Here's the new brace... cool!
Yes, that's right, I slept pretty much all night last night... much to my joy! Other than the mechanical difficulties of getting around I feel pretty good. Before I slept last night I turned off the pain pump to conserve it until today in case I need it. I started off my day with the idea that I would make coffee and sit on the lower deck and knit and watch the birds eat from the feeder. I'm also hoping that this first dose of coffee (albeit decaf) will umm loosen things up so I can have a "productive" morning. Marrian, Dr A's assistant warned me that the Oxy causes constipation, but um I haven't had a #2 since Monday afternoon!
There's nothing in the bird feeder so I'll have to fill it. First I tackled making coffee, which went pretty well. I put the coffee in a travel mug and set it into a coffee mug (I hate drinking out of travel mugs) then put it into a plastic bag and tied the top so I could carry it on my crutch handle. Filling the bird feeder was a little more daring since I had to exit the house; something that I had not done since entering post op on Tuesday. The filling of the feeder went very well and I only have maybe a teaspoon of feed now in my brace and in my morphine pack which I'm still toting around in case I need it. Finally I feel the need to "go". Thank goodness!
I sat outside and knitted for a little while, but this dang straight-leg brace really causes pain when you try to sit upright. The Lyttle guy is supposed to be coming at 11am to bring me the quick release bendable brace which I'm sure will be extremely helpful. I'm contemplating pulling out the morphine pump line since I'm not feeling any real pain and I hardly think a little discomfort is worth having the device strapped to me for "just in case". Maybe I'll wait until after I ice and it gets wiggle around a little without the brace on and then I'll decide for sure. Ok, I admit it.... I'm a little nervous about pulling the IV thing out of me.
9am - I suppose I should ice and see how the knee looks.
Doesn't look TOO bad. There's some nice bruising developing near the portal
by the band-aid. Is there still a knee cap in there?
11am - the Lyttle guy comes to deliver the new brace. Now this is more like it! It is SO much better. First off there's a quick click -in dial on the side to which you can set to maximum
flexion (bend) and extension then there are quick releases on each side so that you can either move freely within the specifications of the flexion and extension or you can lock it in at a specific point within the allowed range. The other one has a dial which does nothing! Secondly, the straps have Velcro and buckles so every time you take it off you're not ripping Velcro apart and there's no tangled up Velcro mess! Just 6 quick buckle snaps and you're on your way! I feel like such an injured geek right now!
After the brace guy left I decided it was time to remove the pump. I'd been up and down and around all morning and I wasn't feeling any significant pain. I still had 50ml left, but what the
heck I don't feel like I need it anymore. Getting the tape off was the hardest since I've never been a fan of home bikini waxing. I put a little "all natural" adhesive remover on it first then carefully and painfully peeled it off. It's not like I could see any hairs, but this is a very delicate area! Once I got the pad off I pulled out the IV. I really couldn't feel it, but it started freaking me out a bit because it just kept coming and coming. So maybe I exaggerate a little bit but it was a good 3" into the vein. Here's a pic of the tubing I pulled out.
With my new brace I was able to sit comfortably outside and watch the goofy squirrel and the birds while I knit. I have the brace set to 20 degrees, which is a far cry from "bent" but believe me just that little bit takes a tremendous amount of pressure off my knee.
Dave left to go run the Crim with some friends so I'm on my own for tonight and tomorrow afternoon. I'm sure I'll be ok. I might try to drive myself to the Secretary of State office and get that handicapped parking permit. I'm having my first beer since the surgery... yum.
flexion (bend) and extension then there are quick releases on each side so that you can either move freely within the specifications of the flexion and extension or you can lock it in at a specific point within the allowed range. The other one has a dial which does nothing! Secondly, the straps have Velcro and buckles so every time you take it off you're not ripping Velcro apart and there's no tangled up Velcro mess! Just 6 quick buckle snaps and you're on your way! I feel like such an injured geek right now!After the brace guy left I decided it was time to remove the pump. I'd been up and down and around all morning and I wasn't feeling any significant pain. I still had 50ml left, but what the
heck I don't feel like I need it anymore. Getting the tape off was the hardest since I've never been a fan of home bikini waxing. I put a little "all natural" adhesive remover on it first then carefully and painfully peeled it off. It's not like I could see any hairs, but this is a very delicate area! Once I got the pad off I pulled out the IV. I really couldn't feel it, but it started freaking me out a bit because it just kept coming and coming. So maybe I exaggerate a little bit but it was a good 3" into the vein. Here's a pic of the tubing I pulled out.With my new brace I was able to sit comfortably outside and watch the goofy squirrel and the birds while I knit. I have the brace set to 20 degrees, which is a far cry from "bent" but believe me just that little bit takes a tremendous amount of pressure off my knee.
Dave left to go run the Crim with some friends so I'm on my own for tonight and tomorrow afternoon. I'm sure I'll be ok. I might try to drive myself to the Secretary of State office and get that handicapped parking permit. I'm having my first beer since the surgery... yum.
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