I have been home for a couple of days and here are a few thoughts that have been running through my mind. Remember, I am still doped up on pain meds, so please excuse any typing errors or random babbling that takes place.
1. The Walker is totally the way to go! Using a walker to get from the bed to the bathroom has proven tons easier than using crutches. Who would have thought?!
2. Because ACI is such a new surgery in America...nobody knows what it is...including the nurses. I can't tell you how many times I had to answer questions and fill the nurses in with the details of how this knee surgery is different. Furthermore, we have begun to receive random suggestions, from people who don't even know us, about what they did to get through their total knee replacement. Just so that it is clear....this procedure I had is totally different than a TKR. Here is the best way for me to describe what just took place this week.
- First thing they did, was saw through my shin bone and move it an "inch" or so, to the outside of my leg. Once placed in a new position it was screwed into its new location. This will help change the future weight distribution.
- Secondly, they prepared and implanted my own stem cells of cartilage, that were previously biopsied, into the four locations I had damaged. (The damage was serious and not a result of osteoarthritis)
- My knee cap was taken out, flipped, and put back in.
- The basic summary...I have a broken shin bone with screws, highly sensitive patch work on the interior if my knee, a loose knee cap, and a huge scar.
Because of the sensitivity of my leg and the work that was done, I am forced to take everything very slowly when it comes to rehab goals. Furthermore, my knee is an extreme case even within this category and as a result, my time has been even further extended. In simple terms...I am left to my own small category of knee procedures.
3. Stretchy socks make all the difference. My leg continued to swell for five days following the surgery. All of that swelling has to go somewhere and much of it has traveled to my foot. As a result, the normal socks I would wear when my feet are cold...don't even fit over my toes. So...we have had to find "special socks" that fit the part. One suggestion, the socks they give you for surgery at the hospital work great. They grow with you! Consider asking for another pair before you leave the hospital.
4. 23.5 hours lying down is no fun at all. Right now the only time I get up out of our lazy boy or my bed is to get to the bathroom. There were days when I was in college that would have sounded fun. Now that I am living it...not much fun. Therefore, make sure you have a comfy mattress. We are actually going to replace ours this week because it is beginning to be problematic.
5. I have been able to take a couple of showers at this point, and it is EXHAUSTING. Keeping all of my balance on one leg without being able to bend my bad leg is not only tricky, it takes all of my strength, even with my wife's help.
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