Changes coming quickly.... and yet, not fast enough!

I have folded up my lovely walker and am getting around the house and even outside to get the mail using only my cane.  It feels very nice not to be leaning on the walker and I think it is forcing me to use the legs in a more natural way.  I am still having to mentally think..."heel, toe, bend the knee... heel, toe, bend the knee".  It has been so long since I have walked normally on my right leg, that I find myself wanting to keep it stiff and walk like a pirate.

The mental part to my recovery will be to teach my mind that the new knee is going to function correctly and that it will not collapse on me and can be used in the manner that a body should use it to walk and stand normally.  Then the muscles have to be retrained to do the normal functions, allowing the knee to bend.  And the knee needs to bend more without being swollen.

I am no longer taking any narcotics for pain.  I am taking my usual Ibuprofen that I was taking pre-surgery for pain.  It seems to be working nicely and is an anti-inflammatory as well.  When I head for bed, I take my pills and then curl up in bed with the ice pack.  Off and on through the night I will wake up, move around, keeping the cool pack on the knee as much as possible.  By morning, the inflammation is down.  But then I have to do something called living.  It does not take too long, before the knee is stiff from swollen tissue and not bending well.  But I keep exercising and walking and resting the knee and just doing things around the house.  In time, this will all be a memory and I will have a normal gait without any pain or swelling.

So, walker is in mothballs, unless we get more snow when I will use it for stability on slick surfaces.  It makes carrying things easier and keeps me from knocking into things in the tight spaces that are in my home.

I will have a full hour of therapy tomorrow at the Outpatient Center, then I am being picked up by a friend so we can go out to lunch and then she will bring me home to show her where I live.  Annette is going to take me to see the surgeon on the 15th.  The office is outside the region for Rover.  It is the day that I will hopefully be given permission to once again drive a car!!!  Fingers crossed and lots of positive thoughts would be helpful!!