Hopping along

18 February 2016: 

20 days post op.

I am down to one crutch! Yes! I am pleased to be moving more freely and to be making good progress.

I had my first post op appointment with a local physio yesterday. She was impressed with my leg bends (nearly 100 degrees). One of the first things she got me to do was a passive hamstring stretch which nearly made my eyes bulge out of their sockets

Oath! I could only manage 2 1/2 minutes. It is really hard. The Physio later recommended I do the exercise 2x a day - but just after I have knocked back some of my pain meds. 

I also did some exercises on the standing bike (I am not yet ready to push a pedal around the full circle) and I will start back at the gym tomorrow walking on the treadmill and doing some upper body work. 

It is interesting to see how much walking I am already doing. My iPhone has a Health app that tracks the distance I walk in a day. In the last four or five days  it has recorded between 2-3km for day. I am not completely sure how accurate this is - but it gives me an indication that I am getting about.

It feels really great to be getting moving. I even had a test drive in the car. Ten minutes was enough for a start. I will build up to longer distances slowly. 

I will hold off on the pool until the wound is completely healed - but it is coming along well.

The bruising has also gone down significantly.

The other glorious development is that last night, for the first time since the operation, I was able to tentatively sleep on my side. It was fantastic. I wasn't able to sleep in that position for more than an hour but it was a very welcome development. I have also doubled my painkillers at night (as recommended by my GP) and this means I am beginning to sleep for up to three hours at a time. 

The combination of more sleep, increased mobility, less bruising and managed pain is welcome and sets me up for more progress in the coming week.