We have 2 outdoor cats , 1 is 15 years old, he scooted in the house at feed time and darted across in front of me. As i only had one of the crutches in my hand i over balanced, i felt myself bending at the hips and going down, my knee did a funny slooosh, i corrected but not quite enough. Both my hands went to the ground, my knee did another sloooosh feeling. So i was hands down, bum up with my daughter in the background saying 'mum what should i do?'. I didn't know i was stuck neither up nor down, couldn't get up, didn't want to go down on my knee/knees and i didn't know if it was hurt, it didn't feel hurt, so i slowly put my head up, pulled my core in and used my good hand to work my way up my leg holding on the crutch with the other. Few... i was up and all seemed OK, and that story became the first thing my daughter told everyone, mum fell over the cat. Never tripped over the cat before but suddenly things that werent obstacles before are now, lesson learnt.
3 days after this i noticed i was having trouble at the top of our stair case, we have 7 up to a platform then another 7 to the top and exiting/entering the one step out of the house. Over the weeks since surgery i have had this happen maybe 3 or four times mainly when going downwards with a feeling of 'give way' when i lift my good leg to bring it down.
Not thinking much of it, i carried on, realising i was struggling more and more until i just couldn't do it. my knee felt like it was just going to give way, so when the main weight was on the operated knee it would kind of push itself all the way back and then feel like it was going to keep me up. Unfortunately this meant when i got that feeling in my knee which i didnt want as it felt really awful, my good leg would start to shake and my arms would go to jelly. I was doing all my jobs upstairs of a morning so i didnt have to go back up and i was waiting for my husband to get home from late shift at work to help me up the steps to get to bed. Some days I could get up one or 2 steps and have no trouble going down, then others i could go up 4 and then struggled to go down, the pattern didnt make sense.
I started to think it was all in my head, it seemed really ridiculous that i had been doing stairs without any great issue the only difference the cat mishap. I had no issue walking on flat ground but unfortunately life gives you steps. So i thought i should contact the Dr. He wasn't concerned about the mishap, he said that is why he put the brace on so as the knee would only go from 20ext-90flex it wouldn't allow it to go any further than he wanted. The stair issue he explained is a loss of quad strength because of the splint and that it is not an uncommon scenario. I felt much better that it wasn't in my head but i did feel i had lost a lot of confidence and i so didn't want to hurt the knee as i dont want to have to go through this all again...some kind of weird self preservation maybe.
Unfortunately i waited one night just a little long for my husband to come home, i wanted a shower which was upstairs, i got stuck 3 stairs from the top, couldn't go up couldn't go down, grasping onto the railing like i was going to fall to my death, ridiculous i know! I did those last 3 steps by dragging myself in the most awkward position, i don't know how i didn't hurt myself. I had just reached the bathroom door and my husband arrived home and was so excited i made it up the steps, my response wasn't nice, it wasn't his fault, I got myself into the shower and cried and cried, and repeated the why did i do this question. I am suprised i lasted this long, with all the things you cant do, that you could do before it is very frustrating to not be able to do what needs to be done! Tears dried up i needed to move forward as there is no way back, i am alot further ahead than i was in week 1.
This tided me over the weekend and i was struggling still into the beginning of the 4th week, I know i wasn't to start physio but i messaged my physio to ask his advice, He wanted to see me.
I got worried then i didnt want the physio to speak to my Dr as he had made it clear no physio, and like i said i like to follow the rules. I went to the physio for crutches support only ! I promise...
I'm really glad i went he took me up and down the step with canadian crutches then got me to use the normal underarm crutches and suprisingly the underarm crutches made a huge difference he did agree that you lose quad strength quickly but also thought it was mainly a confidence issue. The other part of my physio visit involved rearranging my splint, it didnt look right and had been slipping down heaps over the last week. Apparently this is common as the swelling recedes the braces need to be adjusted and whilst i tightened the straps there was more to it. When that brace was put back on my leg it was like an instant comfort, it felt way more secure and seemed to fit around the knee much better.
I stopped taking the celebrex again i just didnt seem to be able to stomach it, so am in the process of arranging the naprosyn to try it and see if that will help.
Enjoying a little sunshine on day 20
Wound Day 22
Liss x
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