Day 4

I'm sitting at my office desk today without any pain medication. 
We'll see how long that lasts.

I just feel like I should be walking better than I am.
The surgeon kept saying that I would be walking right after surgery. He wanted me walking, was his constant phrase. I am not so much walking as shuffling along. 

The first 24 hrs were with crutches. Then I went to one crutch and a severe limp and hobble. Then yesterday I was doing pretty well with out the crutch but found myself grabbing things to hold on to so might as well use the one crutch. Stairs still kill me. I am sort of doing them. When not on my butt I am taking them just like I did before surgery, one leg at a time. My good leg goes up and I drag the bad one behind me. Putting all my weight on my surgical leg is still a killer, reminds me to lose more weight. 

I just feel like I should be further along than I am you know? 
Friday night at 7pm was 24 hrs. At 48 hrs (Saturday) I could take off the bandages and wrap myself in plastic wrap and take a shower only. 
Oh that shower was great. But standing on a crutch in the shower makes bathing a bit difficult. Rick is useless in helping me because he seems to think my boobs need more soap suds. Honest to God I will be dying and he will be copping a feel one last time. That man!

I wrapped my leg and showered to the the best of my ability. I washed my hair and that felt great. I even blew dry my hair. It felt good to be clean and have my hair done. Which is funny knowing I was just going back to sit in bed. But I felt better.
While in the shower I found lifting the leg of surgery was difficult and so it still has remnants of the betadine solution which makes that leg look orange. I tried to scrub the words off my leg and that wasn't budging with just soap and water. Rick said, "acetone will take that right off."  Yes and if it ran into my incisions acetone will take your head right off as well. Honestly, I know I'm clean, the words will have to linger.

Prior to surgery they brought me a marker to write the word Yes on the knee of surgery. Then the dr came around and he signed it like an autograph. If they had done surgery on my right knee by accident I could have sued and I would be able to retire. So damn it.
I digress....
My leg as you can see in this photo is really swollen not only at the knee but above the knee and most of my calf. I don't know why that is but it is. 

I have my follow up Wednesday morning at 8:10am and I am certain my handsome doctor will yell at me if I should be further along than I am. I just don't see how I could be but I am trying like hell to walk more and I'm doing all the damn exercises 2x a day which I think are pure torture that should be used in war.

Anyone have a torn meniscus and if so how long before you were walking like nothing happened? How long before this swelling went down? The surgery was less than 45 minutes, it just seems like the recovery should be quick too. I'm not a patient patient.

Now to my caregiver.....
I fear he is an old Italian woman in a large Eastern Eurpean man's body. All he wants to do is feed me. He made a few meals yesterday for this week to have ready to go. He asks me to eat something every 30 minutes. I tell him I'm not hungry then he says, how about some soup then? Oh my God this is my Grandmother. Not hungry, then just have a sandwich was her mantra.  
I had nodded off in bed and he came in to see if I was hungry. I just laughed. I'm sleeping I am obviously not starving. 

I will be 500lbs in no time sitting on my ass so much and him shoving food at me. Wants some nuts? (His sister sent a big ass tin of assorted nuts to us.) 
I had a cashew or two - Not in the mood Rick. I bought some sherbet for you, want some? NO. How about a piece of chocolate? Well, okay chocolate is different you don't need to be hungry for chocolate, bring that over here big boy.

He made salisbury steak which I have not eaten since high school. He's proud that he used all gluten free flour etc.  He made stuffed pepper soup which I love. (deconstructed stuff peppers) He made pudding which I ate none of and it's gone. 😏 He also made some gluten free cookies which I had one and they too are gone. I think he is eating for two. Apparently he's stressed. 

Since he has mostly been on the 1st floor and me on the 2nd I text him should I need him. But that doesn't stop him from coming upstairs and bugging me about food or something. It's really funny if it weren't happening to me. He means well. It's sweet and yet annoying as all hell. 
I know he could ignore me but....

He has to have a renal sonogram today. Rick has stage 3 kidney disease and we are trying to keep it at bay. More important than this damn knee! The test today has been scheduled for some time now and I don't want him to miss it. I called the woman across the street to see if she'd be around today should Izzy not be able to wait until Rick gets back home. She can walk her for me. Hopefully not necessary but she's there if I need her.
This is when family close by sure would be nice. 

I'm going to hobble down the stairs now to check on the dog and to get something to drink. I'm alone for the first time since surgery and I think I may even eat some breakfast. Although I should probably wait or take a photo eating it so he doesn't come back and ask me if I'm hungry. 

My hiney is tired of these stairs but going down is far more frightening to me to lose my balance than going up. Yesterday with Rick's help I attempted the stairs with my legs instead of my arse. I lost my balance but grabbed the railing and was fine. Of course the old woman - err old man I live with freaked out, it was no big thing. But since no one is here to catch me I'm going to be a baby and go down the steps on my fat butt.  I think I'll be safer that way just in case. 

Note to self - no more leg surgeries until I move to a one level house!