Twelve Weeks

Today marks twelve weeks since the surgery on my left knee. My recent posts indicate that all is not going entirely swimmingly. Mostly I am having difficulty with walking because of my right leg - knee, calf, and even foot at times, as well as hip, depending on the day - and difficulty sleeping because my left knee goes into restless leg stuff, exacerbated by the DynaSplint. My wake-sleep patterns are skewed. I often find myself fully awake in the middle of the night and I just give in to it. My hope is that eventually night times will even out and get somewhat normal (for me) again.

Because progress is gradual I don't always notice improvements. So I'll mention a few things I've noticed recently:

I am no longer heading for the shower in the middle of the night (at least not most of the time) to calm my knee. I am able to do full workouts in the gym and like it. I have even gone down a couple of notches on the bike settings - from height setting 9 to setting 7, meaning I can bend my knee far more than I could in the past. I can walk up and down stairs, one foot at a time, if I am reasonably warmed up and not going through a particularly bad day. I do Aqua classes completely and rarely have pain in them. I am getting more comfortable with standing up straight and keeping my stomach pulled in (no, not all the time, but much of the time). I can get in and out of my car with little discomfort, and I can drive with the clutch. I look better and generally feel better.

Most of all I can see the future. I am working on my right leg as well as my left and expect this work to pay off in an easier recovery time after that surgery (but I don't expect miracles). I think it's possible that after surgery on the right knee I will be hiking again! I can see it out there.