In The Clear

Dr. Dye said my knee looks fine, actually better than most at this point after surgery. What? Really? I didn't expect him to say that! He told me again that setbacks happen for people and it's not uncommon at all. I'm so relieved. That said, I continue to have a heightened awareness to be cautious for a long time to come. I won't be ditching my crutches cold turkey again. Slow, careful progress will now ensue. Maybe by the end of the week I'll be ready to walk to the printer, but not to meetings down the hall. Next week could be walking to meetings down the hall, but not to the cafe for lunch. Baby steps...

Along with gentle physical therapy, Dr. Dye said he wants me to focus on increasing my range of motion. He encourages his patients to do easy cycling (no resistance) and even get in the pool for walking in the shallow end or swimming. I'm going to consider these things, but probably won't get in a pool quite yet. I'm not ready to push myself too much after my experience last week. Am I scared? Yes, rightly so. Maybe next week, once I'm walking a little more, I'll be ready to move on to something new. Dr. Dye also suggested that from time to time during the day, I should make sure to take a moment to move my leg up and down as if cycling. This will help towards the better range of motion. Currently, I cannot bend my left leg all the way so my foot kicks up to my behind. My flexibility is not great. I'll make an extra effort to work on this, all without pain.

Overall, my outlook is much better today. I needed this and for once, Monday is a good day!