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ACL Surgery Recovery - Day 1
May 29th, 2003 8:00 AM - The sleeping effects of all of this medicine are really strong. I feel like i could sleep forever today. I have been drifting in and out of sleep since 7 PM last night, waking up approximately every 4-5 hours to take my medication or make my way to the restroom. My legs are no longer numb and I can feel pain every time i move my leg. It's not so painful as it is sore. When I stand up I feel a mild burning sensation rush down my leg. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd say the pain I feel when I am standing is about a 5. When I'm lying down, it's uncomfortable but not too painful, probably a 2.
The nurse has already called me twice today to see how I am doing, which was nice. She wanted to know if I was still in pain and she wanted to make sure that I was taking my medicine. I have prescription painkillers (Lortab), prescription anti-nausea medicine (Promethazine), and over the counter anti-itching medicine (Benydryl). Also, my friends have called to see how I am doing. I think when I woke up this morning, I had 7 missed calls on my cell phone. It's good to know that people care about me.
Using the crutches is a new experience to me, but it's actually pretty easy. I can maneuver around the apartment decently, but I'm still worried that i will trip and fall, especially when going down stairs (which I have not tried yet). It is difficult when I have to carry something from the kitchen back to my bed. At first I tried to hold things in my hands while I used the crutch, but this is very difficult because you really need both hands to use the crutches. Now, I use a backpack to put everything in so I can crutch around with the use of both hands. It works quite well. I haven't put any pressure on the surgery knee yet, but the doctor says it should support weight. I guess in a few days I will try it out.
The motorized cooling device that I am using is great, I just have to keep refilling it every 4 hours or so with ice. The device is pretty much just a tube that runs from a ice chest into a pouch wrapped under my bandages. The cold water from the cooler is circulated through the pouch by a small motor that is light and quiet.
I'm also glad that I have this laptop with me to keep me sane while i am confined to the bed. If I didn't have this, then I might go crazy. This journal is a great way to get my mind off of the injury and to keep me entertained. I actually got the idea for a journal from another web site which is located here: http://janet.braystudio.com/acl (no longer works). Apparently my story is less painful than hers either because I have a higher tolerance for pain, or because my doctor uses a newer procedure. A lot of these surgeries took place in the late 90's and I think that if I shared my more recent story with others, it could help them out by giving a more up to date account of the surgery.
May 29th, 2003 3:00 PM - Woke up with a shooting pain in my knee. I tried to adjust by body so that it wouldn't bother me, but nothing seemed to help. After a few minutes, I realized that my pain medication must have worn off. I popped a couple of pain pills and sat with a sharp pain in my leg for 15-20 minutes until the medicine finally started working. Now I see what the others were complaining about with the pain. I would rate the pain that woke me up as a 7 out of 10. OUCH.
Me wearing the immobilizer brace and a closeup of the cooling unit - click to enlarge
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