Tillie's 3 Week Anniversary

Hello Friends!

It is hard to believe that 3 weeks ago today, I was in the hospital, having had surgery in the morning.  Today, I am moving well on my own without a cane (unless I'm outside), and I even drove myself to the PT office!  During today's workout, I was measured at a 98-degree bend.  This is THRILLING!

Today, the PT also measured Bessie again, and she was at 108.  Our goal is to get Tillie to match up with Bessie at least!  One huge advantage of going to the PT office is the equipment they have.  I have been using the bike to SQUEEEEZE Tillie.  She can't go all the way around on the bike, yet, but I push her as hard as I can going one way, then I reverse the pedal and push her as hard as I can going the other way.  I do that for 6 min.  I really feel like this is one of the most valuable exercises they are having me do. 

They also have me lie on my back on a sliding table with a high bar at the end, and I push myself back on a slide.  I use both feet and 1 foot.  That one is helpful also, but I want them to tighten the tension a little more on that one.  Right now, it feels a little too easy.  I also sit on a stool with a weight-pull around my ankle, and I pull back on it.  Additionally, I am stepping up on a box - forward and sideways, and I am walking across the room sideways and back (strengthening my hips?).

For the most part, I feel like I am back to living my own life, just with the addition of exercise routines 2-3 times a day.  There are many times I almost forget about my knee.  I can walk around the house to do what I need to do - laundry, cooking, dishes, cleaning, etc...  I even walk outside to change the hummingbird water.  I am also sleeping well at night, except my leg feels stiff when I get up after it doesn't move for a few hours. 

I am trying to avoid taking narcotics if I can.  I have taken 1 dose before some of my PT sessions if I have a ride, but when I drive myself, I only take Ibuprofen. 

That's it for my knee update at week 3.  I continue to be amazed at how well and how quickly things are progressing. I never imagined it could be this good! 

Thanks for reading!  I'll talk to you again soonly!

:)Amy