knee update

[altagirl]

I had my first PT session yesterday, which went well. Minimal swelling, no bleeding, 90 degrees flexion (they didn't want me to push more than that right now), and no problem doing 3 sets of 10 straight leg raises.

Went in to see the doc today. He showed me the pics from the surgery. I have "narrow notch" syndrome - basically in a lot of women, including me, the intracondylear notch (I'm sure I butchered the spelling there) is narrower than usual, and it puts added strain on the ACL, predisposing you to injury. He basically drilled it out to give my new ACL the space it needs and I don't have a narrow notch in my right knee anymore. So that sounds like a good thing for the future.

I also have what basically amounts to a crack in my lateral meniscus. The pics of both my medial and lateral meniscus look perfect, until he lifted up the lateral side and looked underneath and there's a tear there but it's not very deep. He said it's small enough that any repair he could have attempted would have just made it worse so he left it alone.

And I have damage to the back of my kneecap, but I knew about that. A few months after I first started mountain biking (like 5 years ago) I fell and landed directly on my kneecap on a rock. Squashed the cartilege on the back of my patella. But that doens't look too bad and he cleaned it up a bit. Doesn't appear to have caused any damage whatsoever to the rest of my knee and it's been that way for 5 years, so I guess it's not a big deal.

Anyway, I'm still ordered to use the crutches even though I feel pretty damn good, but I can live with that for a while I guess. I'm going to see him again a week from Monday.

I'm off to go to PT again... He said I don't really need to since I went yesterday, but I'm bored and the PT people said I could come.

[basom]

you're killing it already. give 'er!

best of luck

(i can't believe i'm still two months away from skiing :mad: )

[Vinman]

Glad to hear you are off to a great start. Way to get it done.

[Buzzworthy]

That is good news! Those strong muscles are really going to help in the recovery.

I don't recall at the first MINI, I was in a brace, crotch to ankle. Was to be on crutches, everyone was buying multiple beers for me and I could not crutch anymore so I justed walked, from GMD to the Peruvian for PTTP and even slogged up a short hill in the snow. DUMB!!

I payed the price with an extra 2 weeks of PT, strained too much.


But I had a damn good time anyway!! :D :rolleyes: :D

Good luck C!!

[freshie247]

Right Arm,Stay on those crutches as long as your supposed to!

[homerjay]

mmmm mmmm you go girl!

[Altard]

Good to hear surgery went well. Keep rockin the PT and keep that positive attitude, you'll be in S.A. before you know it. I've got a couple of rounds with both of your names on them. ;) See you soon.

[SkiingBear]

Sounds like surgery went well. Good luck with the rehab. I'd tell you to kick it in the ass...but it sounds like you're already doing that. Way to get at it.

[SLCFreshies]

Glad your surgery went smoothly. Hope your recovery continues to go well! Keep at that PT, and I'm sure you'll come back stronger than ever.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

keep the updates flowin A.G....i'm really interested to hear the progression


this might sound crazy, but at this point in the game, I'm actually lookin forward to the surgery, rehab, etc. sitting here just waiting is driving me nuts....just need to get the F on with it already.

[powderwhore]

Get after that PT. You'll be missed on the hill, but we'll see ya on the bikes soon. Stay on your crutches untill your doc says to ditch them. When I was busted I couldn't wait to get off those things. I remember the day my doc gave me the word to lose them. I was way stoked to walk on two feet, it hurt like hell but I made sure I was walking by the end of the day. It may suck right now but hang with it, those PT's know what the are doing.

BTW where are you going for PT?

[Theodore]

Good job on the ROM! The more the better, as its hard to get once its gone. Best of luck, it seems like you like your therapists which is a huge bonus. Get on it and stay on it. ACL killers unite!

[powwrangler]

Great job AG way to go. Sounds like you've got a great therapist. Mine sucked. i 'd have to say it was one of the worst things about rehab and the whole ACL thing. She said she was followong the doctor's protocol, but really sisn't know what she was doing and tried to put me in this machine to test my qaud strength and just about ripped my goos leg in half with it. I quit there and found someone that really knew what they were doing because I was able to work with them everyday and it actually made the rehab process fun. Hey try swimming if at all possible. You can basically go all out a get a great workout because of the effect water has on your knee and rest of your body. I wouldn't start going hard until like a month post op and an OK with the DR. though. Swimming was a huge part of my therapy and it helped my cardio for riding and stuff too.

[altagirl]

Thanks guys! Yeah, my therapists are super cool - I'm over at the Life Center at Alta View (right by our house). They let me jump in on Mr.AG's appointments before I had a referral (since I'm a repeat customer) - I think in the medical world that would be the definition of cool, actually. Then today we were confused by what was written in the surgeon's notes and my PT ran down to his office to check with him in person and get clarification. Can't beat that. And we went over the arthroscopic photos so I know she fully understands what he did too.

Today's PT went well too. 95 degrees flexion, full extension when I'm holding it there, but I still have too much swelling to extend it fully with just my quads. Like 8 degrees short. Therapist said that if anything I probably need to worry more about overdoing extension than anything. So I can just do passive extension to maintain and focus on quad sets and SLRs. Which is sweet because I hate passive extension...

[altagirl]

tonight sucks.

I've been feeling really good and only took one Lortab yesterday - just before PT (figured it might help with ROM). So last night we're watching South Park and I unplug the ice machine for a minute because my leg is getting cold and I figure I'll take a little break. Next thing I know I wake up at 2:15 - my leg is now 1 million degrees. Still elevated, but wrapped under a comforter, in a neoprene brace, ace bandage, the plastic ice machine pad, bandages and surgical stocking. I'm dying.

Holy crap I want a lortab. But I can't take them on an empty stomach. I get up. Sweet - that's much worse with the blood now rushing down into my leg. :eek: Eat a weird combination of soy milk and fresh pineapple out of the fridge and grab a hunk of bread to bring back to the sofa with some water. Sat down and hooked up the ice... oooh, that's a little better. Reach over to the end table to grab the Lortab and it's not there. Lights are out, so I'm searching around in the dark. Can't find the damn bottle. I figure it fell off and is under the table, but I don't want to disconnect that wonderful ice, so I slide down onto the floor and I'm crawling around looking for the bottle now (still attached to the ice thing). Not there. I'm now thinking the cat must have seen the bottle full of rattling stuff and batted it around. Dammit. Disconnect the ice and proceed to search around under the tables and sofa. No luck. At this point I turn all the lights on and I finally notice the bottle is over by the sink. hmmm... I wouldn't have put it there and there are fewer than there were before... Dang spouses helping themselves to painkillers and not putting them back where I can find them... (Suddenly not feeling so guilty about stomping around with crutches and turning on all the lights in the middle of the night).

So I'm finally back on the sofa, leg elevated, took a Lortab, ice on... I'm freezing now, but I figure I'll warm up sooner or later and I don't want to get up again to find more clothes. I coerce the cat into cuddling up with me because she's a little mobile space heater... Mmmm....

1 minute later. Wet dog nose in my face. What? Wag wag wag, lick. I can't decide if he's asking to sit on the sofa with me (which ain't happening - he won't fit on the little sofa with my leg up) or if he needs to go out. "Go get your male owner." I get a confused look. He walks to the door and comes over and licks me again. Noooo..... I again order him to the bedroom to go and bother Mr.AG. He obviously does not comprehend this. I get the "Look at how cute I can be with the sad eyes" Labradog begging routine. Waggle waggle lick, nose in face. I pretend not to notice and hide under the comforter, hoping he will go and bother Mr.AG since I am finally comfortable and it is freezing outside the comforter I'm trying desparately to stay under. But there's a cold nose burrowing under the comforter. Eventually the dog wins. Dammit. And when I open the door the cat decides to go out - there goes my space heater.

Oh well. I guess she's spending the night outside because I'm NOT getting up again. I did at least find some wool socks and an extra sweatshirt. At this rate I'll be falling asleep right about the time Mr.AG gets up to head up to Alta in the morning...

[Xover]

heal up C; there are many more Alta seasons in your future.

[Theodore]

Ahh the memories. My first day back from the l'hopital my mom had to move my leg for me. I felt horrible for it, but she claims its just another motherly duty.

[Lynx]

hang in there AG! are you allowed out for things like the frizzo fish fest??

[altagirl]

hang in there AG! are you allowed out for things like the frizzo fish fest??

Yep - we'll be there. Also planning a quick expedition to the gym today to do some upper body (PT approved - yay!)

[GT40]

AG. I love your TR. About the cat, dog and spouse. LOL Maybe it wasn't supposed to be funny, but you write a great story. :D

[Mcwop]

Get better. After three shoulder rehabs - my advice is to take your time through rehab.

[altagirl]

AG. I love your TR. About the cat, dog and spouse. LOL Maybe it wasn't supposed to be funny, but you write a great story. :D

Actually, that's kind of why I wrote it down. I was grumpy about it until I thought about the whole thing and it started to seem kindof funny... so posting it made me laugh at myself and I cheered up. :)

[Sublime]

At this point I turn all the lights on and I finally notice the bottle is over by the sink. hmmm... I wouldn't have put it there and there are fewer than there were before... Dang spouses helping themselves to painkillers and not putting them back where I can find them... (Suddenly not feeling so guilty about stomping around with crutches and turning on all the lights in the middle of the night).



Classic. :D

[Big E]

Keep up the good work AG!

[Arnold Babar]

Great stories! I'm scheduled for a hammy graft on Nov. 17. Been in limbo since April, and it sucks. It's comforting and encouraging to hear about your progress, but your tales of immobility have given me pause. I've got a 12 year old dog (who has to be let out twice a night to pee), two daughters (9 & 4) and a pregnant wife with chronic morning sickness and a "this is all your fault" attitude. I don't know if my household can handle me being confined to the couch. Might be time to throw in the towel. Anyhow, it sounds like you have the attitude and ethic to make it all a memory in no time. Keep after it, and keep posting your progress.

[altagirl]

I went to work for 4 hours this morning and had PT this afternoon. Doing pretty good. No problems with lag doing straight leg raises. Extension is still good to go and I got flexion to 99 degrees. I was hoping for a little more, but I didn't take any painkillers before therapy today. Might take one before I go on Wed. My swelling went from suprapatellar to collecting around the incision. So that's all nice and black and blue now... :p The measurement around my patella is down more than a centimeter though, so that part of the swelling is definitely improving. Unfortunately having the swelling around the incision means it hurts more every time I stand up, but oh well. PT said that will probably suck for another week.

I'm starting to do really light weight bearing exercises, like calf raises and mini-squats, but with like 25% of my weight or less on my leg.

That's about it for today...

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

I went to work for 4 hours this morning and had PT this afternoon. Doing pretty good. No problems with lag doing straight leg raises. Extension is still good to go and I got flexion to 99 degrees. I was hoping for a little more, but I didn't take any painkillers before therapy today. Might take one before I go on Wed. My swelling went from suprapatellar to collecting around the incision. So that's all nice and black and blue now... :p The measurement around my patella is down more than a centimeter though, so that part of the swelling is definitely improving. Unfortunately having the swelling around the incision means it hurts more every time I stand up, but oh well. PT said that will probably suck for another week.

I'm starting to do really light weight bearing exercises, like calf raises and mini-squats, but with like 25% of my weight or less on my leg.

That's about it for today...

Go..go..go...go..go...go....we're cheerin for ya!


Babar -- yer getting hammy on 11/17? I'm gettin hammy on 11/16. sup hammy buddy?

[freshie247]

Hang in there!

[Arnold Babar]

Go..go..go...go..go...go....we're cheerin for ya!


Babar -- yer getting hammy on 11/17? I'm gettin hammy on 11/16. sup hammy buddy?

Can't wait to get it over with. This thread is just what I needed to strengthen my ever wavering resolve. AG is an inspiration. Just remember, I'm spotting you a one day head start ;)

[Theodore]

Can't wait to get it over with. This thread is just what I needed to strengthen my ever wavering resolve. AG is an inspiration. Just remember, I'm spotting you a one day head start ;)


Well then, its a race. First magion to make turns wins a hammy sandwich.

ba-dum-ching!

[Arnold Babar]

Well then, its a race. First magion to make turns wins a hammy sandwich.

ba-dum-ching!

I love competition as much as the next guy, but I'm not in Tyrone's league. Just a poor, over the hill elephant from CT, hoping to get well enough to guide his offspring toward steeper deeper powder stashes than he ever dreamed to drop into. Mmmmmmmmmmm...hammy sadwich...

[altagirl]

Well, and unless it's a race to get your doctor's permission to ski... that could be about the worst idea ever. I'm REALLY not into doing this over again...

Race to getting full ROM? Race to getting strength equal to your other leg? Much better ideas.

[Theodore]

I know. It was just a ploy to make the hammy sandwich joke. Jeeze.... :wink:

[altagirl]

I finally went to the gym yesterday and did some upper body. Didn't stay long at all - just like 20-30 minutes or so for curls, french press, a few tricep extensions, lat pulldowns, dips, hanging leg raises and crunches. It ended up being nothing at all like any normal workout I do, but it was better than nothing I guess. I figured it would be best to just do a little of whatever felt comfortable and see how my leg felt afterwards. Wasn't sure if getting my heart really pumping like that was going to make my leg swell up or what.

Then I went home, iced, elevated, and did all my physical therapy exercises. Swelling is looking pretty good, I think. Nice and bruised though... I took a pic:

http://biglines.com/photos/blpic28835.jpg

[altagirl]

I know. It was just a ploy to make the hammy sandwich joke. Jeeze.... :wink:

:)

That's cool. I guess I'm currently just a little frustrated dealing with people who don't get that it's a graft that has to heal. Or who don't get that the hardest part for me isn't pain or working hard at therapy - it's sitting still and letting it rest and heal and not overdoing things.

We have a friend who knew I had surgery last week and asked why I wasn't skiing this weekend. Gee, I have no idea, they only cut me open and drilled multiple holes in my bones a couple days ago.... :rolleyes: Then I get the "You're not really going to follow the doctor's advice about not skiing for so long are you?" YES. The next person who tells me that I can be ready for opening day, or Christmas or whatever if I really TRY HARDER is going to get a crutch up their ass. Seriously.

Sorry I didn't catch the sarcasm... I've just heard one too many people say the same thing in all seriousness lately!

[Theodore]

I think I remembered my doc saying that the graft actually gets weaker about 6 weeks out and then toughens up to its final strength. That is for a patellar graft, not sure about the hammy though. I was expecting to see scars in different places on your knee.

[altagirl]

I think I remembered my doc saying that the graft actually gets weaker about 6 weeks out and then toughens up to its final strength. That is for a patellar graft, not sure about the hammy though. I was expecting to see scars in different places on your knee.

It was a patellar allograft, so the scars will actually be about the same as the ones from my hamstring graft on the other knee, since they didn't have to harvest anything. He said he was hoping the incision would be smaller, but once he was in there they couldn't get the angle to drill the bone tunnels/fix my narrow notch without opening it up another half inch or so. The top ones are just the arthroscope holes.

And I've read/heard there's definitely a phase where your graft gets weaker before it gets stronger. You also are a little more at risk as the swelling goes down because the swelling and stiffness was keeping things extra stable too...

[skibe]

Nice legs woman :smile: (sorry Mr. AG but it had to be said since your wife is showing her legs on the internet.) Awesome to hear your attitude is good for the situation your in. I had my MRI today and it was a little freaky at first but went pretty well up until I had a huge itch on my face about thirty min into the procedure and finally said screw it and proceeded to scratch like it was 100 grit sandpaper on a rough piece of wood :biggrin: . Needless to say what was suppose to take 45 minutes took 55 minutes but it was so worth it to take care of the neusance of an itch. Keep your spirits up and I wish I had half your motivation to get into the gym.

[altagirl]

I had my MRI today and it was a little freaky at first but went pretty well up until I had a huge itch on my face about thirty min into the procedure and finally said screw it and proceeded to scratch like it was 100 grit sandpaper on a rough piece of wood :biggrin: . Needless to say what was suppose to take 45 minutes took 55 minutes but it was so worth it to take care of the neusance of an itch. Keep your spirits up and I wish I had half your motivation to get into the gym.

Heh. At least for my MRI's I only had to keep my one leg still - not moving at all would be tougher. When do you find out the results?

And as far as gym motivation - you've just gotta force yourself to go the first few times. Come up with the schedule for the first week or something and treat it like it's written in stone. It becomes a habit pretty easily after that. And now I've got Mr.AG into it so he motivates me to go when I'm not particularly feeling like it. So that helps a lot too.

Speaking of the gym, I cannot wait to be able to ride the bike! I got to 102 degrees in PT today. I asked when I could get on the bike and try getting a revolution and she said I have to wait and ask my doc when I see him on Monday. Guess I can live with that. At least I'm able to do calf raises and mini-squats and bridges on the stability ball to keep my muscles alive for the time being...

[altagirl]

I dig chics with scars bigger than mine! :D


Lookin good AG, keep it up. My money is on you. :fm:

Hehe.... I laughed when my doc gave me this speech before surgery - "if we do x procedure, you'll have these scars - are you okay with that?" Uh, have you not noticed the rest of my legs? I think I'll live... ;)

[Arnold Babar]

I finally went to the gym yesterday and did some upper body. Didn't stay long at all - just like 20-30 minutes or so for curls, french press, a few tricep extensions, lat pulldowns, dips, hanging leg raises and crunches.
http://biglines.com/photos/blpic28835.jpg

You just worked out more than I have in 7 months. I am now officially nervous :frown:. Way to get after it. Are you doing anything specific, special, extra, to prevent infection from the Allograft? That risk really skeived me out, and led to my opting for the hammy. A zillion double entendres have popped into my head relating to "narrow notch syndrome", but I will respectfully keep them to myself.

[altagirl]

You just worked out more than I have in 7 months. I am now officially nervous :frown:. Way to get after it. Are you doing anything specific, special, extra, to prevent infection from the Allograft? That risk really skeived me out, and led to my opting for the hammy.

Don't stress over it. I've been lifting regularly for about 8 months now, so I just don't want to lose the fitness I have any more than I need to. You still have a couple weeks to work on your strength before surgery, right? - it can't hurt. :)

As far as allografts go, there have been very few incidences of infection. And keep in mind that people can get infections with any type of surgery. I looked at the numbers and it seemed like such a small risk I decided not to worry about it. They put me on antibiotics for the first week. Just finished that yesterday. And they've been keeping an eye on it, but that's about it. Other than that, I'm just taking a bunch of vitamin C and calcium (good for building tissue and bone), papaya and pineapple (which supposedly help reduce inflammation and just taste good anyway...), protein, glutamine and lysine to try and keep my muscle from deteriorating and build it back up with what little exercise I get. For the past 8 months I've been eating 6 small balanced meals a day (50%carb-30%protein-20%fat), which means like 20 grams of protein at every meal. Before I was just on a mission to improve my body composition - now I think it's even more important to keep my muscle from atrophy. I made sure I stocked up on protein sources I'd be willing to eat when I don't feel well and don't feel like cooking - stuff for protein shakes, eggs, sandwiches, good soup, etc. Anyway, maybe all of that is overkill, but it can't hurt. And at least I feel like I'm doing the best I can do for my body.

[Arnold Babar]

Damn! I've been drinking alcohol and wallowing in self pity for eight months, how do you think that's going to work out for me? :rolleyes2 That's an exageration, but I'm amazed at your preparation. Have they said anything about doing too much upper body work too soon after surgery?

[altagirl]

Damn! I've been drinking alcohol and wallowing in self pity for eight months, how do you think that's going to work out for me? :rolleyes2 That's an exageration, but I'm amazed at your preparation. Have they said anything about doing too much upper body work too soon after surgery?

No, actually the sad thing is that I injured my knee once I was in the best shape of my life. (I just blew the knee just over a month ago). So I certainly wasn't preparing for knee surgery - it was more like preparing for ski season. Which didn't work out so well. So now it's turned into preparing for late spring skiing and next bike season. Oh well.

My physical therapist said the only drawback to me going to the gym and doing upper body right now would be that I'm not keeping my leg elevated during that time and it might swell up. She said to go ahead and try it if I was feeling up to it and obviously stop if anything hurt. So I kept it short. Wrapped it up well, and it didn't swell up (any more than it was anyway.)

[altagirl]

Stitches come out this afternoon... :D

I can't wait since they're starting to itch and it's making me nuts. I already peeled off all the steri-strips yesterday. He did the stitches totally different than what I'm used to - there's nothing visible on the surface of the big incision - just a knot sticking out on either end. Looks like it's going to heal as a much smaller scar than last time.

Other than that, things are about the same. Swelling under control, feeling fairly good (it just feels achy more than anything), but I'm sick to death of sitting around. Mr.AG is up in Seattle today and I had to get into my frozen car this morning, which was an adventure. The door was totally frozen shut and I'm standing in the off-camber driveway on crutches trying to yank it open for 10 minutes. Fun. I made a half-assed attempt at scraping the snow and ice off the windows and decided to just sit in the car with the heat on until I could see. And I was still the first person to get to the office so no big deal...

I just want these stitches out now...

[basom]

Stitches come out this afternoon... :D

I can't wait since they're starting to itch and it's making me nuts. I already peeled off all the steri-strips yesterday. He did the stitches totally different than what I'm used to - there's nothing visible on the surface of the big incision - just a knot sticking out on either end. Looks like it's going to heal as a much smaller scar than last time.



i had those internal stitches too. its a total trip when they come out. basicly they just pull one end and it all pulls out like a daisy chain. wicked cool.

keep up the good work AG!

[altagirl]

My appointment went well today. Stitches came out (yay!) - the big incision pulled out and just looked like one big squiggley thread. Felt funky coming out but it looks like it's going to heal up really clean.

Doc is really happy with my progress and gave me the okay to try the bike provided I don't go crazy forcing it. (They had me spend 10 minutes on the bike at PT right afterwards rocking back and forth... said I can push it a little harder on Wednesday if it doesn't swell up from today's attempt.) Anyway, my graft is nice and tight, swelling isn't bad, muscle looks good, ROM is well ahead of schedule, and I'm able to walk on it pain free. He said to keep gradually weaning off the crutches and stick with the brace for another couple weeks whenever I'm up walking around. I can live with that.

Next visit is in 4 weeks and then I'll get fitted for a new Defiance. He said he anticipates that I'll be skiing in April no problem, we'll see how it goes, blah blah... :) Mmmmmm.... skiing.

[altagirl]

Phew. I was freaking out yesterday (but in the not-wanting-to-talk-about-it mood...) At PT yesterday, I could barely get my knee to 92 degrees. Everything felt tight. It wasn't particularly swollen, I guess it was just a combo of the scar tissue starting, and having walked around a lot with no crutches throughout the day so it was sore, and not taking any painkillers before PT. By the time I finished my exercises and realized I was having ROM probs, the place was packed and my therapist was in with other patients and I was in pain and the assistant I was working with told me to quit torturing myself and go home and rest it and try again later. The negative progress was making me freak out though.

So last night, I came home, took some Lortabs, worked ROM and massage for like an hour, woke up this morning and did the same before work. Then I dropped in to PT this afternoon when I knew they wouldn't be busy and asked Enid to give me some extra help. She massaged the hell out of the scars, I got some heat and e-stim and we got it to 109 (102 was my previous max). That'll work.

Strength is doing really well. I really don't feel like I need the crutches but I'm still supposed to be weaning myself off of them for another week and a half. I even walked down some stairs normally this morning without thinking about it and it felt 100% fine. (not really supposed to do that yet...)

[Szyslak]

Thanks for the updates. It helps the see what you are going thru to know what is ahead of me. I have been trying to strengthen my knee while waiting to schedule my surgery, but the last two days the swelling and stiffness has increased. Hope to get in soon so I can start to work towards recovery.

[phUnk]

AG, you are friggin amazing. Keep up the awesome work and we'll see you at Alta when you're ready.

[altagirl]

Thanks for the updates. It helps the see what you are going thru to know what is ahead of me. I have been trying to strengthen my knee while waiting to schedule my surgery, but the last two days the swelling and stiffness has increased. Hope to get in soon so I can start to work towards recovery.

This has kindof become my little online journal. I wish I had notes from my first surgery to remember the details to compare...

Anyway, good to hear you're working on getting your knee strong ahead of time. It really does help. I went through little phases like that in my pre-surgery rehab where it would swell a bit. I think with the extra junk (bits of ACL and whatnot) floating around in there it's easy to irritate it. But keep it up - just remember to ice and elevate whenever you can.

[altagirl]

AG, you are friggin amazing. Keep up the awesome work and we'll see you at Alta when you're ready.

Thanks!!! :) Is it spring yet???

[powderwhore]

Hey thanks for the call this morning! I love listening to a phone rub the inside of someones pants.

[Particle]

AG--I know how you feel when it seems like you're sliding backwards, having reduced ROM, etc...but my PT always explained to me when I'd get pissed about those days that it's a bit like a rollercoaster--you're always going to have days where your injuries get irritated and you go backwards a tad, but the overall results are going to move forward. It's easy to get upset and then push it too hard in compensation, but sounds like you are kicking ass!

I still have some minor ROM issues in my hip and it pisses me off to no end...

[altachic]

Hey thanks for the call this morning! I love listening to a phone rub the inside of someones pants.
Hey, i just left you a message...call me dude


Keep up the hard work C! You rule.

[altagirl]

Hey thanks for the call this morning! I love listening to a phone rub the inside of someones pants.

Crap, I'm sorry about that. I usually have the keylock on, but this morning I got into the car and heard your voicemail or something coming out of my bag... oops!!!

[altagirl]

AG--I know how you feel when it seems like you're sliding backwards, having reduced ROM, etc...but my PT always explained to me when I'd get pissed about those days that it's a bit like a rollercoaster--you're always going to have days where your injuries get irritated and you go backwards a tad, but the overall results are going to move forward. It's easy to get upset and then push it too hard in compensation, but sounds like you are kicking ass!

I still have some minor ROM issues in my hip and it pisses me off to no end...


Yeah, I guess I know progress doesn't always go in a straight line... it's finding the perfect combo of rest and rehab that's tough. I think now that I hit that 2 week mark, that's where the scar tissue starts settling in and it made a difference all of the sudden. But at the same time, stitches are out now, and I can do a little more aggressive massage with it. She at least gave me a good way to stretch today where there's no chance of stressing the graft, and got me to hold the stretches a little longer, which should help. At least my other knee has 100% ROM, so I have a good history of getting it back.

Keep working on that hip! You're incredibly motivating in coming back from such serious injury and tearing it up again.

[Arnold Babar]

How long did it take before you were driving again? Are you still on crutches? If these questions are annoying just JONG me.

[altagirl]

How long did it take before you were driving again? Are you still on crutches? If these questions are annoying just JONG me.

Not at all!

I started driving 1 week after surgery. But driving is mostly dependent on how soon you're off pain meds. Now I'm just taking Lortab for PT sessions so I can push a little harder on ROM, and we live across the street so I just walk back and forth to PT then. For the first 4 days or so that I was driving, I took the truck because it was easier to get into and my Subaru is a stick shift. But now that I'm comfortable moving my foot around more, I'm back to driving the car. Last time when it was my left leg and I only had the Subaru it was like 5 weeks or so before I drove. But I also had a meniscus repair and was totally non-weight-bearing for 5 weeks. So using the clutch SUCKED for that one. This time it's my right leg and was just a matter of being comfortable and using my ankle/calf freely.

My doc said he was going to be conservative with the crutches - gradually phase them out over 4 weeks - just because he wanted me to be cautious with the graft and let it heal. I'm at just over 2 weeks and I'm just using them now for long distances - the walk to PT, etc. I'm not using them in the house, at the office, or at the gym anymore. My PTs both said that sounds fine to them. I know a lot of surgeons say crutches are only if you need them - so some people only use them for a few days, but at the same time, using them lightly probably helps me get my gait right so I'm not compensating and limping and developing weird habits, so it's not really a bad thing.

[Arnold Babar]

That's quicker than I expected, cool. I live in the woods so everything is a 1/2 hr. drive. I'd like to get mobile asap. I'm sure the hammy graft will increase healing time a bit, though. Thanks again for this thread, it's a big help.

[altagirl]

That's quicker than I expected, cool. I live in the woods so everything is a 1/2 hr. drive. I'd like to get mobile asap. I'm sure the hammy graft will increase healing time a bit, though. Thanks again for this thread, it's a big help.

Yeah, the distance will make a difference too. The farthest I have to drive is like 10-12 minutes for work. The first two weeks you really need to worry about swelling and keeping it iced and elevated. So for me, 12 minutes to get to work, get it up on my desk and iced again was not a big deal. But if you've got to drive 30 min - it might be tougher to take and cause more swelling. Really, it will all depend on how you feel. I was on a lot more pain meds with my hamstring graft for my other ACL. Though I didn't know how obsessively to elevate above the heart that first time either, so the whole thing was more painful and swollen. REALLY elevate for as long as you can - like laying flat with your leg up in the air - do loads of calf pumps and light massage to kill the inflammation - it makes a huge difference.

[altagirl]

Scar tissue sucks.

Went to PT on Friday and it was like starting from scratch again. Got it to 110, but not without a lot of pain, drugs, heat, ice, e-stim and massage. I was there for like 3 1/2 hours. New PT orders are to go to the gym and work ROM on the bike 3x/day (in addition to regular stretching, exercises, etc.) until I'm through this phase. I can get rotations on the bike, but I'm cheating with my hip somewhat. Mission is to go into PT on Monday and be able to get at least 115.

Strength is still going really well, and stairs are getting easier and easier (up is completely normal, down requires some cheating). Can't wait to be able to do some harder strength exercises.

I did my stretching and massage this morning, which I think went pretty well (wish I had a protractor to measure). I'm off to the gym...

[Arnold Babar]

110 sounds pretty damn good for such a short time. I'm raking leaves today :cussing: 'cause I'll be on my back in a week and a half. I haven't descended a hill or a staircase normally since I did this. I really want to get it over with, but the load of work I need to get done first is killing me. :( :(

Keep pedaling!

[altagirl]

Hey well at least you can look at your post-op time as a vacation from housework! :D

I guess my current ROM is fine, it's just the going backwards that was bad, even if it's temporary. I can feel scar tissue lumping up under the incisions and I know I have to stay on top of it - once it hardens up it can be a bitch to get rid of, and for some reason my surface scars are healing extra fast - so they probably are underneath too - I just need to work it hard. And my extension is feeling really stiff and hard to get today too - ugh. Though I may have gone a little crazy today - I have a couple new little bruises where I was trying to break stuff up. But my last biking session went pretty well and it only took a minute or so to get a rotation. I'm still not happy with it - I can keep my hips level, but not my foot - or I can keep the foot level and my hip shifts. Grrr... But Mr.AG said it looks like I'm getting the 115 I want, so hopefuly I'll be past that at my next appt on Monday. That'd be nice!

Is your problem descending stairs now just a stiffness thing or does it hurt to put pressure on it like that?

[Buzzworthy]

This has kindof become my little online journal. I wish I had notes from my first surgery to remember the details to compare...



Done a few of these myself. It is cool to look back and see what you have accomplished.

I recently read thru my Struggling Hardcore thread and a lot has changed for the better.

Keep up the good work and keep posting the results. The day you are back on skis, come home and read this and it will put an evenn larger smile on your face, as you DID IT!!

[altagirl]

120 degrees! Woohoo!

:D :D :D :D :D

My therapist gave me a mission to get to 115 over the weekend. I kindof took that as a minimum and was pushing for 120 from the start. The weekend kindof sucked. It was one continuous cycle of massage, stretch, bike, stretch, exercise, stretch, massage, ice, elevate, rest for an hour or two and repeat. Which was fairly miserable, but I guess it worked since I improved 10 degrees over the weekend. At least it was worth the effort!

Mostly doing the same stuff at PT today - quad sets, straight leg raises on the ball, shuttle, mini squats, calf raises, isometric hamstring curls, ball hamstring curls, vectors, bike... I'm still supposed to be only partially weight bearing - though the only time I touched crutches today was to walk to PT. Today I got to test out mini-squats with the ball between my back and the wall, just one set to see how they feel. And I've been doing loads of vectors on each leg (where you stand on one leg and move the other to the side, front, rear) - and I added the body blade to make it more challenging.

30 degrees to go...

[stump832]

Nice AG!

Way to work hard and stay motivated.

[Woodsy]

Keep up the good work C!

I know you will come back strong, cuz well you are you!

as to scars, the woman I love has scars to make yours look like nuttin ( she did her knee then broke her femur on Sunspot)
and for your kickass PT regimin I say :yourock:

[Ski Monkey]

Rock on C!

Glad to hear it's progressing so well. Sounds like you are beating everyone's expectations.

Keep your eye on the prize... :biggrin:

[altagirl]

I'm frustrated.

I guess I have no real reason to be all this frustrated. I got up to 125 yesterday. But my full extension is gone - I got it to the ground yesterday, but it involved the PT pushing down on it until there were tears in my eyes and I felt lightheaded like I was going to pass out. I got it to 2 degrees on my own power. Problem was that the last few PT visits I just had an assistant measuring extension on the padded bench, she said it was zero but it wasn't quite. Close, but not zero. So I haven't been focusing on it much.

So this weekend I'm doing no strength exercises at all, just walking around and riding the bike and things like that that promote movement and doing either flexion or extension exercises every 2 hours at a minimum. I'm way ahead of schedule on strength, so it shouldn't be a big deal. Just got back from the gym - rode the bike for 20 minutes (once I'm warmed up I can ride normally, but I'm not allowed to do anything other than level 1 resistance), and tried the elliptical for 5 minutes. She said I could give it a shot if I wanted. It works, no pain, but I'm not totally smooth and want to cheat with my hip. Guess that will take time. Time to work extension in a few minutes. I'm really starting to dread doing extension. Ugh.

Just found my old medical record from my first surgery. At 40 days, I was at 0-108 with my surgical leg 4cm smaller than my non-surgical leg. At 55 days I was at 0-120. Full ROM at 84 days, my quad was still 2cm smaller. Wish I could find the earlier reports so I could see what extension was earlier. But I guess being at 2-125 at day 26 this time is not that a big of a deal. And the fact that my quads are nearly identical in size right now is awesome (I just measured and the surgical leg came up less than .25cm smaller).

Goal is 0-130 by Monday's PT.

[Theodore]

Time for some prone hangs!

[altagirl]

Time for some prone hangs!

Yeah, I'm doing a lot of those the past couple of days. I guess my frustration is just that 4 days post-op they told me not to do them because I was getting too much extension (past zero). Now I'm back to doing them and this time they're hell. It's not that big of a deal, I guess. But it's a pain in the ass. (well in the knee...)

[Woodsy]

Yeah, I'm doing a lot of those the past couple of days. I guess my frustration is just that 4 days post-op they told me not to do them because I was getting too much extension (past zero). Now I'm back to doing them and this time they're hell. It's not that big of a deal, I guess. But it's a pain in the ass. (well in the knee...)
Keep up the good work & dont get down,
you are lightyears ahead of somone who wasn't in Altagirl shape would be.

just beat on C when you get frustrated!

keep after it & Godspeed!

[GT40]

Hey AG,

I know most Doc's have a very hard time getting ppl to do the PT stuff. And your's has to tell you not to go too far. :wink:

I'm sure if you took 10,000 ppl with this same surgery, you're probably healing faster and stronger than all of the other 9,999. I'm serious.

Just know that we all LOVE you and hope you continue to heal fast. I hope you can find other fun things to do to keep your mind, in a good place. Make Mr AG get you that sled. :D

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

yer doin great AG. I'm gonna have some catch up to do!

[altagirl]

I think the lack of adrenaline is finally getting to me. I don't know how else to put it. I swing back and forth from feeling totally fine to feeling frustrated and it's just strange. I'm not like this when I get to actually DO stuff. I can't wait to feel normal again - even doing normal stuff at the gym would feel good right now...

I'm getting frustrated with my swelling which seems to stay exactly the same no matter what I do. :mad: I iced and elevated and did nothing other than ROM exercises/stretching every 2 hours all weekend and when I'm not at work this week - absolutely nothing else. Not even my normal upper body routine at the gym (okay I did a few sets of pullups Saturday, but that's not a workout by any means). Exactly the same on Monday afternoon as it was on Friday afternoon and we can't get past 125 degrees because the swelling above my patella is in the way. I did get to zero extension on my own though (still sucks getting there though). At therapy they'll to all this edema massage to get the swelling down - I stand up and 2 minutes later it's right back where it was. Ugh.

I dropped in and saw my surgeon for a minute. He checked the graft, said it felt nice and tight. He said the swelling looks typical, I'm doing fine with ROM and he's not concerned about anything, keep up the good work, blah blah blah... He gave me a neoprene sleeve and a prescription for Celebrex for the swelling. (Both of which I think were because I asked and it was in the spirit of "if it will make you feel better....")

So yes, I'm insane.

Anyway, yesterday I decided to try acupuncture. My therapist said she had a couple patients try it and it helped them - maybe it was in their heads but worst case it's a waste of time, and my insurance should cover it. So what the hell. Despite a serious irrational fear of needles, I went and did it. I didn't look (I'm a wuss) but I could barely feel it at all. She stuck 5 needles in my knee and then put them under a heating lamp for like 30 minutes. Which felt kindof funky/tingly during and afterwards, but that was about it. No real pain or anything and not even a tiny speck of blood. Last night/this morning it looked like the swelling had improved, but today I think it looks about the same again. I don't know. I did feel good on the bike and elliptical trainer today at the gym, and I'm up to 25 minutes on the bike and 10 on the elliptical, and it's feeling good there. I guess that's improvement. I don't know why I'm being so freaking impatient with this...

Actually I kindof feel better now that I wrote it out.

[altagirl]

I hope you can find other fun things to do to keep your mind, in a good place. Make Mr AG get you that sled. :D

Actually I think that's probably it. At least I do have Thanksgiving coming up and I'm cooking for a big group, so I'll be planning and shopping for that soon. I'm going to start making pecan pies this weekend. That's something anyway. And I'm going to start taking classes to get a real estate license. That'll keep me busy too. :D

What we need is for Rotney to go and buy sleds. I don't want to pay for one... just have it available, ya know?

[skibe]

[QUOTE=altagirl] And I'm going to start taking classes to get a real estate license. :D

Good idea AG. I will need an agent when I sell my home. Oh yeah, it sucked not seeing you at the bird Saturday. On an up note I didn't get my ass kicked by a girl on the mountain ;) ! It was good to see the MR. AG and make some turns with his crew.

[Nohillsnearby]

Actually I think that's probably it. At least I do have Thanksgiving coming up and I'm cooking for a big group, so I'll be planning and shopping for that soon. I'm going to start making pecan pies this weekend. That's something anyway. And I'm going to start taking classes to get a real estate license. That'll keep me busy too. :D

What we need is for Rotney to go and buy sleds. I don't want to pay for one... just have it available, ya know?

What time is dinner? :biggrin:

[altagirl]

What time is dinner? :biggrin:

When everyone's done skiing... Normally on Thanksgiving I get up at like 5am, cook for a few hours, go up for opening and ski all morning, come back to a turkey that's mostly done and just finish getting ready. I guess at least I don't have to get up super early this year...

But actually, I am psyched - Dinner is at someone elses house, I'm just doing the cooking. I love to cook, hate to clean up afterwards... so I just get to do the fun stuff. Don't have to clean the house for company either. :D

On a side note - this morning on the way to work I was thinking I wish I could just turn the Subaru into a rally car. That would keep me entertained while I can't ski.

Sorry I missed you up there B-. Heard you guys had a good day. I'll see you this spring though...

[Agent 00X]

good going on the rehab! Glad the meniscus and other tissues are not too damaged. Keep the updates coming. All the injured folks on this thread: rehab like altagirl! go! go! go!

About rallying the Suby I say Yes! Good fun. I don't formally rally but when I can't ski etc. I drive plenty silly on select, twisty, dead end, (after dark, sweep down to check for traffic and drive silly up, repeat) snow covered roads. I do credit doing so with becoming skilled in 'unusual driving circumstances' that enabled me to avoid getting into a wreck with a big elk one snowy night out in the middle of nowhere and not over-correcting and loosing it.

[altagirl]

Thanks! Well something (acupuncture/neoprene sleeve/celebrex, maybe all of the above) is helping. I had 2cm of swelling on Monday, and on Thursday after my 2nd acupuncture session I had .6cm of swelling (mid-patella measurement). ROM was 2-127 on Thursday (we worked flexion first and that was an improvement, not to mention it's easier to switch from flexion to extension), and then 0 (yay!) to 121 yesterday. I was only supposed to have 2 PT visits this week but the therapist said I could stop in when they weren't busy yesterday and we'd just work extension. The flexion was just a quick stretch and measurement - she didn't write it down because we didn't work on it and patients that were actually scheduled started coming in.

But I'm feeling better about progress on both ends of ROM. :) I'm off to the gym and acupuncture. And after looking up the weather for Mr.AG I don't think I'm missing out on skiing today either.

[Arnold Babar]

Way to go AG. Keep the posts coming. You have no idea how much it helps those of us still in your wake. It's good to be able to anticipate the emotions that will be inevitable, and hopefully take steps to head off their deliterious effects. It sound like you're doing awesome, and just need to take a step outside of yourself, and view things rationally. You're waaaay above average, but still human, and healing takes time. Some things are out of our control. Just take care of the things that you can control. You seem much more than capable of that.

[altagirl]

I'm at about 6 weeks now. Haven't done an update in a while so...

Just got back from PT. Extension is back to being good. I can fairly easily get zero on my own, the therapist can push it into hyperextension. Phew. No more serious pain involved in that - just a little uncomfortable.

Since I needed to work on both, I've been starting with one or the other. Today was an extension day. Did extension no problem, then worked all my quad exercises right afterwards, then did balance work, rode the bike and worked on flexion, then hamstring stuff. I could only get to 120 today, which sucked. Therapist keeps telling me to chill out, that it's tough to do both well in the same session (well, for my stiff PITA knee anyway) and I'll be back to 130 on Wednesday when I start with flexion. I think from now on I'll be fine starting with flexion every time I'm at PT.

I'm finally allowed to use the regular leg press at the gym - 60lbs (single leg) feels good but she wants me to up the weight slowly, so that's where I'm at. A week or so before I hurt it I was doing like 450 on the sled (though that was with both legs) so it's feeling pretty wussy, but gotta start somewhere.

I've been doing 2 hours of cardio a day, split between elliptical, treadmill, bike and stairmaster. I took the day after Thanksgiving off of cardio completely, for the first time in.... I don't know, a long time. But I just needed a break - I was getting sick as hell of being in the gym, and probably spent too much time standing cooking dinner, but it turned out awesome and it was great seeing everyone. The break did me good. Now the gym is feeling fun again, and I was able to spin fast enough this morning to almost get my HR up pretty well.

Balance is going really well and we've pretty much run out of things for me to add to the routine. My legs are almost feeling equal on balance. I went and bought a new toy over the weekend - like a stability ball but like 14" wide and about 4" high - stand on it and it's like standing on a waterbed.

And that's about it. I'm off to the gym.

[Vinman]

Congrats AG sounds like you are killin it at rehab. And your PT is right don't get too reved up about those numbers. They will come back in time as the swelling goes down and it is better not to rush them anyway.

I love the balance stuff. I have been doing some myself to get ready for the season, mostly with a BOSU ball. It is basically an exercise ball cut in half, mounted on a flat platform and inflated so that you can stand on it. Lots of fun. Also been using our ski fitter to get that muscle memory firing again.

Keep at it and don't rush it, it will all come together.

[altagirl]

Congrats AG sounds like you are killin it at rehab. And your PT is right don't get too reved up about those numbers. They will come back in time as the swelling goes down and it is better not to rush them anyway.

I love the balance stuff. I have been doing some myself to get ready for the season, mostly with a BOSU ball. It is basically an exercise ball cut in half, mounted on a flat platform and inflated so that you can stand on it. Lots of fun. Also been using our ski fitter to get that muscle memory firing again.

Keep at it and don't rush it, it will all come together.

Thanks! Means a lot to hear that from you!

I love the balance work too - this time I'm starting a collection of balance exercise equipment so I can keep working on it all the time.

I was looking at a BOSU ball, but my PT said I should hold off on getting that one for a bit since it's a little higher up and if I manage to fall off of it, it could be bad news. So I'm starting with the SPRI Xerdisc for now - it's lower to the ground but still fairly challenging.

I'm also going to pick up one of those mini trampolines on e-bay. Not to jump on, but to set at an angle out on the deck. Then you throw a weighted ball - like the size of a softball but plastic and filled with sand so it weighs like 3lbs - and bounce the ball off the trampoline from like 10 feet away while standing on one leg (when that's easy stand on a pillow, or the Xerdisc or whatever). That was one of my favorite exercises at the PT clinic I went to when I was in the Army. I found the weighted balls on e-bay for like $10, and it looks like a cheapo trampoline is around $20. We'll have the AG rehab clinic going on by the time I'm done.

Which is a good thing... Oh, I forgot to mention, I guess our dog felt left out. He sprained his tail on Thanksgiving, wrestling with his brother and a couple other labs over at Rotney's house. Unbelieveable. The next morning his tail was hanging straight down and he wouldn't sit down - he'd just hover and flop on his side. Vet said he must have had his tail up in the air and flipped over backwards on it - the bones are too small to break, so he must have torn some ligaments. So he's on anti-inflammatories and doing much better. It was so bizarre to see a dog that never stops wagging his tail with it just hanging there. Anyway, I wish I healed as fast as he does...

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

I was wonderin when you were gonna update this!!

Sounds great! So at 6 weeks it sounds like you're doin pretty good. I'll be at 2 weeks out tomorrow....and you're post has me really stoked at what's to come. Meaning, I can't wait to get the F on a bike, stairs, weights, all that shiz....

I can't wait to get on the bosu balls. I was talkin with my PT about ski specific exercises we can do wwaaaaayyy wwwaaayyy down the road from now and one of them involved sitting up a bunch of bosu's, and then I'd have to parallel hop from ball to ball down a hallway while keep my upper body completely still. We talked about doin the medicine ball / little trampoline thang to. I'm lookin forward to it. Thanks for the update.

[altagirl]

I was wonderin when you were gonna update this!!

Sounds great! So at 6 weeks it sounds like you're doin pretty good. I'll be at 2 weeks out tomorrow....and you're post has me really stoked at what's to come. Meaning, I can't wait to get the F on a bike, stairs, weights, all that shiz....

I can't wait to get on the bosu balls. I was talkin with my PT about ski specific exercises we can do wwaaaaayyy wwwaaayyy down the road from now and one of them involved sitting up a bunch of bosu's, and then I'd have to parallel hop from ball to ball down a hallway while keep my upper body completely still. We talked about doin the medicine ball / little trampoline thang to. I'm lookin forward to it. Thanks for the update.

Once you can start passing some time on the cardio machines without it being a stretching exercise... it'll feel soooo good. Heh - take some time now to download music to keep yourself entertained.

That sounds like a really cool idea with the bosu's for way in the future. I saw a girl at the gym today doing jumping lunges with like 30 lbs of weights. Like she'd leap up like a foot in the air and land in the opposite lunge - and do like 15 of them as fast as possible. Damn. I wanna do that! Then she took a 45lb plate and was doing stationary hops. Jesus. I talked to her in the locker room and she had an ACL done 6 years ago. I love hearing that. :)

Oh, and another thing I did at PT today - when I was feeling like crap working flexion doing wall slides and such, I grabbed a stability ball, laid on my back on the floor, put my toes on the ball and rolled it in, squeezing my hamstrings. I was at like 105 on the wall, and got to 120 rolling the ball in a matter of minutes. Just a thought if you're feeling like you're going insane with the wall slides. Same concept worked for me when I was having trouble with extension - I went to an active extension exercise, where I used the little e-stim machine you use for quad sets but did them standing with a theraband behind my knee for resistance, leaned forwards and concentrated on the stretch in my hip and could get to zero pain free (on a day when sitting in the floor with a therapist pushing down on my knee wasn't getting me there - just causing tears). Maybe it's just me, but I tend to fight the stretching when I'm trying to relax, so finding a way to do it where I'm making my opposing muscles work in the right direction is more successful (I guess I'd rather focus on muscle burn than plain old pain). I guess that's not typical, but if you get stuck with the normal stretching it's worth a try.

[altagirl]

So I'm at 8 weeks tomorrow.

As of Friday, I had:
2 degrees hyperextension (yay!)
133 degrees flexion (meh...)
.7cm swelling at mid-patella (which is hindering the flexion)
1 cm atrophy (excellent - they expect 2-4cm)

I saw my doc today for a follow up. He said my knee feels rock solid. I should be getting fitted for my new Defiance in the next 2 weeks. And he said that as long as I stick to going in straight lines and don't wreck, I can XC ski, though he prefers I wait until I get the brace. I can do that.

He also lifted the restrictions on weightlifting, so as long as I'm careful he said I can pick up and carry whatever weight I want, do whatever I want for upper body, etc. And he cleared me for SLDL's and such (well, to be honest I've been doing those with light weight for a while) but he said I can increase the weight gradually - no weight restrictions on leg press, just to keep increasing gradually and make sure I have no pain. I'm up to 85lbs on that (one-legged). Getting there...

Stairs feel fine as long as I'm kindof sideways - I get a little patellar tendon pain trying to do them straight unless it's a smaller step, which PT says is due to the swelling interference. It's gradually improving though.

And that's about it. Finally sleeping totally normally. No pain really except when I'm stretching. Just got to get rid of the dang swelling. I don't have another follow up until 5 months - which is mid March. And hopefully I'll get some "you can ski groomers" or something about then. Fingers crossed.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Nice AG..thanks for the update. That's awesome that your doc says your knee feels solid and that he lifted the weight restrictions.

[Snow Ranger]

Very nice AG. Reading your knee update is really helping me right now. You are only 8 weeks out and have made great progress. Keep it up.

[Arnold Babar]

Right on, AG! I was wondering if light xc was going to be an acceptable acivity, that's awesome!

[altagirl]

Right on, AG! I was wondering if light xc was going to be an acceptable acivity, that's awesome!

Yeah, I'm psyched about that too - even with the no turning and stay on flat stuff - I can't wait... Hell I was trying to convince my PT that I could/should be able to put on my tele gear and do lead changes/lunges in place in the snow in the backyard. Of course now all the damn snow in the yard melted... but she thought I was insane since she'd never heard that kind of request before. Hell, I just figure it's outdoors and on the snow... it would have to feel good.

I wish I already had my new brace but I guess I can survive another couple of weeks of waiting. It'll really be more like 3 months by the time I have it in hand. I am keeping busy doing real estate courses now too, so that helps.

[Arnold Babar]

Heh. You have the best attitude. :)

Why does the brace take so long, and why can't they order it earlier? Am I going to have to wait that long too? (it's all about me). I should get them going on it now. I want my brace now :cussing:

[altagirl]

Heh. You have the best attitude. :)

Why does the brace take so long, and why can't they order it earlier? Am I going to have to wait that long too? (it's all about me). I should get them going on it now. I want my brace now :cussing:

It only takes a few days for them to actually make the brace. The time delay is that they have to put in the order with the insurance company, who sends an approval to the DME company who actually does the transaction with the brace company. Once it's approved, you get to meet with the orthotist/brace fitter, who measures you and puts in the order for the brace. Then you meet with him again once it comes in and actually get your new custom brace. They estimate 1.5-2 weeks before I'll get to meet with the brace fitter. But it may vary depending on your insurance company and brace fitter's schedule, etc.

Ordering it too early is bad, because you'll still be building muscle back, most likely and while Donjoy offers one re-fit within 6 months, you want it to work, and there's no sense in getting it before you're going to be doing some activity where you need it. Not to mention, getting it earlier probably would encourage you to do stuff you're not ready for either...

[altagirl]

13.5 week update:

Picked up my two shiny new yellow DJ Defiances yesterday. They built me a brand new one for my left leg too (since I lost weight it wasn't fitting right anymore). Luckily insurance covered 100% for both. Yay! Can't wait to use them for something...

I started running a bit last week. Not that I plan on doing much running at all, but about 2 weeks ago I was late for something, ran down the hall and realized that while running didn't hurt - my body didn't seem to remember how to do it at all. So at 12 weeks I decided to do a 2 minute jogging on the treadmill test - next to the mirror at the gym so I could watch myself, hang on to the rails and get my body to do what it's supposed to. Knee felt fine then and the next day - feet felt like crap. Which would be because my running shoes were several years old and I shouldn't be running in them. I went down to Salt Lake Running Co. where they did video analysis of me running on the treadmill to make sure my ankles were staying straight, etc. Which was cool. And I got some new super cushioned running shoes. I'm still just doing little 2 minute segments of running every few days to break up the endless elliptical trainer and bike sessions. But it feels as good as it possibly could seeing as how I haven't gone running in 5 years or so...

I went to PT yesterday. We didn't even measure formally, but since I can contract my quads and get my heels virtually identically far off of the ground, we called that good and when I contract my hamstrings I get my heels equally close to my butt, and I'm fully squashing calves against hamstrings, we called that good too. If I try sitting on my heels, my left knee is more flexible, but since that's not necessarily good for either knee she said not to worry about it. Best thing is that getting to that point in either direction involved no pain whatsoever. We pretty much came to the conclusion that I was pushing myself too hard before on ROM. Every time I worked ROM, I made my knee swell up and it then was a nightmare just to get back to where I was a few days ago. Leave it alone more and it just naturally regained ROM.

Strength wise - I'm doing 130lb single leg presses (still only working the surgical leg) and regular 65lb stiff legged deadlifts - about every other day or every 2 days depending on if I still have soreness, + 45-90 min of cardio a day. I still have about .75cm of atrophy in my quad. Calves are identical. I've been doing cariocas and box drills and such. Yesterday we added some star pattern mini-lunges and side to side stalls. Still using the xerdisc at home for balance work regularly.

And that's about it. I've been super busy with work and getting my Real Estate License lately, so I'm looking forward to getting a chance to do some XC skiing this weekend when I have some time off.

:D

[altagirl]

Woohoo!

My hamstrings are at equal strength again! :) I haven't been working my "good" leg at all (well except for stiff legged deadlifts and all the cardio I've been doing) until last night when I decided they were starting to feel about the same and tested out single leg hamstring curls and both legs max out at right about the same weight/reps, and then doubling it and doing dual leg sets worked fine too. Quads aren't quite there yet, but they're coming along. I did some XC skate skiing the other day. God damn is that a workout. I quit as soon as my muscles started feeling shaky - didn't want to risk anything, but it felt good. And I've been cranking up the resistance on cardio lately and doing more stepmill and backwards/high incline treadmill to try and hit my quads. If I push too hard I start to notice slight patellar tendon twinges, which scares me (don't want to have to take time off for tendonitis or anything...) So I've been trying to be careful and not go too crazy...

And in other news... real estate license exam is done! :D

[Crinkle]

just checking in here, glad to see how far along your progress has come, hopefully a day on snow is not that far away, and then again neither is mtb season.

Keep up the good work, definitely a inspiration for those on the mend.

[altagirl]

just checking in here, glad to see how far along your progress has come, hopefully a day on snow is not that far away, and then again neither is mtb season.

Keep up the good work, definitely a inspiration for those on the mend.

I'm thinking Day 1 back is going to be March 8. Seeing as how that's when I can ski Deer Valley for free with work. DV groomers should be a good first day back, no? :)

[Arnold Babar]

Nice. Hey how did you find x-country for the first time since injury? Did you do much of it? Did it help? Any close calls of re-injury? I'm getting stronger, and every time i get on the bike it's better and better. Wouldn't mind maybe gettin' some smoove x-country in. Have fun at Deer Valley.

[Nohillsnearby]

I'm thinking Day 1 back is going to be March 8. Seeing as how that's when I can ski Deer Valley for free with work. DV groomers should be a good first day back, no? :)

Can you spell Happy Birthday Nohills in the snow for me?

Have fun!

[Kellie]

I just read this and it made me feel nervous/inspired at the same time. I can't believe I've joined the club, but am glad to have this place as a resource!

Some good tips in here though, that's for sure!!!

[stump832]

I'm thinking Day 1 back is going to be March 8. Seeing as how that's when I can ski Deer Valley for free with work. DV groomers should be a good first day back, no? :)

Looking forward to seeing you in the collins lineup shortly thereafter, AG :biggrin:

[altagirl]

I think the XC helps. Works my leg muscles (well all my muscles) differently than anything I've been doing in the gym. The first day on them I was a little nervous and feeling off balance every now and then - though I'm not sure how much of that was being off balance vs. not being used to itty bitty skis under my feet. I just made sure I was careful, stayed in the track for the first few days, and quit before my legs competely turned to jello and it was all good. My quads and hip flexors and glutes hurt more than my knees did. I've been meaning to go up a few times this week but I've been hacking up a lung with whatever this crappy flu thing is.

Anyway, last week... (I'm not sure I should even admit to this... I'm seriously a dork) I broke out the tele gear and made a loop around our (completely flat, mind you) backyard. The dog found it highly entertaining. I pretty much just wanted to see what it would feel like to drop a knee (in place) and make lead changes - it felt pretty good and didn't hurt afterwards at all, but I wasn't being very aggressive with it - just testing things out and getting snow on my skis...

Anyway, they pushed ski day back to March 11. So that's the day now. And then I figure I'm going to start taking advantage of "ski free after 3". :D

[GT40]

Your recovery seems remarkable. But I'm sure you've put in a ton of effort to get there. :yourock:

You might as well ski for a while. It will be Aug. before the snow melts around here, so we can ride the trails. :wink:

[L7]

I think the XC helps. Works my leg muscles (well all my muscles) differently than anything I've been doing in the gym. :D

When I had my ACL done the XC skiing was a huge difference. Lots of work on weights but then going out and using the muscles in a coordinated fashion (open chain?) was a big part of getting on skis earlier.

[altagirl]

You might as well ski for a while. It will be Aug. before the snow melts around here, so we can ride the trails. :wink:

Thanks GT! I can't wait to ski....

Mr.AG and I went out to 5 mile pass today and rode dirt bikes. :D :D :D :D
Just took it fairly slow on the easier/intermediate stuff for a couple hours. Knee felt absolutely great - I stayed standing most of the time and through the whole thing my knees felt absolutely 100% normal. I can't even tell you how much fun today was - not to mention, the weather was fantastic and the trails are in great shape (nice and tacky - not too much dust).

So quite possibly that wasn't on the list of things I'm supposed to be doing yet... (I didn't ask) ...but we stuck to trails I've ridden 100 times where I felt totally confident, and I never had to dab a foot to really test my knee out. Honestly my balance and everything feels better than it has in the past with all the work I've been doing so I don't think it was a big deal. [/end rationalization] ;)

Anyway.... can't wait to ski again... I can't even think about how great that will feel to be back on real skis.

[GT40]

[QUOTE=altagirl]Mr.AG and I went out to 5 mile pass today and rode dirt bikes. :D :D :D :D
QUOTE]

VERY COOL. :fmicon: :fmicon: :fmicon:

Did you make Mr AG kick start it for you? :wink:

[altagirl]

[QUOTE=altagirl]Mr.AG and I went out to 5 mile pass today and rode dirt bikes. :D :D :D :D
QUOTE]

VERY COOL. :fmicon: :fmicon: :fmicon:

Did you make Mr AG kick start it for you? :wink:

Heh. I'm a cheater and have an e-start. ;) Gotta love the magic button.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Anyway.... can't wait to ski again... I can't even think about how great that will feel to be back on real skis.

So good to hear that you're just about back out there altagirl. Seems like only yesterday that we were just trying to get our knees to zero...well, uhh, maybe not :D Can't wait to hear your first day back on skis report!

[Arnold Babar]

Yup, love to hear it, AG. I started jogging today. Really getting there. Next year I'm going to ski a ton, and maybe even get to meet some maggots. Might try the xc thing myself this week. Thanks for the info/inspiration.

[altagirl]

I went mountain biking both days this weekend. Nice change from the endless hours on the bike/elliptical at the gym. Saturday I just went out and basically rode a big sustained climb up a gravel road until I hit the mud - I checked out the singletrack I normally take down, but it's under snow. So today we (me and the dog) went out, did the same thing faster, and then went up and explored some of the Draper section of the shoreline trail - again, until we hit the mud. But it was fun riding some singletrack anyway.

Getting so close on the skiing...

[altagirl]

I skied today!!!! :D :D :D

Just for the ski free after 3 on Sunnyside, but it was fun. Knee felt solid, but just... not normal, I guess. (I guess that's probably stating the obvious). And on top of that, for some reason I kept wanting to stare down at my feet. No idea what was going on there... I need some more time on skis to feel normal again, and I was REALLY taking it easy, but I had a great time!

Apologies for the lame-ass picture taken w/my cameraphone, but I was stoked to be skiing... sun was shining... moment needed to be captured. :D And then celebrated w/a beer at Goldminers. Yay!

http://www.tetongravity.com/usergalleries/albums/userpics/normal_first%20day%20back.jpg

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

I skied today!!!! :D :D :D

Just for the ski free after 3 on Sunnyside, but it was fun. Knee felt solid, but just... not normal, I guess. (I guess that's probably stating the obvious). And on top of that, for some reason I kept wanting to stare down at my feet. No idea what was going on there... I need some more time on skis to feel normal again, and I was REALLY taking it easy, but I had a great time!

Apologies for the lame-ass picture taken w/my cameraphone, but I was stoked to be skiing... sun was shining... moment needed to be captured. :D And then celebrated w/a beer at Goldminers. Yay!

http://www.tetongravity.com/usergalleries/albums/userpics/normal_first%20day%20back.jpg

YESSS!!!!!

[FollowMe]

Good job. It must feel strange being out for the first time after surgery and a long time off. Never thought of that. Hmmmmm...Take it slow and you'll be back in full swing in no time.

[altagirl]

Good job. It must feel strange being out for the first time after surgery and a long time off. Never thought of that. Hmmmmm...Take it slow and you'll be back in full swing in no time.

Yeah - it only takes a couple minutes to lose most of the "what in the hell am I doing" feeling, but considering the time I had to spend in front of a mirror relearning how to walk without a limp, you've gotta figure that's normal. It's like first day of the season x20. Plus the nerves of "gotta be careful..." But it was a blast anyway. :D

[spanky]

Congratulations C. That's great news.

[Arnold Babar]

for some reason I kept wanting to stare down at my feet. No idea what was going on there...

http://www.tetongravity.com/usergalleries/albums/userpics/normal_first%20day%20back.jpg
It's because of the alograft. Maybe your donor was a tightrope walker :biggrin: Way to go, AG :yourock:

[Snow Ranger]

Nice. I am jealous even if its only Sunnyside.
I have been wondering if this will work in order to ski free before three - Wear a baseball cap, dress dorky (jeans or something) and make sure you are drinking a beer when you pass the lifty.


Now it just needs to snow again.

[altagirl]

Nice. I am jealous even if its only Sunnyside.
I have been wondering if this will work in order to ski free before three - Wear a baseball cap, dress dorky (jeans or something) and make sure you are drinking a beer when you pass the lifty.


Now it just needs to snow again.

Heh, might help. I must need to work on my Texan costume.

I went to the little table they have to get my free yellow ticket and the girl standing there looked me up and down, cleared her throat, and said "You KNOW this is only good for Sunnyside, don't you?"

[SPREAD EAGLE]

thanks for posting on my thread. I appreciate your positive attitude and reading about your post-op experiences. Keep kickin' the pain down the drain or you will go insane. :biggrin:

[altagirl]

Went to the doc today for a checkup: graft is good, ROM is 100% with no stretching required, and NO SWELLING. Which is almost unbelieveable, considering that over the last 3 days I skied every day (even tele'd a couple of easy Sunnyside runs Sunday afternoon), mountain biked once, and did a leg workout at the gym this morning. So yay for no pain, no swelling, no stiffness - just feeling good after all of that.

Anyway, my doc said he wants me to stick to groomers/mellow stuff for the rest of the season (boo, hiss...) but I should be good to go with whatever I want to do next season. He said that racing DH in June sounds reasonable, he just doesn't want me doing any real wrecking/hard foot plant/crazy anything quite yet. So I'm supposed to stick to XC oriented riding for a while, keep training hard, etc. Next checkup in 6 weeks.

[Arnold Babar]

HUZZAH!!!