"How's the Knee???"

Tomorrow will be exactly 3 weeks since my last surgery... which also means it's been 7 months since my first.

My how time has flown by... (sarcasm)

A lot of people have inquired as to how things are going with the knee... so, here is an update.

I guess there is one noticeable change since the surgery: Flexibility.

Before, I was limited in my motion due to the wires. I still have roughly the same "degree" of bend that I had before the surgery (110 degrees), but it doesn't hurt as much when I try to get it to that range.

Before, it just felt like there was a lot of tension... pulling... to make that bend. Oh, I guess I should explain what the bend is. It's not lifting your leg up. It's pulling the ankle back. Now, if you were in my shoes, the tension at the top of the knee would be pretty apparent.

There is still tension, but I think it's the scar tissue. I have to go through the exercises again to break through that "inner healing."

The second thing I've noticed is the pain is still there. I'm hoping in time (short time!), it will go away. But, it still hurts. Last week I ventured out to the San Diego Zoo... lots and lots of walking. Not only that, but it's very hilly - I had no idea.

Maneuvering up and down those hills throughout the park was pretty rough. I think what might surprise people is "going up" isn't what bothers me... it's going down. If it's a ramp or stairs, it's very difficult. I think one of the reasons is that I don't have the muscles in my calf and quads to support me.

I was talking with Chandra last week, and I mentioned I'm thinking about going back to the gym. She said, "Just start out slow... if you're doing leg lifts, just put 30 lbs. on the machine." I told her I'm not sure if I can even do 5 lbs. I'm serious... you have no idea how much your muscles deteriorate in 7 months! Both muscles are like jelly compared to the right leg.

I have two exercises I do in my house to strengthen these muscles. One is easy - toe lifts. I just go up and down to build up the calf. The other one is quad flexes. To do that, I sit on the ground and try and push my leg down where the quad flexes.

I do have some restrictions - I guess I didn't offer that up before. I'm not allowed to immerse the leg in water until after the first of the year. By then, the scab will be healed. I'm susceptible to infection until then. Therefore, no swimming - which has been pounded into my head by my brother-in-law Steve.

The other thing is if I go to the gym, I need to cover up the knee. Same thing... lots of sweating bodies does wonders on people susceptible to infections.

I'm a little faster in my walking, but it's just going to take time until everything is pain-free. Thanks again for the support...