Day 63: NINE Weeks Post-Op!
The tweak my knee sustained on Wednesday is just a memory now. It’s terrific to see the knee responding so quickly to a brief respite (Thursday) from exercise! If I had to name a complaint, my only one is that the knee was a little sore last night and when I woke up this morning, but it’s nothing a couple Tylenol doesn’t alleviate. The swelling is gone, and today’s independent gym session at PT went well. I didn’t curtail any of the exercises, and other than my warm-up work on the elliptical trainer, I didn’t note any “new” discomfort in the knee.
Self-guided “independent gym” regimen from today:
- 12 minutes on the elliptical trainer: 6 minutes forward, then 6 minutes backward
- Ball (4lb.) toss into a trampoline, while balancing on an air-filled disc with the post-op leg: 2 sets of 30
- Balancing Squats (Like wall squats, but with me balancing on a 1-foot-tall air-filled disc that requires constant balance checks to remain on it!): 10 repetitions of 10 seconds each
- Single (post-op) Leg Press on the Total Gym for ~4 minutes at incline level 10
- Dual Leg press on the Total Gym for ~4 minutes at level 10
- Lunges on the Slide Board: 2 sets of 20
- Hamstring curls on ball: 2 sets of 20
- Lateral Slides (full body) on the Slide Board: 3 minutes [while BRACED]
Today quickly became an all-out exercise day, with me walking 4.78 miles after the PT session, including taking twenty or so jogging strides at various times during the walk. I’m not a runner or jogger, and have no basis of comparison to know whether the pain I felt is normal or the result of the surgery and muscle wasting in my left leg. I only jogged on straight, flat paved surfaces — I have enough trouble when I’m forced to move laterally, and “straight line jogging” is specifically what Renee mentioned to me last week as an option. I’ll have to ask for more details, since it’d be nice to have an occasional jog or run in my “bag o’ tricks” when I’m exercising. Walking can get awfully old, especially when I forget my iPod Shuffle as I did today! 
I need to post a new photo of both legs/knees for comparison. It’s still plainly obvious which leg got cut, even if you pretend not to notice the two scars — muscle tone is markedly different, as is to be expected. Overall, though, I’m back to feeling great. I suppose Wednesday’s tweak to the knee has a “silver lining” in that it keeps me from getting too cocky and, oh I don’t know, scheduling a 6-mile hike anytime soon!
I’ll be on my feet with my heavy camera and lenses for most of tomorrow, attending the San Geronimo Airpark Young Eagles Pancake Breakfast & Fly-In with Justin (who’s serving as EAA Chapter 35′s Communications Officer, presently). I’ll wear shorts and hopefully work on getting a tan on my legs to match the tan I’ve developed on my upper body from all my walking!
Photos from our flight to Tyler, TX will be posted soon — sorry I’ve been slow in getting to that! Lots of work-related stuff going on that keeps bumping the blog to low priority. I also need to order fine art prints for Renee, Bob and Kara at PT — sort of an early “parting gift” and hearty “THANK YOU!” to them for their hard work, dedication, good humor and guidance in the crucial first two months of my rehabilitation!
Be well, everyone!
