As the wound healed it remained feeling sensitive if touched and i still remain with some numbness to the right hand side of the wound below my knee.
Weeks 3 and 4 the pain had reduced considerably and I think following my post op visit i still remained cautious about doing anything extra things so i was relatively pain free for these 2 weeks bar a bit of panadol. In these 2 weeks i also heard a clicking sound like when you stand and you've been stiff and something cracks. It didn't happen all the time but it could be heard by others.
Week 5 however i think i overdid it, and after i got home after a day out to watch a school singing concert my leg was aching and had big diverts where the brace was on all day. Sitting awkwardly in a chair with a partial bend in your leg that doesnt reach the floor...mmm not my best choice but i had kids to watch sing and beautifully they did. I had walked 2 days before on crutches to our main road which is 500mtrs down and back approx, the longest i have done since surgery.
The 2 big diverts where the brace sits on lower leg after a full day up on my leg...oops
The pain that has really hit this week (week 5) though, is like there is 2 rubber bands one below my patella and the other on my inner patella ready to go ping!!! They feel so tight you can feel the stretch and pull with each small movement. It feels like when you bring your knee passively into a bend position that it would spring it self straight back into a straight position if it was allowed! So i have had to go back onto regular panadol and i started naprosyn as i was having trouble tolerating the celebrex.
I remain dubious about steps and have been avoiding them when i go out as i feel like i am going to be a victim of the ground if i do. At home i am managing quite well as we have a railing which i hold onto and use the crutch under my other arm.
I became frustrated with the crutches and not being able to do simple tasks like get the butter out of the fridge to make the kids sandwiches and being able to put washing away in the cupboards, so i tried to go back to using one crutch whilst at home.
I think the key here is i made the decision myself and i should have respected that i was to be on crutches for 6 weeks. I would do ok for a while and could do what needed to be done and then all of a sudden in the middle of the kitchen i would have the oddest sensation of unsteadiness and the frozen i can't move my legs for fear of toppling over. This happened a few times and I realised i was not ready to be rid of my crutches just yet and that this process was going to take time. So i employed the kids unpaid of course and i now have helpers to get lunch ready, empty the dishwasher and set the table and i think this has been a great lesson for a 6 and 8 year old to recognise all the little things that a mum does that go kind of unnoticed because they are always done for them. I am very proud of this pair!
Week 5 also saw my first 'real bend' and i don't know if it was coincidence but it happened about 48hours after i started on naprosyn the new anti inflammatory for me. Sitting on a chair with a straight leg i could bring my leg into about 45deg and passively bring it in to sit and nearly a 90deg, although only for a short time but still my first bend really in 5 weeks!! A little progress, i took a photo, i dont really know how the numbers work on the brace but thought i would show you what it says.I can now fully straighten my leg, where this has been needing a small pillow underneath the knee to keep it up a little to be comfortable.
Brace a bit low in this pic ...(they are troublesome to keep in the right spot!) but i have bend!!
Maybe i could drive??
Maybe i should start some single leg raises??
Maybe i should just be patient!!
Maybe i should enjoy the fact i haven't had to go the grocery shop for 6 whole weeks, cause it aint going to last forever ...hahaha
Liss xx
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