Nights follow each other but can be so different. Last night I tried to sleep without my brace since my leg felt so much better, but pain along my thigh woke me up and I drifted away only after I slipped the brace back on.
What if I have to wear it forever? I know, these are my crazy thoughts when I am awake.
Now that sun pours in the house and I have a lunch meeting with two of my friends, hope is back. And for good reasons.
First, I can definitely flex my knee way past the 90% expected by now. I'm sure I have reached the flexion range (115%) I regained before surgery.
Then, the extension is much better. There is less of a gap between the bed where I do my exercises and the back of my knee.
Finally, I do my exercises in a breeze and I'm ready for challenge.
What amazes me though is the contrast between a state of the art surgery and the old fashioned recovery process. In my case, the reconstruction of the ACL, a partial reconstruction of the MCL, and the cleaning of the menisci took twenty minutes. The surgery was non invasive and the scars are minimal. I'm sure they will fade eventually. Great high tech job.
But the post surgery compared to this modern operation is almost ancient. The physical therapy is wonderful and shows progress but in our fast pace world, it is strange that nothing faster has been found.
The medical world is changing at a rapid pace and the surgery I got is now a common procedure. Yet when it comes to reeducation, patience is the only way to go.
I am learning. Slowly and reluctantly but definitely aware that there is nothing I can do besides completing my homework, day after day and hoping as night creeps in, that my knee will feel less stiff and more mobile.
The good news is that it does. Day after day.
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