...is what I do on campus lol. M/W/F I walk pretty far throughout the day. It's good exercise! Yay! What I should do is go to the gym as well, but I have to get home to the puppy and 9-3 is a long time to be at school. I'd do the gym T/H but I have PT then. Tomorrow it's 1:30, so maybe I'll get my haircut tomorrow.
Didn't get around to the chores. *sigh* I'll do those this week or this weekend. Chris and I just didn't feel like it. We saw Death Race last night with friends. I was expecting it to be horrible, but it wasn't bad. Although lately, I'm finding myself paying attention to more than the movie. Like the sound quality, different sound effects, camera angles, dialogue sequences, writing, lighting, storyline, etc. Like a MEDIA person. Teehee :)
It still doesn't work for me to go downhill. I have a limp. And I still have a fairly noticeable and sometimes audible limp regularly. Aah well. These things do take time, it'll be a month since surgery on Sunday! And then my 2 month anniversary on Thursday (anniversary of the accident that is lol). Yay.
All right. Tea time, exercises, homework, etc.
And tonight, I'm gonna try to cook hibachi :) Woo!
And damn do I love Arabic. Truly. I love the language, the script, the class, the professor. And I SOOOO wanna go to Cairo. But, an internship would be more... beneficial :)
Cheers!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
sundays are nice
Breakfast in bed! Well, I made it, but still lol. And watching Robin Williams HBO and then icing my leg. AND putting away laundry and the dishes in the dish washer. Blam. But I have yet to do homework, vacuuming, bathroom, or dusting. Sigh. And taking out the trash. ANNND getting a lamp cord, a calligraphy pen (for arabic) and an alarm clock :)
My leg is all right. I can go down stairs normally now, so long as I don't go too fast. My hamstring was stiff this morning, but oh well. I'm doing my exercises, but I can't seem to focus when I do them. Around the PT place, I just do it and BLAM an hour of exercises. But at home? No more than like 10 minutes if that lol... I can't focus. But I do what I'm supposed to, just not as much as I should. UGH. I need to do better. But I DO periodically do quad sets and bend my leg around. And while I'm cooking or waiting for water to boil or brushing my teeth or putting away clothes, I do hamstring curls and lunges and calf raises. So I'm trying.
That's really the hardest part. Just doing the exercises. UGH!
Okay, things to do.
Cheers all!
My leg is all right. I can go down stairs normally now, so long as I don't go too fast. My hamstring was stiff this morning, but oh well. I'm doing my exercises, but I can't seem to focus when I do them. Around the PT place, I just do it and BLAM an hour of exercises. But at home? No more than like 10 minutes if that lol... I can't focus. But I do what I'm supposed to, just not as much as I should. UGH. I need to do better. But I DO periodically do quad sets and bend my leg around. And while I'm cooking or waiting for water to boil or brushing my teeth or putting away clothes, I do hamstring curls and lunges and calf raises. So I'm trying.
That's really the hardest part. Just doing the exercises. UGH!
Okay, things to do.
Cheers all!
Friday, August 22, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
school starts, leg continues
Not bad.
My leg is doing all right. Extension is a real problem. I can extend it to being straight, but--here, try this. Get down on the floor, or on the bed, wherever it's flat and your legs are out in front of you. Now tighten up your quad. See how your lower leg and foot raise up? Put your hand under your knee. Tighten up your quad, and see how it pushes down on the hand? Well, when I tighten the quad, there's no pushing, no raising. It's just tightening. Now, I still have swelling, so that could be it. After the accident, it took a while. But eh.
Walking around campus wasn't too bad. I got a blister on my right foot though lol, so I was walking really weird by the end of the day. Going downhill, even slightly, I still have to lead with my toe and not straighten. But that was the same with after the accident too.
I'm exercising. But not as much as I should :/ I do all of them, but just not as many I guess. We'll see what Greg says, I see him tomorrow at 11am. I think my flexion has improved. But I'm really worried about my extension.
I'm icing, but DEFINITELY not much. Maybe twice a day. Once usually. I need to work on that too. I'm just so bad and keeping up with things. But I've got a schedule set down. Once I get back from school, I have two hours to play with the dog and do exercises and have tea time (at 4pm, yes, awesome, I know). Then 5-7 is homework, icing, Arabic review. 7-9 is dinner, more homework, more exercises. 9-10 is relaxation before bed--be that meditating, doing nothing, blogging, taking a bath. So HOPEFULLY I'll keep to it. I also can exercise a little in the morning while in the shower and doing my hair.
UGH.
Okay. Oh, and I'm STOKED about Arabic. Seriously. It'll be hard, really hard, but I'm so excited. And realllly excited about my Digital Audio Production course. Yes!
Cheers!
My leg is doing all right. Extension is a real problem. I can extend it to being straight, but--here, try this. Get down on the floor, or on the bed, wherever it's flat and your legs are out in front of you. Now tighten up your quad. See how your lower leg and foot raise up? Put your hand under your knee. Tighten up your quad, and see how it pushes down on the hand? Well, when I tighten the quad, there's no pushing, no raising. It's just tightening. Now, I still have swelling, so that could be it. After the accident, it took a while. But eh.
Walking around campus wasn't too bad. I got a blister on my right foot though lol, so I was walking really weird by the end of the day. Going downhill, even slightly, I still have to lead with my toe and not straighten. But that was the same with after the accident too.
I'm exercising. But not as much as I should :/ I do all of them, but just not as many I guess. We'll see what Greg says, I see him tomorrow at 11am. I think my flexion has improved. But I'm really worried about my extension.
I'm icing, but DEFINITELY not much. Maybe twice a day. Once usually. I need to work on that too. I'm just so bad and keeping up with things. But I've got a schedule set down. Once I get back from school, I have two hours to play with the dog and do exercises and have tea time (at 4pm, yes, awesome, I know). Then 5-7 is homework, icing, Arabic review. 7-9 is dinner, more homework, more exercises. 9-10 is relaxation before bed--be that meditating, doing nothing, blogging, taking a bath. So HOPEFULLY I'll keep to it. I also can exercise a little in the morning while in the shower and doing my hair.
UGH.
Okay. Oh, and I'm STOKED about Arabic. Seriously. It'll be hard, really hard, but I'm so excited. And realllly excited about my Digital Audio Production course. Yes!
Cheers!
Saturday, August 16, 2008
leg junk
Nothing really going on. PT went well on Thursday. Past two days have been spent at Laura's watching the dogs and the Olympics, as well as messing around on TWW (brentroad.com, lots of NCSU people).
It's still very hard and painful to bend backwards while standing up. I can lift the thigh and bend, but if I keep my thighs parallel, and try to lift my calf up, ouch. Those hamstring tendons OMFG. It's the ones--look at the hamstrings, and then see that at the knee, they've got 2 tendons on the outside, and on on the inside. THOSE KILL.
So yeah. Going down stairs has gotten easier. I can almost pretty much alternate now. Which is nice because one step at a time is so damn slow. It still hurts to extend my leg all the way, and it's really hard. I've GOT to work on it.
I'm gonna need some help to push me to exercise. I only did a little yesterday :(
And TODAY! I will go to Food Lion. Dangit!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
chugging right along
That's what the days are doing. It's already Wednesday, and school starts a week from today. I'll have class in 10 minutes if it was already next week. Ugh lol. Excited and NOT excited.
PT went well. 106 degrees of flexion, but I REALLLLY need to work on my extension. It hurts so bad. Grah.
Anyway. Taking the car in to get fixed and have new tires. Well, not fixed, but checked up. And then taking care of Laura/Mark dogs for 3 days. Woo. Nothing much is happening. Recovery is going exceptionally well. I mean, I walk with a limp DUH, and going down stairs is still one stair at a time, unless I do a hop thing. But otherwise, I'm pretty good.
PT went well. 106 degrees of flexion, but I REALLLLY need to work on my extension. It hurts so bad. Grah.
Anyway. Taking the car in to get fixed and have new tires. Well, not fixed, but checked up. And then taking care of Laura/Mark dogs for 3 days. Woo. Nothing much is happening. Recovery is going exceptionally well. I mean, I walk with a limp DUH, and going down stairs is still one stair at a time, unless I do a hop thing. But otherwise, I'm pretty good.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
v-dub in the house
Yeah, so I can drive :) Heh, I bet I could've driven a few days ago too. So that's what, 1.5 weeks after surgery and I can drive a manual. Badass.
Also, the new brace is cool and makes me look less bionic. BUT it sucks to take off and put on, and it gets sweaty :(
Okay, PT time.
Also, the new brace is cool and makes me look less bionic. BUT it sucks to take off and put on, and it gets sweaty :(
Okay, PT time.
Monday, August 11, 2008
off comes the band-aids
And the tape pieces from surgery. Jeremy said I could've taken them off earlier. Isbell uses dissolvable sutures, so I didn't have any stitches to protect. But it was for the best to keep them protected so they could heal. All the incisions are fine, there's one on the inside of the knee (like the right side, not INSIDE of it lol) that isn't healed all the way, and that bottom one has a bruise around it but otherwise it's all good.
I still have to ice it a couple times a day (like 4 times), and I still need to wear a brace. But I got my new one today! It's like one of those black braces with the donut hole in the knee spot, but it has a velcro section on the thigh, and another section on the calf. However, those straps are all on top of a black foamy material. That foamy material covers my leg save for the hole in the knee on the top and the back. It goes down like halfway on the calf and comes up a hand-span on the thigh. And then it has that brace support on the sides, but it's not lockable. So yay. I can walk around and start bending more than 105 degrees and do whatever. I mean, not running and skiing and basketball lol, but I can start really getting into therapy. I go tomorrow to see Greg at 10:15am--yay! I miss the Garner office :)
So it's nice having a new brace that's easier to deal with, don't have to do the locking stuff and it slips on and off. It's tight still (swelling) and sucks to pull on over the bottom incision/bruise area, but it's MUCH nicer. So all's well!
Right now, we're going to go help Ben get stuff out of his car and into his new house. I'll probably just carry clothes and whatnot, but I was carrying a 20 pound puppy here and there, so we'll see. And then the rest of the week is just exercises and relaxing before school. Eep..
I still have to ice it a couple times a day (like 4 times), and I still need to wear a brace. But I got my new one today! It's like one of those black braces with the donut hole in the knee spot, but it has a velcro section on the thigh, and another section on the calf. However, those straps are all on top of a black foamy material. That foamy material covers my leg save for the hole in the knee on the top and the back. It goes down like halfway on the calf and comes up a hand-span on the thigh. And then it has that brace support on the sides, but it's not lockable. So yay. I can walk around and start bending more than 105 degrees and do whatever. I mean, not running and skiing and basketball lol, but I can start really getting into therapy. I go tomorrow to see Greg at 10:15am--yay! I miss the Garner office :)
So it's nice having a new brace that's easier to deal with, don't have to do the locking stuff and it slips on and off. It's tight still (swelling) and sucks to pull on over the bottom incision/bruise area, but it's MUCH nicer. So all's well!
Right now, we're going to go help Ben get stuff out of his car and into his new house. I'll probably just carry clothes and whatnot, but I was carrying a 20 pound puppy here and there, so we'll see. And then the rest of the week is just exercises and relaxing before school. Eep..
Sunday, August 10, 2008
thoughts and the leg at the beach
Well, I'm not on the beach, but I'm a couple blocks away. Down in Wilmington with Laura, Mark and Chris. And all the dogs.
I've been doing my exercises... I need to go get that sheet that Micah wrote (he was the guy in Charlotte) because I feel like there are more that I need to do. I do the raises, I try walking, I shift my weight, I do calf raises... but I feel like there's more.. And I don't need to work on my flexion anymore at the moment--I have to wait for tomorrow's appointment with Jeremy. He's going to give us the scoop about what comes next, and then I see Greg again the next day.
Basically, things are going fairly well. I really don't have much pain unless my leg is bent for too long and then it's hard to get up and start walking around. I don't use my crutches at all, and I stopped using them on like... Sunday? Saturday too, like 4 days after my surgery (but that's probably because of PT beforehand too). Guys, seriously, work on the PT before surgery, and if your doctors DON'T prescribe it for you, ask and get it. That and having to deal with the helplessness the first time, I really learned how to do everything and push through the points where it feels like I need help. Like... sometimes it's hard to get out of the car or the bath tub. But it's not hard. And it's not painful. Really, the worst was the bone pain when I woke up, and then the fact that I got sick from too many meds and from having that horrrrrrrrible head cold.
Family and friends have been sending lots of good positive energy. And it helps to have people around that support you, help you out, and that push you to do exercises and do what you're supposed to. And it also helps to have people that are sarcastic, don't help you out or get things for you, and force you/push you to do things on your own. It's great. Thanks to everyone!
And those of you with ACL tears, in my experience the worst is: surgery (waking up, and getting the shots), the accident (the impact and pain, the immobility, the losing adrenaline and almost going into shock), and the helplessness (not being able to do almost anything and feeling like you'll never do anything again). But after this... dear GOD I've gained so much confidence in myself and strength inside. It makes me feel like "well I got through this, so whatever else comes I'll be a little better off."
Alright. We're gonna watch Phelps (we've been playing games and watching the Olympics all weekend--love it) and then take the dogs on the beach. Oh, and Shawn from the American gymnastics team? Amazing. Her and Nastia both... damn.
Cheers!
I've been doing my exercises... I need to go get that sheet that Micah wrote (he was the guy in Charlotte) because I feel like there are more that I need to do. I do the raises, I try walking, I shift my weight, I do calf raises... but I feel like there's more.. And I don't need to work on my flexion anymore at the moment--I have to wait for tomorrow's appointment with Jeremy. He's going to give us the scoop about what comes next, and then I see Greg again the next day.
Basically, things are going fairly well. I really don't have much pain unless my leg is bent for too long and then it's hard to get up and start walking around. I don't use my crutches at all, and I stopped using them on like... Sunday? Saturday too, like 4 days after my surgery (but that's probably because of PT beforehand too). Guys, seriously, work on the PT before surgery, and if your doctors DON'T prescribe it for you, ask and get it. That and having to deal with the helplessness the first time, I really learned how to do everything and push through the points where it feels like I need help. Like... sometimes it's hard to get out of the car or the bath tub. But it's not hard. And it's not painful. Really, the worst was the bone pain when I woke up, and then the fact that I got sick from too many meds and from having that horrrrrrrrible head cold.
Family and friends have been sending lots of good positive energy. And it helps to have people around that support you, help you out, and that push you to do exercises and do what you're supposed to. And it also helps to have people that are sarcastic, don't help you out or get things for you, and force you/push you to do things on your own. It's great. Thanks to everyone!
And those of you with ACL tears, in my experience the worst is: surgery (waking up, and getting the shots), the accident (the impact and pain, the immobility, the losing adrenaline and almost going into shock), and the helplessness (not being able to do almost anything and feeling like you'll never do anything again). But after this... dear GOD I've gained so much confidence in myself and strength inside. It makes me feel like "well I got through this, so whatever else comes I'll be a little better off."
Alright. We're gonna watch Phelps (we've been playing games and watching the Olympics all weekend--love it) and then take the dogs on the beach. Oh, and Shawn from the American gymnastics team? Amazing. Her and Nastia both... damn.
Cheers!
Saturday, August 9, 2008
busy busy
Past few days have included going back to Raleigh, unpacking everything, going to Olive Garden, my grandparents taking crazy good care of me and helping me move and getting me things, my Mom being worried and very caring, my sister and her friends being over, my puppy going nuts, Katrina and the cat Pear (Rikku and Pear aren't getting along yet---Pear hisses a lot lol) coming back, and other things. And today, Mark and Laura and Chris and all the dogs and I are going to the beach for the last summer outing.
And thank you Mrs. Maria for the email :)
And thank you again to my grandparents for EVERYTHING! Literally lol.
And thank you again to my uncle for calling about me so dang much.
My leg is doing just fine. I'm on it A LOT, I ice it here and there, and I did my exercises *sigh* only once yesterday. But the past two days were just too busy with moving. I'll be better. It's hard sleeping with the brace on because I wake up a lot, but it's not too bad.
Right now, my main problem is money. Those green bills and numbers in my account... not having a job has really taken its toll. I need to get one this Fall as soon as my leg can handle it. I've got enough in my account to buffer and sail me through a few months. But it's just getting low. The puppy has cost me a lot, that's for sure, and so have a few failed attempts to make money online *sigh*
Well. Shower time and packing time, I'll try and keep updating. So far so good. That bottom incision can kiss my ass, I'm sick of it hurting. And I'm sick of mucus and coughing, but that's life right? Everything all at once.
Cheers.
And thank you Mrs. Maria for the email :)
And thank you again to my grandparents for EVERYTHING! Literally lol.
And thank you again to my uncle for calling about me so dang much.
My leg is doing just fine. I'm on it A LOT, I ice it here and there, and I did my exercises *sigh* only once yesterday. But the past two days were just too busy with moving. I'll be better. It's hard sleeping with the brace on because I wake up a lot, but it's not too bad.
Right now, my main problem is money. Those green bills and numbers in my account... not having a job has really taken its toll. I need to get one this Fall as soon as my leg can handle it. I've got enough in my account to buffer and sail me through a few months. But it's just getting low. The puppy has cost me a lot, that's for sure, and so have a few failed attempts to make money online *sigh*
Well. Shower time and packing time, I'll try and keep updating. So far so good. That bottom incision can kiss my ass, I'm sick of it hurting. And I'm sick of mucus and coughing, but that's life right? Everything all at once.
Cheers.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
sigh
And I love that everyone in Raleigh is drinking wine and watching movies.
*sigh*
Jealousy, boredom, and a continuous dull ache ensues.
*sigh*
Jealousy, boredom, and a continuous dull ache ensues.
chinese discussion
Let's discuss:
So I can't get into the Chinese course because it's for NEW FRESHMAN ONLY. I wouldn't be able to start it then until next Fall. Sooo... maybe this is God's way of saying "sorry, Chinese just isn't for you." And I will agree that yes it would've been difficult, but it would've also been VERY cool to learn.
So, what we can discuss is this: instead of Chinese, let's evaluate my college degree. Communications Media, with an emphasis on production courses (audio, tv, film, etc). Then perhaps a minor in business for a good all-around education for the American economy and employable world. SO. What language would be a) useful, b) practical, c) interesting, d) exciting, e) smart, f) beneficial, g) all of the above, or h) generally cool to know?
Ready, discuss.
Oh, and that bottom incision hurts like a witch with a capital B. The end.
So I can't get into the Chinese course because it's for NEW FRESHMAN ONLY. I wouldn't be able to start it then until next Fall. Sooo... maybe this is God's way of saying "sorry, Chinese just isn't for you." And I will agree that yes it would've been difficult, but it would've also been VERY cool to learn.
So, what we can discuss is this: instead of Chinese, let's evaluate my college degree. Communications Media, with an emphasis on production courses (audio, tv, film, etc). Then perhaps a minor in business for a good all-around education for the American economy and employable world. SO. What language would be a) useful, b) practical, c) interesting, d) exciting, e) smart, f) beneficial, g) all of the above, or h) generally cool to know?
Ready, discuss.
Oh, and that bottom incision hurts like a witch with a capital B. The end.
finding out the latest from me
Because apparently, I'm just that damn important.
But seriously. My family has been vigilant in finding out if I'm okay or not, and many well wishes and prayers have been sent from my not family and my friends and other miscellaneous people. And thank you to everyone who has called, sent emails, letters, care packages, flowers, bears, cards, candies, foods, and anything else because it has made this journey easier.
Today hasn't been bad. I've been able to eat A LOT more today than the past few days combined. My stomach felt really unstable this morning until about noon, and the head/chest cold was really bogging me down. But I feel a lot better than I did. The cough is a dry one now, and it's hard to get rid of that scratchy feeling. But really, I just laze around, watch TV, eat food, and try my hardest to not feel like crap. I'm convinced that my stubbornness is half of what's getting me through lol.
Chris is dead tired in Raleigh. And I hope that Rikku doesn't forget me lol. I realllly want to get back to Raleigh and work on unpacking and the house and everything. But that's okay.
Annyway. I've been doing my exercises and they aren't too hard. My bottom incision hurts a lot when I exercise and and move and stuff. And it's annoying with those tape things and the band-aids and stuff. I can bend it fairly well, but it stresses the incision and the tape things and the band-aids. Grah.
And I can hobble around really easily. I just lock the brace, and hobble away. And then I unlock it when I'm lounging. I need to work on my extension more. And on my quad control. But my knee is SO swollen that it's really difficult. It reminds me of when the accident happened and I couldn't really control the quad that much. I might ask Greg (when I get back to Raleigh) to do the electrode thing and stimulate it that way to get it alive again. It's so hard to tighten it, but it's virtually impossible to tighten it during the straight leg raises. But, little by little. And I'm working on walking around without my brace with the crutches to practice how to walk again. I should be pretty good in 2 weeks though (that's when school starts too).
Well. Back to That 70's Show and finding MORE food to fill my tummy with. I lost some weight from all the puking and not eating ;) but now I need to make my stomach stronger.
Cheers!
But seriously. My family has been vigilant in finding out if I'm okay or not, and many well wishes and prayers have been sent from my not family and my friends and other miscellaneous people. And thank you to everyone who has called, sent emails, letters, care packages, flowers, bears, cards, candies, foods, and anything else because it has made this journey easier.
Today hasn't been bad. I've been able to eat A LOT more today than the past few days combined. My stomach felt really unstable this morning until about noon, and the head/chest cold was really bogging me down. But I feel a lot better than I did. The cough is a dry one now, and it's hard to get rid of that scratchy feeling. But really, I just laze around, watch TV, eat food, and try my hardest to not feel like crap. I'm convinced that my stubbornness is half of what's getting me through lol.
Chris is dead tired in Raleigh. And I hope that Rikku doesn't forget me lol. I realllly want to get back to Raleigh and work on unpacking and the house and everything. But that's okay.
Annyway. I've been doing my exercises and they aren't too hard. My bottom incision hurts a lot when I exercise and and move and stuff. And it's annoying with those tape things and the band-aids and stuff. I can bend it fairly well, but it stresses the incision and the tape things and the band-aids. Grah.
And I can hobble around really easily. I just lock the brace, and hobble away. And then I unlock it when I'm lounging. I need to work on my extension more. And on my quad control. But my knee is SO swollen that it's really difficult. It reminds me of when the accident happened and I couldn't really control the quad that much. I might ask Greg (when I get back to Raleigh) to do the electrode thing and stimulate it that way to get it alive again. It's so hard to tighten it, but it's virtually impossible to tighten it during the straight leg raises. But, little by little. And I'm working on walking around without my brace with the crutches to practice how to walk again. I should be pretty good in 2 weeks though (that's when school starts too).
Well. Back to That 70's Show and finding MORE food to fill my tummy with. I lost some weight from all the puking and not eating ;) but now I need to make my stomach stronger.
Cheers!
Monday, August 4, 2008
charlotte therapy...
...not so good. It wasn't painful, at all really except for a hamstring ligament on the outside of my leg feeling sore. But it just sucked.
Dear Garner Raleigh Orthopaedic Clinic Physical Therapy:
You guys are so much cooler. You rock.
Sorry I had to see someone else Greg. He wasn't worth it lol.
Love, Lisa
Seriously though, it wasn't all bad, it was just awkward. AND I had to redo tons of paperwork. But I did get some new exercises. Straight leg raises all around--on my left side, on my right side and on my back. Then having my knee off the table, face down, and lifting up. Then having my legs dangle off the table and pushing the left one back. And then walking around on crutches with no brace. And then extension exercises with the towel, and quad sets with the towel. So a few new things, but mostly the same. But the guy was awkward, not really sociable or relaxed... he felt like he was at work and like he didn't really want to hold a conversation. So, props to the Garner people. ALSO, I was in a separate room, so props AGAIN to the Garner people for making therapy relaxed, fun, easy, sociable, and approachable.
Basically, I can't wait to get back to Raleigh lol.
Food is working in my stomach better. I'm not feeling nauseous at all, so that's awesome. We're having breakfast for dinner :) Hopefully that will set well on my stomach. And I'm not really in any pain. It's just that damn bottom incision. It really realllllly is sore and tender and sucks with movement and the brace against it.
Otherwise, onward again to being bored and watching HGTV and Food Network ;)
Dear Garner Raleigh Orthopaedic Clinic Physical Therapy:
You guys are so much cooler. You rock.
Sorry I had to see someone else Greg. He wasn't worth it lol.
Love, Lisa
Seriously though, it wasn't all bad, it was just awkward. AND I had to redo tons of paperwork. But I did get some new exercises. Straight leg raises all around--on my left side, on my right side and on my back. Then having my knee off the table, face down, and lifting up. Then having my legs dangle off the table and pushing the left one back. And then walking around on crutches with no brace. And then extension exercises with the towel, and quad sets with the towel. So a few new things, but mostly the same. But the guy was awkward, not really sociable or relaxed... he felt like he was at work and like he didn't really want to hold a conversation. So, props to the Garner people. ALSO, I was in a separate room, so props AGAIN to the Garner people for making therapy relaxed, fun, easy, sociable, and approachable.
Basically, I can't wait to get back to Raleigh lol.
Food is working in my stomach better. I'm not feeling nauseous at all, so that's awesome. We're having breakfast for dinner :) Hopefully that will set well on my stomach. And I'm not really in any pain. It's just that damn bottom incision. It really realllllly is sore and tender and sucks with movement and the brace against it.
Otherwise, onward again to being bored and watching HGTV and Food Network ;)
thanks for calling!
So this blog has been more useful than I thought. Jeremy called this morning because he read my previous post about how crappy my recovery was going. Rock on lol. Thanks Brian for emailing it to him.
Yeah, Saturday went better, but I was pretty weak. Except in the evening, you could tell I was slipping again. I went to bed but at 1:00am I was up and feeling like puking and death all over again. I was up from about 2:00am onward until 9:00am (and by that time I was just up anyway). I would get up, feel horrible, breathe forever, get the shakes, almost heave or heave and then try to lay down and within 15 minutes do it all over again. FOR HOURS. My poor Mom was up with me all night and that really made me feel even worse. It was just crap. And by the end it was the most violent heaving I've ever gone through in my life. I felt like I was dying. Literally. It was really scary.
I guess there were just tooooo many pills in my system and it all just built up and my body was like "get the hell out!" so yeah. Yesterday was hard because I had nothing in my stomach and we drove down to Charlotte. That's right, I'm in Charlotte *sigh* because there's no way that I could've been watched 24/7 up in Raleigh with the move and the cleaning and Katrina's car getting in the way and the puppy... So I'm in Charlotte, and my physical therapy appointments that would've been in Raleigh will be done down here for 2 sessions.
Yesterday was just liquid diet, and by the end of the night I was starving, but we didn't want to risk it. I woke up here and there during the night, but I made it through without heaving or anything. So this morning was a shower (thank GOD) and a tiny bagel that tasted like heaven, 2 slices of bread, some ginger ale and some cheerios. We don't want to rush it or overdo it, so I'm just kind of dealing with it. The only problem is the head cold. It's getting to the OMG MUCUS stage, and half my stomach contents feels like mucus. So I feel unstable, but not to the nauseous point. Ugh. The only thing is that I feel like I probably could've stayed in Raleigh lol. Oh well.
I'm here for a week probably, unless Chris can/has time to drive down and get me lol.
Wasn't expecting the surgery to be this messed up. Well, recovery I mean. But so it goes.
Just too many pills at one time.
However, I can hobble around without crutches. The bottom incision hurts the most, the one on my lower leg under the knee. I think that's where the screw is or something, but damn that one is SORE to the touch and SORE when I move and SORE when I lift lol. It's annoying. Otherwise, my leg is swollen, the knee is like a melon again (aww the good old days of June), and it's heavy and annoying to move.
I'll keep you all updated lol.
A note to those like me with ACL troubles: be careful on how much medication you take. Take enough so that you can keep ahead of the pain. Be sure to eat whenever you take some pills to keep things moving and settled. Don't overdo, and don't take too many different kinds of pills. And be ready for ANYTHING. Life is never easy and doesn't stop for anything. So I'm finding.
Yeah, Saturday went better, but I was pretty weak. Except in the evening, you could tell I was slipping again. I went to bed but at 1:00am I was up and feeling like puking and death all over again. I was up from about 2:00am onward until 9:00am (and by that time I was just up anyway). I would get up, feel horrible, breathe forever, get the shakes, almost heave or heave and then try to lay down and within 15 minutes do it all over again. FOR HOURS. My poor Mom was up with me all night and that really made me feel even worse. It was just crap. And by the end it was the most violent heaving I've ever gone through in my life. I felt like I was dying. Literally. It was really scary.
I guess there were just tooooo many pills in my system and it all just built up and my body was like "get the hell out!" so yeah. Yesterday was hard because I had nothing in my stomach and we drove down to Charlotte. That's right, I'm in Charlotte *sigh* because there's no way that I could've been watched 24/7 up in Raleigh with the move and the cleaning and Katrina's car getting in the way and the puppy... So I'm in Charlotte, and my physical therapy appointments that would've been in Raleigh will be done down here for 2 sessions.
Yesterday was just liquid diet, and by the end of the night I was starving, but we didn't want to risk it. I woke up here and there during the night, but I made it through without heaving or anything. So this morning was a shower (thank GOD) and a tiny bagel that tasted like heaven, 2 slices of bread, some ginger ale and some cheerios. We don't want to rush it or overdo it, so I'm just kind of dealing with it. The only problem is the head cold. It's getting to the OMG MUCUS stage, and half my stomach contents feels like mucus. So I feel unstable, but not to the nauseous point. Ugh. The only thing is that I feel like I probably could've stayed in Raleigh lol. Oh well.
I'm here for a week probably, unless Chris can/has time to drive down and get me lol.
Wasn't expecting the surgery to be this messed up. Well, recovery I mean. But so it goes.
Just too many pills at one time.
However, I can hobble around without crutches. The bottom incision hurts the most, the one on my lower leg under the knee. I think that's where the screw is or something, but damn that one is SORE to the touch and SORE when I move and SORE when I lift lol. It's annoying. Otherwise, my leg is swollen, the knee is like a melon again (aww the good old days of June), and it's heavy and annoying to move.
I'll keep you all updated lol.
A note to those like me with ACL troubles: be careful on how much medication you take. Take enough so that you can keep ahead of the pain. Be sure to eat whenever you take some pills to keep things moving and settled. Don't overdo, and don't take too many different kinds of pills. And be ready for ANYTHING. Life is never easy and doesn't stop for anything. So I'm finding.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
spending the night in hell
Or at least hugging a puke box.
Last night was rough. Yesterday was fine, and I was doing really well and did great at PT and everything. And then later after dinner, Phil and Jess (two of Chris' friends) came to visit me. But then later I just started getting really really sick feeling. Not to mention that I've picked up this cold... congestion and stuffiness and coughing, gross! And since I was feeling so well, I had started to space out the pain pills a little more. Midnight was my last Darvoset before puking at 3:30, 4:30, 5:30, and 6:30. It was rough.
I started back on the pills at 9:45 this morning, and got nausea suppressant pills too. Everything went SOO much better than I had expected the first day and a half, it's weird that it started well and then went bad. I'm doing a lot better that I was earlier this morning though lol. I'm watching Scrubs and HGTV (LOVE LOVE LOVE that channel lol), and eating jello and graham crackers.
We'll see how things go :)
Last night was rough. Yesterday was fine, and I was doing really well and did great at PT and everything. And then later after dinner, Phil and Jess (two of Chris' friends) came to visit me. But then later I just started getting really really sick feeling. Not to mention that I've picked up this cold... congestion and stuffiness and coughing, gross! And since I was feeling so well, I had started to space out the pain pills a little more. Midnight was my last Darvoset before puking at 3:30, 4:30, 5:30, and 6:30. It was rough.
I started back on the pills at 9:45 this morning, and got nausea suppressant pills too. Everything went SOO much better than I had expected the first day and a half, it's weird that it started well and then went bad. I'm doing a lot better that I was earlier this morning though lol. I'm watching Scrubs and HGTV (LOVE LOVE LOVE that channel lol), and eating jello and graham crackers.
We'll see how things go :)
Friday, August 1, 2008
Post-op PT and news
I slept fairly well last night. I was woken up every 2 hours to alternate taking the Darvoset and the Ibuprofen, but other than that I slept well. Physical therapy rocked this morning. I can do a lot more than I expected that I could.
Because of all the pre-op PT, my left leg is pretty strong. In fact my doctor, Dr. Isbell, said that I could fully extend my leg (or rather they could) on the operating table, which was rare for women (although I don't know why). And that it seemed really healthy and good for me. And, unlike when I first had the accident, I can do straight leg raises, heel slides up to 65 degrees, calf raises, weight shifting, and even put some weight/walk on my left leg. BUT I'm not going to because that will overdo :)
The polar care thing and my Darvoset rocks. I love it. The incision on the lower part of the knee, where they had to drill the hole in the tibia, that really hurts. I mean, on a 1-10 scale it's a 4, so that's not too bad, but it's a dull and annoying ache. And my stomach is being evil and feeling like puking, has been all day long so far. But other than that, I'm doing pretty well.
The other news? Address change. Everything has been moved to the new house, and that address is: . So if you wanted to send me letters or postcards or Christmas cards or whatever, that's the new address from August 08 to July 09.
I'm going to continue doing address changes :)
Because of all the pre-op PT, my left leg is pretty strong. In fact my doctor, Dr. Isbell, said that I could fully extend my leg (or rather they could) on the operating table, which was rare for women (although I don't know why). And that it seemed really healthy and good for me. And, unlike when I first had the accident, I can do straight leg raises, heel slides up to 65 degrees, calf raises, weight shifting, and even put some weight/walk on my left leg. BUT I'm not going to because that will overdo :)
The polar care thing and my Darvoset rocks. I love it. The incision on the lower part of the knee, where they had to drill the hole in the tibia, that really hurts. I mean, on a 1-10 scale it's a 4, so that's not too bad, but it's a dull and annoying ache. And my stomach is being evil and feeling like puking, has been all day long so far. But other than that, I'm doing pretty well.
The other news? Address change. Everything has been moved to the new house, and that address is: . So if you wanted to send me letters or postcards or Christmas cards or whatever, that's the new address from August 08 to July 09.
I'm going to continue doing address changes :)
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