Surgery Update & the Lessons Before Me

Sorry about my delay in blogging. I've been a bit "under the weather" after the "day surgery" last Thursday. Here is the gist of it:

When my doctor got inside my knee, he saw that my knee joint is small & the replacement ligament was longer than needed. So instead of putting 4 small incisions in my knee, he put 2 small, 1 medium and 1 long one. He had to move further down my leg, put the large incision there, put in the screw into my tibia, attach the ligament and then wrap the extra ligament around the screw so it would be the right length. Disgusting, right?

Any ways, the additional work and cutting made the pain more than even the doctor expected. In order to continue the pain meds, I had to stay in the hospital longer and the recovery will be extended. Instead of one week on 2 crutches, I’ll have 6 weeks on 2 crutches. That doesn’t take into account rehab for 10-12 months, starting next week. Ugh.

My recovery is slow but steady. I have not yet made it upstairs to our bedroom but instead sleep and work from a sleeper sofa downstairs. Bathing is interesting to say the least since I can't get soap in the incisions and climbing into the shower is difficult when you can't bend or straighten your knee more than 5 degrees on your own.

All this complaining to the side, I continue which lesson(s) come with this situation.

• Is the reminder that my husband Trent is loyal and caring beyond belief? Did I need that reminder?
• Is it that I'm fortunate to have friends and family (from my 4-year-old daughter to neighbors, parents & fellow volunteers) who are willing to help even when this independent soul wants to do it all on my own? I have even reconnected to old friends lost long ago by connecting with them on FaceBook during my sleeper-sofa stay.
• Maybe it's that crying doesn't improve a situation, but it just feels better sometimes.
• Looking ahead to rehab, I wonder if my lesson will be tied to the difficult rehab, rehab, rehab that lies ahead. I'm a really hard worker but won't be surprised to find another lesson there.
• Patience? I thought I learned that one already. Did I mention I have a 4-year-old daughter? I also seem to recall that my recovery from child birth was no walk in the park but patience played a big part.

Yes, I think I'll probably have a few rounds with all these tests and I wonder why. I'll get back to you on that. :-)
As my PaPa recommended, I've canceled almost every commitment that isn't absolutely necessary. It feels odd to slow down this much. I'm used to having days filled with meetings, commitments, carpool, calls and more. Maybe that's my lesson. Or maybe it's to enjoy the quiet times I have with my family. Little K enjoys snuggle time with me each morning before school and in the evenings before bed time. We do nothing but cuddle and watch a little TV. As a mother, I'm wondering how I let that precious time slip away from me BS -- that's "before surgery" and yes, the acronym is intentional!
I've found myself even asking my husband to cuddle with me on this old sleeper-sofa. We watch the 10 pm news, hold hands and then he heads upstairs to bed. With my leg in my constant motion machine, I head off to sleep with warm thoughts of family.
Until the next nap time...