Entries tagged with knee

Current Mood: pleased
Crossposts: http://edschweppe.livejournal.com/200832.html

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knee,
medical

One year post-surgery

My knee surgery (to repair a ruptured quadriceps tendon) was one year ago today.

I'm almost back to where I was before rupturing the tendon, as far as leg strength and mobility are concerned. My knee isn't quite at full strength (especially when nearly fully extended), so walking on uneven terrain can still be an adventure. On the other hand, with the help of a pair of trekking poles I successfully hiked the two-mile main trail through the town forest this afternoon. (Typical Massachusetts forest trail: granite ledges, exposed tree roots, and random rocks left over from the last glaciation. Not great footing, in other words.)

Also, the last year of walking as much as possible has had a pleasant side effect. When I first went to see my doctor about the knee (back when I thought it was only sprained), I weighed just shy of 275 pounds. Yesterday, at my regular physical, I was down to 255.

Crossposts: http://edschweppe.livejournal.com/198961.html

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Home from Star!

I'm back from another fun week on Star Island. Had some fun singing, had some fun dancing, had a lot of good food and some good conversation. I even had the chance to do a bit of photography and will hopefully have links in the near future.

And, unlike last year, I made it through without rupturing any tendons! (Star is wonderful for many things, but is not a fun place to find oneself suddenly on crutches.) My knee held up quite well, despite the seriously uneven terrain of the island (and my room being on the second floor of Gosport House, which meant many more stairs than I would have preferred).

Now it's time for laundry, grocery shopping, showers, and other bits of domesticity before returning to work on Monday ...

Current Mood: happy
Crossposts: http://edschweppe.livejournal.com/190602.html

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knee,
medical

Thirty-eight weeks post-surgery

And I had my final session of physical therapy earlier this evening.[1]

My knee's not at 100% yet, but I can go up and down stairs without holding on to the banister, I can walk on uneven surfaces without the aid of a cane, and I even went for a (short) bicycle ride last night.

So. Yay!

[1] Although I don't think I'll be sending the PT doc a thank-you note. The last time he treated a patient with a quadriceps tendon rupture, the patient dropped dead of a sudden heart attack three weeks later on a Friday. The next Monday, the thank-you card that the patient had sent the PT doc arrived in the mail ...

Crossposts: http://edschweppe.livejournal.com/188216.html

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Sigh - or where exactly is this "spring", anyway?

It snowed most of yesterday. Not heavily, but enough to put a frosting on the trees and windshields, and scare the highway departments into breaking out the salt trucks again. Fortunately, the trees haven't started leafing out yet, so there was no damage done (we had a very nasty May snowstorm back in the day which took down a lot of tree branches and, IIRC, ended up killing a bunch of trees completely). Most of the big snowbanks in downtown Boston are gone - but not all of them. There are bare patches on the ground out here where I live - but most of the ground still has a noticeable snowpack.

I'm getting just a wee bit tired of this weather pattern. More below-normal temperatures are expected for the early part of the week, and the six-o'clock news guy said the early indications are that we might get more snow flurries next weekend.

Meanwhile, Keolis says they'll be operating their pre-snowpocalyptic commuter rail schedule starting tomorrow. Unfortunately, they couldn't actually keep to that schedule before all the snow started falling; odds that they'll suddenly get up to snuff seem kind of ... remote. Last week, of the ten rides I took into and out of Boston, four arrived on time. Three more were less than five minutes late (which is the standard Keolis has to meet to avoid fines) and the remaining three were respectively nine, ten and nineteen minutes late. The MBTA contract calls for 95% on-time performance; last week was at best 70%.

(For bonus fun, the ten-minute-late train also didn't have working HEP - thus no lights, heating or ventilation. Or WiFi, for that matter.)

Oh, and my physical therapy appointment on Thursday got cancelled because the physiotherapist was out sick.

There is one bit of good news on the knee-healing front, though. In the last couple of days, I've been able to (occasionally) walk up flights of stairs without having to grab a bannister for support. Still haven't dared to try that going down stairs, mind. But I'll take signs of progress wherever I can.

Current Mood: healing
Crossposts: http://edschweppe.livejournal.com/186456.html

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knee,
medical

Another milestone

I missed noting this in all the snowpocalyptic excitement of the Second Blizzard of 2015 (not to mention the last hours of Boskone), but my temporary handicapped parking placard officially expired last Sunday.

Nice thing to have when you need one, but it's far better not to need one in the first place.

Crossposts: http://edschweppe.livejournal.com/184459.html

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It's Monday, so it must be snowing

Three weeks running now, we've had a big snowstorm to start the week [1], and three weeks running now I'm not even trying to go into the Current Paying Gig on Monday.

Overnight, I only received about four inches or so, which in "normal" times would be a manageable amount to deal with for the short drive to the commuter rail parking lot. However, the MBTA still hasn't recovered from the five-plus feet of snow that Boston's already received in the last couple of weeks. Plus, while I've made a lot of progress over the last six months, my knee still isn't what anyone could call fully recovered - and I really have no interest in walking the mile from North Station to the Current Paying Gig when said mile is most likely poorly (if at all) shoveled. Let's not even talk about the single-digit wind chill factors out there...

In short, therefore, I'm once again staying at home. Whee.

[1] Technically, the big snow on the 26th didn't start until evening; however, the forecasts were dire enough that I didn't risk going into town and getting caught trying to get home in the teeth of a blizzard.

Crossposts: http://edschweppe.livejournal.com/183670.html

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knee,
medical

Twenty-six weeks post-surgery

Tomorrow will be six full months since my knee surgery.

Today I had my six-month follow-up appointment with my surgeon. He was very happy with my progress to date, and says that it's now just a matter of time getting strength back. Hopefully I can get back to full strength in another six months or so. Walking the mile each way between North Station and the Current Paying Gig is contributing to that getting strength back, clearly. (My longer-term plan involves bicycling instead of walking, come springtime, and he thought that was a grand idea.)

And he says I don't need to see him again unless something goes wrong. That's a clear sign of progress. My next PT appointment is next Tuesday, and I'll be talking to the physiotherapist about what the plan should be.

In additional happy news, my copy of Elizabeth Bear's Karen Memory finally arrived, and it's as cracking good a story as the reviewers have claimed. Steampunk! Not-Seattle Underground! Diesel-powered sewing machines! Political corruption! The Lone Ranger!

And a submarine! How flippin' awesome is that?

Crossposts: http://edschweppe.livejournal.com/183351.html

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Dug out

Or mostly dug out, at least. It looks like I picked up about fourteen inches of fluffy snow from today's storm, which is hopefully finally abating.

I did not risk going into the Current Paying Gig, as that would have involved (a) driving on back roads (b) to the commuter rail parking lot, then (c) taking the train in and (d) walking from North Station to said Current Paying Gig. (a) would have been bad enough, but even if (b) had been properly plowed in the morning (no guarantee) it would have been socked in by nightfall. (c) would have been an "adventure", since almost every train was either seriously late or cancelled entirely (due to mechanical failures, frozen switches, etc) And (d) - well, Boston hadn't finished clearing sidewalks from the last snowpocalypse. Slogging a mile through a foot of snow would be just the thing for my not-yet-fully-functional knee. (Not.)

Tomorrow? We'll see; at least I'm dug out enough to have the option of going in.

Weather folks on the news were saying that this has been the snowiest single week in local history. Over three feet in Boston; over four feet in Worcester; over five feet in Leominster, about fifteen miles west of here.

Current Mood: accomplished
Crossposts: http://edschweppe.livejournal.com/181839.html

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knee,
medical

Twenty-four weeks [1] post surgery

It's now been twenty-four weeks since my knee surgery. And I can actually use both knees now in going up and down stairs! Progress!

Not yet fully healed, mind, since I really need a strong bannister or two to hold onto for support while putting a load on my left knee. But fully healed is now in sight.

Still no fancy medical usericon. Blame a local shortage of round tuits.

[1] Technically, twenty-four weeks and one day, since my surgery was on a Friday and today's a Saturday.

Crossposts: http://edschweppe.livejournal.com/180906.html

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knee,
medical

Eighteen weeks post-surgery

Eighteen! Eighteen weeks! Ah-ha-ha!

Well, technically, eighteen weeks as of tomorrow, but today was the day of my followup visit with the surgeon who repaired my quadriceps tendon.

All gloating from Count von Count aside, things are going well. The doctor was very happy with how the knee looks, how the incision has healed, and how I'm progressing overall.

I'm still not able to use my left knee to actually drive myself up a full step, but I'm up to five inches of step-up exercise (finding a practical use for obsolete programming manuals in the process). And I've survived the occasional icy patches that Nature has thrown at me without damage.

Next followup visit will be in eight more weeks - which will make a full half-year since my surgery. How time flies when we're having fun - or some facsimile thereof.

Crossposts: http://edschweppe.livejournal.com/180243.html

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knee,
medical

Fifteen weeks post-surgery

On the one hand, it's kind of hard to believe it's been that long since my knee surgery.

On the other hand, I'm pretty happy with my recovery so far. I'm walking well enough to routinely take the commuter rail into Boston, which saves me money, aggravation, and wear-and-tear on the car. And my physical therapist now has me doing step-up exercises. Small steps, mind you - I just graduated to the two-inch step - but definite improvement. (As a bonus, I finally have a new use for some of the obsolete computer programming language manuals I have lying around!)

Hopefully, by the time I find myself needing to navigate snowy / icy streets, I'll have two good knees to do the navigating with.

Crossposts: http://edschweppe.livejournal.com/178954.html

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Twelve weeks post-surgery

And I still don't have a clever usericon. I do have continued progress towards a healed left knee, though, which is more important.

I'm doing well enough to not feel the need for a walking stick - on level, carpeted floors, at least. I'm not quite willing to risk the vast marbled halls of the Current Paying Gig's lobby (which are remarkably slippery even when dry) without having the stick at hand, let alone the Adventures in Frost Heaves which are downtown Boston sidewalks. OTOH, I can actually traverse said sidewalks - slowly, mind you - and walk between the MBTA stop of my choice and the Current Paying Gig. Shifting to the commuter rail instead of driving all the way downtown won't necessarily save time, but will save money and will usually save aggravation.

And next week, PT will start to include "gradual stairs" and "gentle incline". I'm certainly looking forward to being once again able to traverse such obstacles unaided.

Crossposts: http://edschweppe.livejournal.com/178522.html

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knee,
medical

Ten weeks post-surgery

Saw my surgeon today for the ten-week followup; he's happy with the incision and with my progress to date. Then PT tonight included the stationary bike for the first time. Only a couple of minutes, verrrry slooooow, and no resistance - but first time on the bike, none-the-less.

Current Mood: making progress
Crossposts: http://edschweppe.livejournal.com/178195.html

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Eight weeks post-surgery

It's been eight weeks, now, since my knee surgery, and progress continues to progress. Today, my knee was flexible enough to let me actually tie shoelaces! Up to now, I've been wearing slip-on shoes. It's very nice to have that particular option back.

I'm also hobbling along well enough to handle walking from the North Station train platforms to the bus stop (for the rush-hour-only bus that stops two blocks from my Current Paying Gig) or the taxicab stand (in case I find myself at the station outside of rush hour). This means I can actually take the train into work rather than having to drive all the way downtown - some of the time, at least. Physical therapy days will probably still involve driving in, however, as I don't want to risk being late (a real danger with the T's commuter rail).

The real big thing about being eight weeks post-surgery, though, won't happen until my next session of physical therapy, as that's when "muscle strengthening exercise" will start.

Current Mood: happy
Crossposts: http://edschweppe.livejournal.com/178025.html

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knee,
medical

Six weeks post surgery

It's now six weeks since my knee surgery, and I had a followup visit with my surgeon today. He's happy with the incision, and very happy with my range of motion to date.

Which means ... I no longer need the leg brace! I'm actually allowed to walk around without my knee locked! I don't have to stump from point A to point B! Yay! [1]

Of course, it's still going to be quite a while before I'm back to full strength and agility. For that matter, it'll be a while before I feel comfortable walking without my trekking pole as a balancing aid.

And, alas, I'll no longer have the leg brace to act as an automatic conversation starter. Oh, shucks.

[1] Insert Kermit-flailing arms image here. [2]
[2] Without any corresponding jumping up and down, alas. The knee's not in that good shape yet.

Current Mood: making progress
Crossposts: http://edschweppe.livejournal.com/177865.html

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Four weeks post-surgery

And things are going reasonably well.

Not perfectly well, mind. The knee brace is being occasionally recalcitrant, sliding down my leg further than desired and thus not providing the support it's supposed to. And, of course, having to wear the thing at all is an irritant. It's particularly irritating to have to wear it to work, since the Current Paying Gig doesn't permit men to wear shorts and the brace does not fit under dress slacks. (OTOH, the knee brace is an effective conversation starter.)

Having to drive into downtown Boston on a daily basis is irritating, as well; rush hour traffic has not gotten any more fun since the last time I had a downtown gig. The long-term solution will be to take the commuter rail; however, that has to wait until (a) I can walk several blocks in reasonable comfort and (b) I don't have to keep working physical therapy appointments into my schedule. The short-term good news is that the outfit running the parking garage seems to have figured out that, yes, there are now people driving in who use the handicapped-accessible spaces; unlike the week before, I didn't once have to bug the attendants to unchain the accessible spots.

However, my range-of-motion is continuing to improve, as is the strength of my left quadriceps muscle (which basically had nothing at all to do for the whole month of July). Hopefully I'm still on track to get rid of the brace after my next followup (in a couple of weeks).

Crossposts: http://edschweppe.livejournal.com/177566.html

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First PT!

Today was the first of I'm sure many physical therapy sessions. (No boats, alas, to go with the PT.) The session was mostly administrivia, but I did get a couple of exercises for homework.

Meanwhile, for the second time this week, I've pulled into the garage at the new Current Paying Gig and found the handicapped spaces chained off. Grumble. Apparently the garage folks aren't used to anyone actually using them. I may have to drop a note to the facilities folks and see if they can lean on the building management to lean on the parking vendor to, y'know, maybe leave the handicapped-accessible parking accessible ...

Crossposts: http://edschweppe.livejournal.com/177166.html

Entry tags:

knee,
medical

Knee status

Is actually pretty good. I had my first post-surgical doctor's appointment today (thirteen days post surgery), and the surgeon is quite pleased with the healing to date. He says I can now start flexing my knee up to 90 degrees (instead of the 30 degrees I was limited to for the first two weeks). Of course, my knee is saying "whoa, not so fast there, bub!" since it hasn't been flexed that far since the surgery, but I've got new settings on the mighty leg brace.

Also a prescription for PT. Goodness knows I want my full range of motion back, but I don't want massive ouchies along the way. I suspect I may not get the one without the other, though. (Will call the PT place in the morning and see what they have to say.)

With some luck, I'll be rid of the leg brace in another month or so. I'm definitely looking forward to that!

Crossposts: http://edschweppe.livejournal.com/176580.html

Entry tags:

knee,
medical

Medical milestone

It's been a week (and a bit) since my knee surgery. A milestone, rather than a millstone.

The good news:
No complications from the surgery that I can detect. The post-anesthesia fog cleared up in about a day (as expected).
No excess bruising or swelling.
No sign of infection, leaking sutures, etc.
Not much pain anymore; I don't need the high-power narcotic pain medications anymore, and can usually get through the day without needing even OTC pain medications.

The bad news:
My mobility sucks and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. I need to have my knee brace locked at full extension (leg completely straight) whenever I walk anywhere. Even with the brace, I'm very leery of trying to walk any significant distance. My new Current Paying Gig is in downtown Boston, at least a quarter-mile from the nearest transit stop; this means that I actually have to drive into Boston at rush hour and pay downtown parking rates to get to work.
Climbing up stairs is a very slow process; climbing down stairs is worse. Climbing down stairs with any sort of cargo? Very difficult; I have come to quite the appreciation of the concept of the dumbwaiter. (And I'm really not looking forward to any building evacuation drills that might occur in the next few months.)
Getting into and out of the driver's seat is literally a pain in the ass. My knee does not like bending, even as far as the brace will let me bend it; to get in the door, I have to slide myself into the car sideways and sit on the center console before I can get my left leg far enough into the car to fit under the wheel. Hopefully that'll ease over time, but right now, I'm not only using handicapped spaces, I'm using handicapped spaces with the extra striping by the driver's side door.
Physical therapy has yet to begin, but I can already tell that my left quad is a lot weaker than it used to be (having effectively done nothing for the last month). This will be my first time ever having to do PT, and I'm not looking forward to it. (I'm looking forward to it being done, but that's not the same thing.)

( Bonus before and after pics )

Six months is going to seem like a long time to recover.

Crossposts: http://edschweppe.livejournal.com/176111.html

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knee,
medical

Achievements unlocked!

We have unlocked the First Post-Surgical Shower achievement!
Along with the First Post-Surgical Dressing Change achievement!

Alas, we also unlocked the Discover Differences Between the Post-Surgical Instructions and the Actual Treatment achievement, which was not so fun. The instructions said that the incision would be closed with Steri-Strips. "Remove the large dressing, but leave the small white steri-strips in place. The steri-strips will be blood-tinged - this is normal. Apply band-aids over the steri-strips after it is dry." So, imagine my surprise when I removed the large dressing and found a completely streri-strip-less incision! Apparently the good Doctor used surgical glue, rather than steri-strips, for wound closure. (Happily, the surgical glue was not blood-tinged.)

This qualifies as progress. Thus say I.