It has been three months since my last post that "celebrated" my ski accident and first knee surgery.
A lot happened since then.
First of all, I took a membership in a local gym. I went for the BIG one, something new to me. Music, TV screens, rows of treadmills, elliptical and bikes, classes I never heard of and TONS of fit and good looking people.
A little intimidating first but ultimately a great decision that I haven't regretted at all.
I met with a trainer twice, that's part of the membership package. If I could spend more money, I would get a trainer. That was really cool to have someone tailoring a program just for me. A mix of core exercises, leg and arms, and the mandatory cardio.
I go almost every day and if my knee feels sometimes stiff, especially when we got colder or rainier weather, I regained strength and I'm happy about it.
I walk more and I'm planning a hike with my hiking buddy who has been so patient!
We walk once a week on Sundays mostly and cover between 5 to 10 miles.
Will I be exactly how I was? Not sure.
But today I listened to an inspirational talk from Ronan Tynan and watching this energetic and charismatic man who was born with a serious leg defect and still managed to compete in the Olympics after he decided to be amputated, I felt like I should not even mention my knee anymore.
Spring is definitely here with temperatures already in the high 70s here in Central California and I can't wait for my summer to start.
My plan to go to France see my parents was canceled last year since I couldn't walk well. It is now time to catch up with that. Then my family will be in Maine and as I read my older posts, I know I came a long way.
So to my new knee and new adventures!
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
January 5, 2012
It has been a while since I posted any news about my left knee.
But this week is special.
It is the one year anniversary of my ski accident that led to the injuries of two ligaments in my knee: the ACL and the MCL plus damage of the meniscus.
The beginning of 2011 started on a dark note and the whole year has been bumpy with ups and downs following two surgeries.
So where am I today?
I retrieved my usual fast gait. Pain has disappeared. Occasional throbbing, itching or pulling in the inner side of my knee still occur, mostly at night or when I cross my leg above my right thigh.
I returned to longer walks and I love biking, either on my recumbent bike at home or my great bike outside.
I can do most things without giving a thought to my knee.
However I am constantly aware of my knee since I still have minimal scar tissues that block my full flexion and extension. My flexion is actually almost perfect even though it is tight when I keep it at its maximum. The extension is what bothers me most and I work on it as much as possible. It is incredible how only an inch or two can keep the leg from its overextension, capital when you walk downhill.
I stopped therapy at Thanksgiving since the workout wasn't providing any help and my prescription was finished.
The funny thing is that I knew I was on my own since a while because the therapists were only checking if I had done my exercises but really not working on my knee anymore.
What I really crave for most of the time is a massage since my muscles get more often sore. The top or side of my knee are also sometimes tender and it feels good to apply lotion or oil.
Baths, that I disliked before, provide relief and relaxation, also something I didn't need until now.
So, am I repaired? I would say yes, compared to the status of my knee a year ago.
Am I 100% who I was? No, I'm not.
But I am still improving and I come to accept that sone days are better than others. And I have more great days than bad.
My kids are skiing again this month and I would love to be with them but of course I know the danger of skiing more than most skiers and I am home waiting for their return.
Anyway, this year there is only fake snow since California is under a serious dry spell.
I'm not missing much and hopefully by next year I will be able to join my son.
And watch him skiing down while I sip my coffee on the deck!
But this week is special.
It is the one year anniversary of my ski accident that led to the injuries of two ligaments in my knee: the ACL and the MCL plus damage of the meniscus.
The beginning of 2011 started on a dark note and the whole year has been bumpy with ups and downs following two surgeries.
So where am I today?
I retrieved my usual fast gait. Pain has disappeared. Occasional throbbing, itching or pulling in the inner side of my knee still occur, mostly at night or when I cross my leg above my right thigh.
I returned to longer walks and I love biking, either on my recumbent bike at home or my great bike outside.
I can do most things without giving a thought to my knee.
However I am constantly aware of my knee since I still have minimal scar tissues that block my full flexion and extension. My flexion is actually almost perfect even though it is tight when I keep it at its maximum. The extension is what bothers me most and I work on it as much as possible. It is incredible how only an inch or two can keep the leg from its overextension, capital when you walk downhill.
I stopped therapy at Thanksgiving since the workout wasn't providing any help and my prescription was finished.
The funny thing is that I knew I was on my own since a while because the therapists were only checking if I had done my exercises but really not working on my knee anymore.
What I really crave for most of the time is a massage since my muscles get more often sore. The top or side of my knee are also sometimes tender and it feels good to apply lotion or oil.
Baths, that I disliked before, provide relief and relaxation, also something I didn't need until now.
So, am I repaired? I would say yes, compared to the status of my knee a year ago.
Am I 100% who I was? No, I'm not.
But I am still improving and I come to accept that sone days are better than others. And I have more great days than bad.
My kids are skiing again this month and I would love to be with them but of course I know the danger of skiing more than most skiers and I am home waiting for their return.
Anyway, this year there is only fake snow since California is under a serious dry spell.
I'm not missing much and hopefully by next year I will be able to join my son.
And watch him skiing down while I sip my coffee on the deck!
Monday, November 21, 2011
November 21, 2011
I celebrated my birthday with a good happy knee. My last physical therapy session wasn't that great and I was worried about my future. But amazingly as I followed my own routine, my knee felt better.
So it is in great spirit that I entered a new year in my life. I will let Thanksgiving pass before checking out from the physical therapy facility. I will then hunt for a gym closer to my kids' school so I can go early morning. I will bike and of course hike. I have returned to regular walks and feel great. I am dealing with a few minor aches but I've seen much worst so I don't even want to think about them.
The weather cannot be more perfect. I don't think I've seen the trees as beautiful as they are this fall. Almost matching my beloved New England's exceptional autumn.
So it is in great spirit that I entered a new year in my life. I will let Thanksgiving pass before checking out from the physical therapy facility. I will then hunt for a gym closer to my kids' school so I can go early morning. I will bike and of course hike. I have returned to regular walks and feel great. I am dealing with a few minor aches but I've seen much worst so I don't even want to think about them.
The weather cannot be more perfect. I don't think I've seen the trees as beautiful as they are this fall. Almost matching my beloved New England's exceptional autumn.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
November 8, 2011
I started the long rocky road toward recovery more than 1o months ago.
Tomorrow is my last physical therapy session and I am learning to return to my daily routine prior to my ski injury.
Where am I after two knee surgeries?
In good shape considering the huge set back that changed my lifestyle over night.
More cautious than I was when it comes to my body, definitely.
More aware than being in overall good health is crucial to recovery.
More determined than ever to return to the lifestyle I had defined before the accident.
Over the last year, I have learned a lot about my body and the way it works, something I took for granted since I never had a major surgery before.
My weekly exercise is now divided between stretching, strengthening, walking and biking.
The weather is so gorgeous now that biking is a real treat. I started to bike every other day after driving my kids to school, alternating with physical therapy.
Starting tomorrow I will add more biking since it is a low impact exercise.
I still bike at home on the stationary bike if I have been at my desk for too long. I still stretch my leg regularly during the day.
I have regained most of my flexion and extension and I am not sure if I will ever be exactly the same but I am shooting for that goal.
My legs look good with all the exercises I have been doing and I intend to keep up with that.
It is strange to think of tomorrow being the end of the long strenuous road. I have made a second home at the physical therapy gym. I know everyone from the therapists to their aides. I have met dozens of patients and commiserate with many. Sharing similar injuries, knowing the pain of healing and the frustration that accompanies physical recovery, bring people closer to each other. People I wouldn't have met otherwise became familiar faces and helped me to cope with the challenges and frustrations that follow an accident and a surgery.
It has been a long winter and a tough summer. Fall, my favorite season of all, is bringing hope again and the promise of a better winter.
Although I won't be skiing, my family is making vacation plans and I am looking forward to 2012.
I have missed my left knee a lot.
Today I am grateful to be able to walk, to bike, to stand on my feet without pain and to do many things I thought too ordinary to pay any attention to them.
Lacing my shoes, crouching to dust under my bed, being on my knees to sort books on my library shelves, all the small things of life that stand in your way when the body can't do them anymore and again feel extraordinary when the body can accomplish them without too much pain and effort.
As a celebration gift I will make a gift to myself: a skirt and a pair of boots.
A welcome change after months in sweat pants, shorts and tee shirts.
Tomorrow is my last physical therapy session and I am learning to return to my daily routine prior to my ski injury.
Where am I after two knee surgeries?
In good shape considering the huge set back that changed my lifestyle over night.
More cautious than I was when it comes to my body, definitely.
More aware than being in overall good health is crucial to recovery.
More determined than ever to return to the lifestyle I had defined before the accident.
Over the last year, I have learned a lot about my body and the way it works, something I took for granted since I never had a major surgery before.
My weekly exercise is now divided between stretching, strengthening, walking and biking.
The weather is so gorgeous now that biking is a real treat. I started to bike every other day after driving my kids to school, alternating with physical therapy.
Starting tomorrow I will add more biking since it is a low impact exercise.
I still bike at home on the stationary bike if I have been at my desk for too long. I still stretch my leg regularly during the day.
I have regained most of my flexion and extension and I am not sure if I will ever be exactly the same but I am shooting for that goal.
My legs look good with all the exercises I have been doing and I intend to keep up with that.
It is strange to think of tomorrow being the end of the long strenuous road. I have made a second home at the physical therapy gym. I know everyone from the therapists to their aides. I have met dozens of patients and commiserate with many. Sharing similar injuries, knowing the pain of healing and the frustration that accompanies physical recovery, bring people closer to each other. People I wouldn't have met otherwise became familiar faces and helped me to cope with the challenges and frustrations that follow an accident and a surgery.
It has been a long winter and a tough summer. Fall, my favorite season of all, is bringing hope again and the promise of a better winter.
Although I won't be skiing, my family is making vacation plans and I am looking forward to 2012.
I have missed my left knee a lot.
Today I am grateful to be able to walk, to bike, to stand on my feet without pain and to do many things I thought too ordinary to pay any attention to them.
Lacing my shoes, crouching to dust under my bed, being on my knees to sort books on my library shelves, all the small things of life that stand in your way when the body can't do them anymore and again feel extraordinary when the body can accomplish them without too much pain and effort.
As a celebration gift I will make a gift to myself: a skirt and a pair of boots.
A welcome change after months in sweat pants, shorts and tee shirts.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
October 30, 2011
Biking on my new bike is a dream! I took a couple of nice rides on it and I really enjoyed the light and speed of this great machine.
I had therapy on Friday and my PT measured my knee for the first time in two weeks. My extension wasn't as good as it was on Wednesday. Don't ask me why some days are better than others. I was still lacking 5 degrees but I'm sure it is usually much less so I don't want to worry about it. The flexion is 140 instead of 145, without pushing it.
So from now on, I must force both extension and flexion so I get rid of the last adhesions. This is tough job but I come a long way and I know I can do it.
I only have two weeks of therapy left. Four sessions.
Where will I be in just two weeks? It freaks me out that I won't be myself yet. However, I am less and less uncomfortable and perhaps this is what I should focus on instead of targeting 145 and 0, that after all are only numbers.
I had therapy on Friday and my PT measured my knee for the first time in two weeks. My extension wasn't as good as it was on Wednesday. Don't ask me why some days are better than others. I was still lacking 5 degrees but I'm sure it is usually much less so I don't want to worry about it. The flexion is 140 instead of 145, without pushing it.
So from now on, I must force both extension and flexion so I get rid of the last adhesions. This is tough job but I come a long way and I know I can do it.
I only have two weeks of therapy left. Four sessions.
Where will I be in just two weeks? It freaks me out that I won't be myself yet. However, I am less and less uncomfortable and perhaps this is what I should focus on instead of targeting 145 and 0, that after all are only numbers.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
October 29, 2011
My new bike is awesome, but I still have to use it. Between a trip to and from Berkeley on Friday and family plans this weekend, I will have to wait until Tuesday to really ride it.
When I picked it up on Thursday afternoon, before one my physical therapy sessions, I was a little nervous. My knee had been acting up the day before, and I didn't feel as good as I had recently.
But I had to try the bike around the block and it was perfect. The Treck 7.5 FX WSD 17, model 2012 is so light that I wonder how I could bike on my old one. A little like using my MacBook Air the first time when I had been using a good old Acer for years.
You grow wings on such light machines and since my husband already has a pretty decent bike, we are planning to bike together at least three times a week.
I'm pretty disciplined by nature so I can stick to this program. I will have to make sure I don't end up solo.
Besides biking and doing my therapeutic exercises, I have started to work out, focusing on abs and arms. It feels so good to be me again.
My left knee is looking good and the extension has returned to normal or very close to normal. Since I have focused on it for a few weeks now, I must return to flexion exercises to make sure I'm not stuck with a 120 degrees flexion.
So more work is still needed although I see the end of the tunnel getting closer day after day.
Cannot wait to be at the top of a mountain.
Or at the end of a twenty-mile path even if it is with a bike.
When I picked it up on Thursday afternoon, before one my physical therapy sessions, I was a little nervous. My knee had been acting up the day before, and I didn't feel as good as I had recently.
But I had to try the bike around the block and it was perfect. The Treck 7.5 FX WSD 17, model 2012 is so light that I wonder how I could bike on my old one. A little like using my MacBook Air the first time when I had been using a good old Acer for years.
You grow wings on such light machines and since my husband already has a pretty decent bike, we are planning to bike together at least three times a week.
I'm pretty disciplined by nature so I can stick to this program. I will have to make sure I don't end up solo.
Besides biking and doing my therapeutic exercises, I have started to work out, focusing on abs and arms. It feels so good to be me again.
My left knee is looking good and the extension has returned to normal or very close to normal. Since I have focused on it for a few weeks now, I must return to flexion exercises to make sure I'm not stuck with a 120 degrees flexion.
So more work is still needed although I see the end of the tunnel getting closer day after day.
Cannot wait to be at the top of a mountain.
Or at the end of a twenty-mile path even if it is with a bike.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
October 18, 2011
Yeah! I got my new bike today.
My husband took me to this great shop owned by one of our neighbors.
The bike is a brand new model from the Treck 2012 collection. It wasn't in store yet so we ordered it on the spot and I will pick it up tomorrow.
Beautiful bike! .
I cannot wait to use on it on the fifteen-mile trail that starts in Old Town Clovis, only minutes away from the High-School my kids attend.
My knee feels great today and the weather can't be better.
Snow graced the Sierra peaks days ago but has melted as we got more summer like weather.
It is supposed to cool off soon.
Bike time sounds good.
Although... I am plotting a Yosemite manageable hike before winter buries my favored playground under blankets of snow.
My husband took me to this great shop owned by one of our neighbors.
The bike is a brand new model from the Treck 2012 collection. It wasn't in store yet so we ordered it on the spot and I will pick it up tomorrow.
Beautiful bike! .
I cannot wait to use on it on the fifteen-mile trail that starts in Old Town Clovis, only minutes away from the High-School my kids attend.
My knee feels great today and the weather can't be better.
Snow graced the Sierra peaks days ago but has melted as we got more summer like weather.
It is supposed to cool off soon.
Bike time sounds good.
Although... I am plotting a Yosemite manageable hike before winter buries my favored playground under blankets of snow.
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