Three days after surgery

Sunday, February 1, 2009
Sunday is a quiet day at the hospital. And from the casual amount of attention it's a light day for staffing as well. I had P.T. at 10:00 and it went well. I walked half way back to my room this time. The therapist and I discussed what kind of rehab I should get after I am released from the hospital. The therapist thinks it would be good for me to spend a week in a rehab facility to heal a bit more and to get some concentrated P.T.

By the way, I am getting used to the brace and it is not as uncomfortable as it looks. Also I am happy to report there's very little pain from the operation. The wound is sore of course but the new knee is no problem at all. The brace prevents any lateral movement of leg above and/or below my knee. This allows the Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) to heal properly. I imagine that without the brace the ligament repair might be a tad touchy.

One of my surgeon's partners dropped by to see how I was doing. We chatted about my knee and he told me how tricky the ligament repair was.

Jack came by to have lunch. He and Billy had already spoken about some post-hospital rehab for me and agree it would be a good idea.

During my second P.T. session I mentioned that there was a sore place on my left heel. The therapist looked at it and told me I had a big bed sore, a "pressure ulcer," and he said the nurses should have been watching my pressure points better. I have noticed a bit of rivalry between the nurses and the physical therapy folks.

Because of the bed sore I now have to "float" my heel. This means putting a rolled up towel under my ankle whenever I'm in bed so the sore doesn't touch anything. Well, it will keep my mind off my knee.