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| There's no place like home (by home I mean the dance floor)! |
The second half of week 2 really showed how fast my body is healing. I know it sounds crazy, but going to Physical Therapy really brightens my mood. At home, I get mopey when I see all my friends at Dance Trance posting pictures and videos, and I feel like I'm never going to be droppin' it low again. I know it's not true. At the latest, I should be back by zombie dancing time (which is my favorite time of the year), but it still feels so far away. Then, I go to PT and the ladies are so excited about my progress, I get motivated to push harder. PT really gives you hope even if it hurts in the meantime. I'll explain more below.
MONDAY- Post Op Visit
On Monday, I had my follow up with my surgeon. He seemed very excited about my progress. There isn't much swelling anymore. He said the incision looked good. He asked if I could do my single leg raises yet without any help. I felt bad because I just couldn't. For someone who was able to do 100 if not more at a time before surgery, I couldn't understand why I couldn't just lift my leg 6 inches. He explained that after these surgeries your quad muscle shuts down. He then explained it takes a little while for it to turn back on, but people who were super active, like me, would get it working in no time. He further explained that's why it takes so long for athletes to get back in the game.
When he said that, it's like a light bulb came on, and instead of feeling defeated and angry my quad was this little mean girl betraying me. I realized I just needed to fix that problem, and I'd get back on the dance floor. I started doing single leg raises on my other leg to reteach my quad. This may sound silly, but I don't care. I figured if I could do it on one side and pay special attention to what muscles were working, I might be able to fire them up in the other leg. He gave me the key to getting back on the dance floor and back running... I'm going to do everything I can to unlock that problem.
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| It's like a little cross :) |
My surgeon also informed me I could start showering without my brace as long as I sat in my old lady chair. I was very excited about that!! He also said as soon as I feel stable enough, I can ditch those awful crutches. Even better, he said I didn't have to sleep with my knee propped up to the ceiling anymore while I slept. Then, he set me up an appointment to get a functional brace. I go this Friday to get that. I'll be switching to the functional brace in two weeks. Yay! No more bionic woman!
After the surgeon left, the PA came in and removed my staples. It hurt, but wasn't as excruciating as I thought it would be. He attempted to distract me by asking me a bunch of questions and making fun of me for having the same shoes as his 8 year old daughter. After I finished up with that, I went to my next stop, PT, while my fiance went to Target to get my refill on my pain meds and some groceries.
At PT, I got to do a lot more than I normally do! We still did everything from before but we added the bike (only halfway around) & mini squats. While doing my single leg raises my quad suddenly responded. I actually could lift my leg on my own. I was shocked and surprised. I got high fives from both of my PT ladies even though one of them was working with someone else. I got tons of cheers. It was the best feeling. Then, when Jon came to pick me up, he said he didn't believe that I did it... so I did it again just to show him! After I finished up, my PT told me that I'd probably be pretty sore because we did A LOT and had a lot of progress.
TUESDAY
Tuesday was hard. I was super sore. I couldn't do one single leg raise at home.. so I gave myself a break for a day and went to the gym instead to work out my arms. I was very tired because I couldn't get comfortable while I slept, so the gym was a bit of a challenge. At this point, though, I like a good challenge. It's just one more thing to overcome, right? At the gym I did the following:
Row Machine 50 lbs 4 sets of 25
Abdominal Machine 50 lbs 4 sets of 25
Overhead Press 30 lbs 4 sets of 25
Chest Press 5 sets of 20
Arm Extension 30 lbs 5 sets of 20
While I was working out, a lady came by and asked me what I did to my leg. She then told me she was proud of me for getting back to the gym and working out even though I was injured. It was a great pep talk. It's really awesome how people are so encouraging!
WEDNESDAY
I can drive again! YAY! I got back in the driver's seat Wednesday and started taking control of my life again. I went to the coffee shop, allergist, to lunch with my cousin, and finally, to PT all on my own. I didn't get much work done, but I felt like a champion at my personal life. At PT, I did my single leg raises on my own again! I did my side leg raises with a little weight. Then, they had me turn over and put my bad leg on the bottom and my good leg on a chair. Then, I had to lift my leg with my inner thigh. My PT got busy with another patient, so I did 10 more than she asked me to do. Why? Because I could. Things are looking good!
Here's some ACL tips for y'all for this post:
1. Don't get frustrated with your leg if it isn't working. It will get there eventually. Keep pushing!
2. Make sure you have a purse or little fanny pack of some kind that you can use while on crutches to move things from point A to point B. You may get laughed at for having your Starbucks tucked in your purse, but they appreciate your genius approach to it all.
3. Celebrate the little things. Those little things eventually lead to the big hurdles.
4. Booths at restaurants are optimal for sitting while you're out because you can sit with your leg straight and elevated.
5. Drink lots of water.
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