes.   Friday The manipulation was at noon, and I think I was in recovery by 1.  Not sure because you can't have your glasses.  Putting the spinal in before the procedure was creepy as usual.  Feeling a needle moving around in your spine is just weird.   The doctor told me that is to target your right knee in particular, so that everything else will still work.  I got up to use the bathroom right before they wheeled me out, and it was already starting to feel numb, hard to walk on.  The nurse who came to wheel me to surgery asked if I wanted to be awake for the procedure, or totally out. ...

  Friday, manipulation day.  Woo hoo!  We decided yesterday to go ahead with the procedure, and try to get all the motion I can while I'm still off.  I ate dinner about 9 last night, and went to bed about 10:30.  Of course, I didn't sleep very well.  Can't have any pain meds either.Not food or water after midnight, for a noon procedure.  Dumb.   So, here I am really thirsty, really hungry, and it's only 9am.  We have to be at the hospital by 11, so Kym is rushing around, getting everything ready.  They told me I would be there for a 23 hour hold after the procedure.  I will try to hold them to that.  Looking at the pictures from the last one, I think I was there for 2 days.  That leg was way more swollen the whole time, so I'm hopeful that this stay will be shorter.    It's almost time to go, and I'll try to write from my phone. IMG_6036.jpg 1.6 MB

  Thursday.  This morning my knee was sore, pretty much every morning.  I think most of it is from trying to straighten the knee.  I usually end up with the ice bag on to sleep.  I long for the day when I can sleep in a position other than on my back.    I thought I made progress yesterday, but when I got up this morning, it was still a crooked leg.  I got up and had breakfast, it was another warm sunny day, I think officially a record for the day.  I tried the bike this morning, and went off to PT at 11.  We measured first, and then Cassie, one of the PT girls started doing massage.  She worked a lot on the back of the knee, hamstrings are a lot of the reason it won't straighten enough.  By the time she was done, I think I picked up 10 degrees of extension.  They say you want to get to 0 degrees, but 3 or 4 is ok.  My left knee is at 4 degrees, and my right one ended up at 8 today.  So close, it's hard to tell...

  Wednesday, it's Christmas!  I slept until 8 am.  Making up for being awake in the night again.  My knee was pretty sore this morning, all the weight work I guess.    This was probably my worst point emotionally in this whole experience.  I don't ever remember feeling this way with the last knee.  I'm not sure what's so different this time.  Maybe because I was expecting this one to go a little easier.  The doctors always say that the pre surgical range of motion and everything is the best predictor of post surgical results.  I know that the bending isn't really improving very rapidly, and I guess I figured that would come with time.  That's kind of how it worked with the left one.  I even saw improvement when Anderzej came to work on the right one.  It's the extension, or straightening that isn't getting better.  I really need to be able to stand, and do a lot of walking with what I do at work.  The way ...

  Tuesday, Christmas Eve.  This was the day we have Christmas at home with the kids.  We sleep in, have a nice breakfast, and open presents from each other.  It's nice to not having to go anywhere for a day.    I didn't get much sleep again, you never know.  We had a friend from church who is a PT guy come over after lunch today.  He stopped on his way home from work, to take a look at my knee and see if he could offer any hints on what else I could do.  He told me on Sunday about putting weight on top of my unsupported knee.  I've been using a bag of flour, and he brought a proper weight that velcros around your leg.  He did an exam, and listened to my account of what everyone else has been doing with me for rehab.  No earth shattering developments, just small adjustments.  So we keep working until Thursday morning.... All in all, it was a good day.

  Monday, Christmas Eve Eve.  Andrezej came today, and we gave him a new measuring tool.  It got broken the other day, and I thought would get him a new one as a gift.  He won't take any money for coming, he keeps saying that I'm his research project.   We did the massage and measured.  My left knee measured 115 degrees, and the right one came to 93,  The right one started at 83, and after working on it, measured 93.  The problem is that I can't get it straight enough.  I got in to see Jessica about an hour after he left.  I tried to explain as well as I could what he was doing every visit.  I wonder what she's really thinking, but she can tell that I'm doing better than the last time we worked together.  One more session on Thursday, and then the manipulation happens at noon on Friday.  I feel like all the work on minimizing the scar tissue will help minimize the trauma from the manipulation, and make the recovery bette...

  Sunday before Christmas.  We had some good family pictures before church this morning.  I was another bright, sunny day if Plano, I think it got up to 50 degrees.  Not your regular first day of winter.   I talked to a friend at church who is also a PT person, and he gave me a couple ideas to try this week, to maybe work on the extension mostly.  He is going to come by on Tuesday after lunch, and see if he can think of anything else that might help.  I'm sort of resigned to the prospect of doing the revision, but if we can skip it, that would be great.  It's good to have friends that care about you.  One thing he suggested was a 10 pound weight on top of my thigh, with my foot on a chair.    One funny thing from last night.  I didn't sleep very well again.  I put the special lotion on, and applied an ice bag to get to sleep.  I think I laid awake for an hour and a half before I went back to sleep.  About 4am...

  Saturday.  I feel more resigned to the fact that I'll be getting the revision next Friday, but I think with the progress I'm making, the recovery won't be as bad as last time.  I feel like I'm getting a little more bend each day, but it's really hard to not lose it by the next day.  Actually I feel like the extension, or straightness is the bigger problem.  Bending I can work around, but if your leg doesn't get straight, it's really hard to walk properly.    So, Andrezej gave me some different things to do.  Mostly the supporting my leg, and letting gravity bend it.  Now I have some weight hanging on each foot to help the bend.  I can also use the heating pad on my thigh before I do the work.  

  Friday!  It's getting easier to sit with my feet on the floor for a longer period of time.  I haven't been able to sit very long without putting my foot up because of swelling and pain.  After the last couple days with Anderzej, that is getting easier.   Kym and I went out on a date tonight, for the first time since the surgery.  It seems like forever.  It was just a trip to Chilis, but it sure was nice to have someone cook and wait on us.  Time eating leisurely alone together was long overdue.  I know I haven't been the easiest to get along with lately, I hope I'm on the right track to changing that for the better now.   Kym got to watch him work again today, I'd kind of like her to see what he does.  I know we can't pick up what has taken him 40 years to learn, but maybe just a little.  He talked a lot today about the muscles inside and around my knee, and how they all move around each other.  He was trying to expl...