Almost two months since surgery!

I can't believe it has been this long....today I had a long physical therapy session. I love pt lately! It is like my own little workout and I get a long icing and laser treatment at the end. Here is my routine at physical therapy:
bike about 15 minutes
walk backwards on treadmill about 10 minutes (this feels so good!)
5 minutes on balancing machine- 30 seconds on, 15 seconds off
3 sets of 10 leg press
3 sets of 10 calf raises
scoot myself around the room on a wheeled stool using alternating legs(this one is funny and fun)
30 weighted lunges
stretch
ice machine
laser and talk with Chris about how much Ohio State stinks!

The morning after these sessions I definitely feel like I got a workout. Today I got a lecture, too. About overdoing it because I am doing so well and feel decent. Chris told me how people who get patellar tendon ACLs are in a lot of pain for like 12 weeks and don't feel like doing any serious activity so their grafts stay safe and heal and those who get a cadaver don't have as much pain so they tend to over do it and sometimes re-injure. So I was warned. This came up because I was whining a little about how I didn't understand why I can't be swimming (pulling at least) by now because my leg feels so much stronger. Anyway, I will continue to take it easy and keep telling my knee to heal, heal, heal!!

One work week down

Going back to work has been awesome and terrible. I was so happy to see/meet my kids but haven't been in this much pain since right after surgery. My ankle hurts and my knee constantly aches. At night I am exhausted but am back to not sleeping well because of my knee hurting every time I move. It's no good. I love my job but unfortunately it is one where I run around a lot and pick up kids and very rarely sit down....and when I do it is in a mini chair and I have to get up immediately. I am feeling torn- I know I went back to work too early, but will I ever feel like I am ready to be back? The only way to know if my knee was ready was to go back and my answer is not what I wanted. Boo. All I want to do this weekend is stay in bed and ice and feel sorry for myself.

cankle

So when I fell in June and tore my acl, I also sprained my ankle really bad. I have not spent an extended amount of time on my feet since then. Today was a really hard day at work and I had to chase/ pick up/ remove from the water table a big 6 year old...I'm talking like a 60 pounder -  multiple times. Here is what my ankle looks like tonight:

 

Sexy. 

I keep looking at it and it seems like it can't be my own foot. By the way, my knee is also throbbing. Good night.

Back to work.....

It's been a long almost seven weeks, but I finally went back to work today. So many people said they were surprised I was back so soon considering the type of kids I work with and the type of surgery I had?!?! I never planned on it being this long!!  Anyway, I teach mostly special ed/ ESL kids aged 3-5. They are all over the place and I don't sit down for most of the day. It was so, so good to see the kids- I had about half of them come back from last year and half were new. They were all great and happy and cuddly, just how I like them! Really, there were only a few times that I felt twinges in my knee and remembered I had an injury. The rest of the time I was cautious, but not in any pain at all. I iced for about 5 minutes during my about 15 minute lunch break and took 2 Aleve. A boy with autism threw himself on the floor while I was walking with him and holding his hand and that twisted my knee and was painful but that was the worst of it. I am a dork, but as soon as I walked into the classroom I got a little tear in my eye. Because I was happy and so ready to be back there and back to my normal life. It is coming back slowly, and for that I am so grateful.

Lasers

So Thursday in pt I had a rough time. I did okay with the bike, treadmill and balancing, but had really sharp pain in my kneecap when I did my lunges. Chris had me stop and gave me a laser/ infared light treatment. It was about 10 minutes long, felt like nothing at all and is supposed to speed up healing in bones. I hope it works. I was cleared to go to the gym and ride the bike, which I did today. Let me just say that it was awesome. I did seated weights in the circuit they have set up at my gym then rode the bike for 15 minutes. It felt so great to get back in the swing of what feels like my normal life again. I am sore and it feels amazing. I am going back to work tomorrow and I hope my knee feels as good as it does right now. I cannot wait to see my students and hope I can sleep tonight because I am so excited!!