Post Drain Removal
So this is it… I’m finally post surgery! 2 weeks already actually. I’ve been contemplating dumping this blog and just carrying on with life without it, which is why there have been zero posts for a while now. I just didn’t feel like doing any writing.
Life had been pretty frustrating pre-surgery. Once I finally saw the doc and we decided that yes, surgery was needed, things kinda went downhill from there. I was at a place where I was in pain daily. I was in physio 3x a week and all it seemed to do was flare things up… but I kept going anyway. We needed to know what my thresh holds were. Apparently they were pretty low!
Just a quick note in regards to the surgery itself, the doc did a complete scope and a bursectomy. I have no clue how many bursa were removed, but the ones that were, were trashed. I haven’t seen the doc since surgery. I do see him day after tomorrow however to discuss where to go from here. Ie… back to physio and eventually work… and life! At least for a while anyway. Part of our discussion will be surgery #2 to remove the cyst in the back of my knee. It’s putting pressure on some nerve in there that’s causing numbness in my foot. But…I’ll deal with that when it comes.
I had a Jackson-Pratt drain that was removed 2 days after surgery. At that point, there was little fluid remaining or draining from the site. That’s all changed rather quickly! A week later, the fluid was starting to build up again. It now looks like I have a portobello mushroom sitting on top of my knee cap! I did call the docs office, but was told “some fluid is normal”. I’m not entirely certain if 400-500 ml is in the “normal” range or not, but I do know it is majorly holding me back! Bending my knee at this point causes not only pain, but also causes all the fluid to push outward against the incision….which is also still seeping at this point.
So…I’m doing as little as possible. The more I move, the more the fluid. So, I’m keeping myself fairly restricted between the couch, the bed and my anti-gravity chair. I would advise anyone having any type of leg surgery to purchase one of these babies before your surgery! It has truly been a godsend! Yes, it’s an outdoor lounge chair, but it makes it so easy to get your legs elevated!
One bright side to this whole experience…I’ve actually managed to lose a few pounds! I’ve been really trying to be careful with my “cheats” while I’ve been off. It’s not too difficult considering I can’t control what food is being brought into the house right now! Thanks to T for doing all the grocery shopping…and helping me to stick more to a “Paleo lifestyle”. I refuse to call it a “diet” because it really isn’t one. It’s quite simply a healthy eating lifestyle. Knowing what is and isn’t good for my body based on what my body does with it once I consume it. Best of all…no counting anything!
Anyway… that’s about it for now. I won’t know any more until after Tuesdays appointment. I will have an even better idea of where I’m at once I get back to physiotherapy. I’m hoping to be back to work in a couple more weeks…we’ll see I guess. After normal life returns, I can look forward to the exercise I really want and need to get back to! Spring is around the corner, and I want to run! I want to bike! I want a better, healthier existence than what I’ve lived since the accident! Until then, be good to y0urself…and remember:
“Determine the thing that can and shall be done, and then we shall find the way.”
- Abraham Lincoln
