Surgery + 27 Days: License to Drive

Things are going well. The most exciting news is that I got the okay to start driving and have made a "full-time" return to work. So far so good on that front with today, Monday, as my first day back. I'm still on crutches, though, and hope to be off of them this week or next.

PT has also evolved, as well. I no longer have 20 minutes of quad stem which is hooking up the quad to electrodes. This makes it amazing that the sessions are still running 2 hours or more. Today, I had:

• 10 minutes of sitting stairmaster,
• stretches of calf and hamstring,
• range of motion heel slides,
• 10 minutes leg stretch with leg hanging off the table at the knee while I'm on my stomach and a weight at my ankle as well as weighted heating pad,
• 2 exercises to practice standing/balancing on the surgery leg,
• practice walking up and down stairs (about 4 inches for stepping up and about 2 inches for stepping down),
• walking & balance practice with half medicine ball,
• 2 different weight machines - super leg press and another (the weights for the super leg press are at 100 for both legs, 40 for single leg up down and 75 lb for both legs up single leg down
• 20 minutes of ice with shock electrodes on the knee to reduce swelling

All that before 9 a.m. - actually today it went pretty long - from 7 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. You know you've been at therapy for a while when you recognize faces and know backgrounds for other patients. I feel like a veteran when a new person comes in and starts out the first day. I can tell them "I've been there and know it will get better."