Flowers and Good news

   Every once in a while your man will experience what I lovingly refer to as "testosterone poisoning". He might say or do something so dumb that the only recourse is flowers and chocolate.My darling love of my life experienced testosterone poisoning and when he recovered, went out and got me flowers and chocolate ice cream. Well done babe, well done.

   This morning brought much needed good news! The Adonis like hulk known as Steven Mannix worked on my knee and proclaimed that my ACL is firmly attached and stabilized. Hell Yeah and Amen ladies and gentlemen! Mannix also explained that pain was pretty normal at this still early stage of the game, I have about 13 more months to go before I am finished healing. My quad muscle is starting to really form which is quite exciting and ROM is perfect. We also talked about why Roberta (ACL #1) failed because that is a major cause of concern for me with this new ACL. An ACL becomes loose or fails when the body rejects the tissue, in this state the ACL can tear quite easily. Picture a wet noodle, that was ACL #1. It is a little odd to think my body rejected its own tissue but weirder things have happened.

   Hertha, the new ACL is like my baby, I imbibe fish oil, protein, and tons of water, she is iced twice a day, stretched every day, and I wear my brace wherever I go. I am Determined that this ACL will be with me forever. We are off to a great start and things are looking up :).

Ready to Face the Music and the Kitchen

     I fell in love with my husband mainly because he can make me laugh...a lot. Having yet another major knee surgery hasn't made me fun to live with. Most of the time I try to be positive but I definitely have my moody days when I would love to break things and punch walls. Especially when I feel pudgy and frustrated with physical therapy. Thankfully, the hubs has decided to help me out on this paleo journey and getting Our sexy back. It is always easier to tackle a huge project like changing our lifestyle together as a team. I like to think of us as a well dressed gang, a really small well dressed gang.

     This Saturday, January 4, 2014 Steven will go to the grocery store with me and actually be involved in the cooking and eating choices we make. I find this very exciting mainly because I have a partner to help my broken but healing ass navigate the grocery store. I love cooking and use it as a way to de-stress when I have term papers due or just having a bad day. Standing for long periods of time is not easy nor a great idea for the next few weeks. My ACL (Hertha) is in the process of attaching herself and becoming permanently anchored in my knee. Whoop Whoop so exciting! No worries, I have made meal plans that are easy, delicious, and that my husband can help me make. I have decided to bat my eyes and enlist his help in the kitchen, this is a room that he is not familiar with. I have total faith that he will be a kick butt sou chef and we can whittle our waistlines down together.

Dear Swelling, I'm not fond of you

     Today is the first day of 2014 and I am spending the day icing and elevating my leg to reduce more swelling. Oh joy. I am so excited. This day cannot get any better.

     So to combat utter boredom and save my leg I am watching Paranormal Activity while my leg is covered in blue ice packs. Not many people can handle how fun I am. My better half is playing World of Warcraft blowing things up on the back of a dragon. If you haven't watched the WOW spoof South Park did, you must check it out. That episode is one of my favorites simply because they weren't too far off the mark with how ridiculous people can be about this game. I tolerate my husband playing for hours because it makes him happy and keeps him out of trouble. To each their own.

     My physical therapists have scaled back my exercises to help alleviate the swelling that refuses to go away. My knee looks pregnant and I'm convinced we are having a girl. During PT I am allowed to perform all the exercises that take place on the table I lie on. For example, heel slides, straight leg raises, etc. This is boring but at least I get to get out of the house for awhile.

Swollen left foot (surgical leg)

Normal right foot

My pregnant knee. Oh the wonders of Nature ;)

The Swelling That Ate Odessa TX

     Usually I love going to physical therapy because it makes me feel semi-normal and gets me out of the house. Plus the people at @Kevin Mannix Physical Therapy rock! However, my darling knee has decided to be a diva and swell up twice its normal size. It really has become the swelling that ate Odessa. Major swelling does not make bending easy and most of my exercises involve bending to enhance ROM. The rest of my weekend will be spent icing, elevating, and reading everything I can get my hands on. I'm pretty sure the laundry won't get done and the dishes will grow a new species of mold. Oh well. My knee obviously doesn't care and wants all of my attention for herself. That is pretty damn selfish. But she is something like a newborn and needs to be handled with care.

Steven wrapping my knee to move the swelling farther up my hip.

   The goal for this weekend is to control the swelling. It's better to ice than have a needle jammed into my knee to extract fluid. Hopefully by Monday everything will once again be right with the world and my ACL. For fun I decided to name my ACL Hertha which is Norwegian for powerful. I find it odd that a cadaver ligament is renting space inside my knee. Giving it a name makes me feel like I have more of a connection to my newly acquired friend. Welcome to your new home Hertha!

Teriyaki Salmon for dinner :)

Go Cadaver Transplants or Go Home

     Today is a magical day, the kind where you see unicorns and life doesn't suck so much. The CPM unit that I have been sharing my bed with for two weeks has gone back to live with Paradigm Physical Therapy. The DVT cuffs have been boxed up and hauled off to UPS as well. Even physical therapy went well for the most part. I decided that today would be a great time to PT without pain meds. Deep yoga breathing came in handy as my therapist stretched my tight hamstrings and massaged my calf. Ice became my best friend and eased the soreness that was brought on by my workout.

     This second transplant has been so different than my first mainly because this time a cadaver ligament was used. The first go around my own tissue was used and I did not have a CPM unit or DVT cuffs once I went home post-op. I am able to do so much more second week post-op with a cadaver ligament than my own tissue. Everyone should have the choice between using cadaver or your own tissue. Please consider cadaver, the science backs it up as do the many thousands of happy patients. Below are two websites that are worth reading if you are in need of an ACL reconstruction.

• http://www.orthoassociates.com/SP11B35/
• http://www.aaos.org/news/aaosnow/apr12/cover1.asp 

     As a patient it is vital that you are informed of all your choices concerning surgery and physical therapy. Make a list of questions and concerns before you see the doctor to make the most of your appointment. Do not be afraid to seek a second opinion if you are ever uncomfortable with your treatment plan. When I began calling around for a surgeon I paid close attention to how I was treated by the front desk. Remember, everyone in the office will be involved in your recovery so it is important that you are treated with respect and compassion. For example, the front desk staff @Mannix Physical Therapy blew me away with how nice they were on the phone. The entire team is wonderful and everyone loves their job.
     Take your time when looking for a surgeon and physical therapy team and be picky. This is your body which has to last for quite some time. You as a patient are important and deserve respect and compassion.