Leg Drama

*warning: this post is not for the weak of stomachs...or for those who don't like ugly legs*

February 15, 2011...the day that changed my leg forever.  Sounds a bit dramatic, but I wish I was kidding.  As I mentioned before, I tore my ACL back in 08 and my meniscus this past year.  I had surgery in February and Dr. M fixed it all for me.  If you want to try to picture my knee, picture this below, except there is no ACL at all and the meniscus is folded under itself.

The surgery went great, just as planned...if only I could say that about the healing process. Fortunately for me, maybe even more fortunate for Stu, my mom came out to stay with us for about a week post-op.  She helped cook, clean, pamper, and play while she was here. It was perfect.

Many came to visit, although I don't remember much from those first few days, thanks to all the drugs. Apparently I did give some pretty sound job hunting advice to one friend who eventually got the job!  Those days weren't so bad because I had plenty of medicine, the nerve block from my waist down, and my leg felt great (like it wasn't even there!)

On day 3 after surgery, we went back to the doc to have the dressing removed. My leg was still numb but I was having an allergic reaction to the pain meds. It was not fun feeling itchy nonstop, but worth it in the long run. I was so thankful for pain killers.

My mom and hubby toted me to the doctor's office, which was my first big outting. We were expecting that everything was going as planned so far..and that's when we saw it.  Yes, my knee was very swollen, the scars were still bloody, but worst of all was the thing that didn't belong: a huge burn on my shin. Where it came from is still a mystery to all of us.  The doctors swear it's from the cold therapy that I was using, but it's hard to understand how an insulated tube, sitting on top of ace bandages, circulating ice water, could do this to my leg. Here you see the 3 incisions (which are supposed to be there) and there is a small scar further down my leg, if you squint and tilt your head you can see it.

At the time, I thought everyone came out of surgery with a large burn on their leg. But you know it's not a good sign when the PA taking care of you has a surprised look on her face and says "hmmm...I wonder what that's from?" Oh boy.

I'll spare you too many of the melodramatic details about my recovery, but let me sum it up for you. Once my mom left I had a few breakdowns. Why me?!? Why did she leave me?!? What am I going to do?! How will I survive?!? Somebody just amputate already!! I wish I was over-exaggerating.  I spent the next 2 weeks unable to bend my leg. The next 4 weeks I was unable to put weight on my foot and hobbled around on crutches, mainly from the couch to my bed and back again.  Stuart was my chauffeur and it was great spending the extra quality time together in the car, right Stu???

I was miserable as I was stuck on the couch, totally dependent on others to help me.  We were so thankful for all the wonderful support around us. People cooked dinner for us, brought flowers, helped clean, etc. We have a great family here :) And the actual work that was done inside my leg was healing great, according to the doctor. It was everything on the outside that was not so pretty.  There was the horrible burn, and the doctor realized I was allergic to sticky stuff he put under my steri-strips...which were on my leg for 2 weeks, causing some kind of chemical burn around the incisions.

The reaction caused red bumps to spread all over my thigh and was terribly itchy. The burn continued to get less and less pretty as it "healed". And then there were the blisters...

Yeah, it has been fun. On the heels (or shall I say the knees?) of my emergency appendectomy back in December, I've had more than my share of hospital visits for now. The good news is that I'm fixed and my new ACL is in tact. My whole leg started to heal, as my muscles atrophied, adding to the attractiveness. This is at my two-week check up. 

And here it is one month post-op. Two thumbs up for my birthday and first day off of crutches!

 

So now I am 2.5 months out of surgery and slowly things are getting back to normal. I'm going to physical therapy once a week and I really enjoy that, especially now that I'm doing some heavy duty weight lifting to strengthen my scrawny leg.  I can't fully bend my leg without some discomfort, but my therapist has been impressed so far as to how quickly I gained (forced) my range of motion back.  No pain. No gain. My next big feat will be walking down stairs with little effort. Right now if I don't take one at a time I have to hold on for dear life and hope I don't take a tumble. Once that is conquered perhaps I'll be able to start some cardio exercises...but we'll just wait and see. It should be all easy from here, except that I might have to do another MRI in a few months to make sure my meniscus healed properly. If it didn't...that means another surgery. I won't dwell there though.  Here is what my leg looks like today, much better eh? 

 

And even the scars are healing better.  My burn is pretty severe so there is still some numbness and tingling all along my shin. Not sure what the darker parts of the scar are about, but I'm supposed to go see a dermatologist in the next couple of weeks. The actual incisions have always looked great. Funny thing is, Dr. M was very careful about how he stitched these close. He wanted to make sure they were minor so he did the stitches on the inside. He said he wanted to make sure my leg would still be aesthetically pleasing...HA! I can't change the past though, so I'm just glad it's all getting better.

 Thanks to my PT, here's how much I can bend my leg. I can't sit "Indian style" yet (is that still PC to say? Sorry if that offends someone...) which is the most comfortable position for me to sit in, but soon and very soon I hope to be able to. 

So there you have it! Despite the drama and pain, I am glad I had the surgery. Not only is my ACL on it's way to 100%, but this also really gave me an incredible perspective on life.  As I was crying on the couch because I couldn't do anything, I realized there was a light at the end of my tunnel. There are so many people who find themselves stuck on the couch for life, their legs will never heal.  I don't have much to be worried about.  I'm thankful to God that I am still able-bodied with a few minor scars on my leg. He is the giver of all good things, and I thank Him for this experience.