9 weeks and 2 more stitches bite the dust...

Ok, so scratch that note about being done spitting stitches... I lost 2 more last week. I think (hope) I am really done now. I look at all the other scars at PT and most of them are these nice fine white lines along every ones legs. Not me. I have somehow inherited the Frankenstein gene. Maybe it is the stitch spitting, maybe not, but it looks pretty gross to me. I guess it's a good thing vanity has never been one of my issues! : )

This summer schedule is really wearing me out. It is really hard to be full time at home mom while trying to recover. I need to figure out how to better schedule things so that I can do more with PT. I love spending the time with Little I, but it is really hard to take care of me. Not because of her. She has been such a trouper! She is 6 and wants to play and I have a really hard time putting my PT first. I sometimes get so frustrated that I can't do what I want. It has been 9 weeks since surgery and I'm still slave to this injury and it makes me grouchy. Not good for any of us. Looks like more camps and play dates are going to be in order for the rest of the summer or we may all loose our minds!

On the TKD front, I am still waiting. I don't know when I'll be able to join class again. I have been going to some of the open classes and "walking" through Big K's form with him and Little I's form with her. I am being very careful not to twist, pivot, or turn on the injured leg which makes for a very interesting looking form, but has been good for the family. I really enjoy helping them and would like to join leadership when I get back into class. I was starting the process right before the injury. Another thing that is on hold. I can do the front and middle stances with basic hand techniques and walk through the kicks. It has helped me feel a little more connected to the studio, but it is still hard to watch everyone else learning their new material and know that I still have months to go before I get to do them. The annual campground/outdoor testing is coming up and I will again watch everyone else get their new belts while I wait. If all had gone well up to this point, I would have been testing for my blue belt. It is what it is. I am trying to continue to learn by watching class and hope that when I am able to get out there on the floor again I will remember all of the things that I have learned from having this observation time.

7 weeks

Sometimes I feel like I'm doing alright and other times I wonder if my knee will ever feel like it did before the injury. I am getting to the point where it feels pretty good, but not normal and I have weak spots with certain movements. My scar looks like Frankenstein, but on the bright side, I think I am finally done spitting stitches!! Nine in all. Four on the side, and five on the front. It is much easier and less painful to massage the scar now that they are gone.



I'm entering into the prime re injury time (8-12 weeks). I can see how people re injure easily at this point in the recovery process. The new tendon is getting to the weakest point in the recovery, but things are feeling better. A prime combination for disaster. I really want to start TKD again, but know that it will be a long time before I can really participate. For now, it's watching and "walking" through things mostly in my mind and some basic hand techniques that don't require any twisting, turning, or pivoting. It doesn't leave much, but I'm not up for taking any chances.

I had to move into the transition program at PT since our insurance only covers 20 visits for the year. Stinks, but luckily I'm doing ok and think it will work out ok. I got the ok to ride the bike very carefully around the neighborhood, but no really big hills or rough terrain yet. There is no way I want to go through this again, so easy does it. I can't wait to go out for a ride!

driving!

Today was the day! I drove again. I felt like a teenager. It has been so long since I have driven, but I have been following the PT's guidelines so strictly. The last thing I want, is to get in an accident, so I have waited like she said until I felt safe enough to have my daughter in the car with me driving. I felt good today and it was time to give it a try. No problem. I can move fast enough and with enough power to hit the brakes in case of an emergency. Woohoo!

I am starting to feel alot better. I'm walking pretty well at this point without crutches, although I'm still working on planting with the injured leg as straight as the "good" one. Flexion was 146 degrees without a lot of stress. We've added shuffles, one leg ball bouncing on the trampoline, mini squats with weight, step ups with a kick, and hamstrings. Leg press single leg was at 60 lbs., negatives were at 80 lbs., and both legs were 130 lbs. I still hate lying on my belly to work my knee toward my rear. It is torture, but I have to say that am seeing it's benefits.

The other new thing this week is that I'm spitting stitches. It is really gross, but I'm told that it is a normal part of the healing process for some people. After I got the stitches out, I thought that was it. I thought the couple spots that were bleeding would heal up and I would be able to start working the scar, but no. As we worked on the scar, I started to see what almost looked like a blood blister show up. Then one day as I got out of the shower and toweled off, I noticed a little piece of something sticking out. I pulled the little piece and saw that it was a stitch. The first of three so far that have decided that my knee was not the place for them. I would really like for the stitch spitting to finish and to get on with the healing process. I must say that they are a pain, but I'm happy to be making progress. I feel like I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel!