My surgeon told me before the operation that the first month after surgery "sucked". That's a direct quote. For the first week, I understood what he meant- fever-like symptoms, intense pain, difficulty doing anything (including simply lying on a bed), and a drug-induced haze that made it difficult to focus on anything in the world around. Tomorrow marks 2 weeks since the operation, and things are starting to shift to a second tier of sucking. The pain has largely subsided- there's still a lot of soreness, but the intense, burning, horrible stuff has largely gone away. Now begins the boredom. The recovery is right in between 2 stages- not so bad that I'm completely bed-ridden and unable to do anything, but not well enough to be up and about and mobile.
Today marked the first check-in with the surgeon post-op, and things went pretty well. The stitches were removed (meaning no more garbage bag over the leg for showering), and he seemed very encouraged by where I was at so far. I can lay my leg completely straight against the ground, and can bend it more than 90 degrees, which I guess is a very good sign only 2 weeks out from the operation. That made me feel better, because to me the last 2 weeks have felt like an eternity, and I was wondering if anything was actually being accomplished. He also gave me more pain medication, so that aforementioned soreness is no more. That's real nice.
Since we were in town for the check-in and the convention is this upcoming weekend, I decided to move back into my place and try to take care of myself from here on out. It's not going as well as I would have hoped. After a Costco run, I attempted to cook some chicken for lunch and mom had to finish it because simply walking (correction: hobbling) around the kitchen was too tiring for me, apparently. She's been really great, and if you ever need to have an operation done, I suggest having an amazing family to look out for you. I have no idea what I'd do without her.
Chicken episode aside, things have been progressing well in this little experiment. I was able to fill the polar machine myself (for icing down the knee), which is key. I just made dinner as well, and with no mom here I had to push through the fatigue. It's incredibly annoying to have something like walking to the kitchen make you feel like you've just run a marathon. I can't wait for that part to be over with.
Things are progressing about as quickly as they can, but it's still incredibly boring and frustrating. It's a 16-24 week process and I'm 2 weeks in. Just have to keep saying that over and over. The one nice thing is that the human body and mind seem able to adapt to almost any circumstance. It's really incredible- I remember my dad describing aging to me once. He used to love playing sports, but obviously as he's gotten older he can't really do much any more. He told me that, though he misses being able to run and jump around, he has no desire to actually do it right now. His body has adjusted.
I was worried that having this operation in the summer would mean I'd be itching to run outside and shoot hoops or go to the skatepark or play football, but it's been just the opposite. I'm obviously looking forward to doing all those things again, but my body and mind seem completely adjusted to the current circumstances- I have no desire to do them at the moment. I know those days will come again, but it's nice that the mind doesn't rush back into them. It's content to sit here and heal instead.
I'm 2 weeks away from things starting to feel normal again. With any luck, I'll be off the crutches in time for the Spanish convention. It's nice to see progress, even if it isn't moving as fast as I'd like.
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