Pretty sure I'd go nuts if I ever had to recover from a serious surgery

[cabmandone]

Got my meniscus tear taken care of on Wednesday. Doc told me to take it easy for a few days. So I've been laying around doing the range of motion exercises they suggested and not much else. I'm going stir crazy! I'm not made for just sitting around doing nothing. I'm a pacer on the phone and I can't even do that! I hope I never have to recover from anything serious.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by cabmando

! I hope I never have to recover from anything serious.

It is life changing, mentally and physically.

I had a long conversation today with a really good guy I am involved with in business. We aren't really friends, but I like him. He and my wife are much closer because they are geeks and engineers and have projects they are working on for DoD.

He is a wood worker on the weekends and sawed his index and middle finger off...and the tip of his ring finger. Right hand. Two months ago.

We talked about expectations after the accident, the "next", the doubts.

I had an Alex Smith-like injury in college (tib/fig snapped just above the ankle, foot arch broken) that really impacted my life in the short and long term. I know the drill. In my case, over 18 months of work all the while being told I might never walk right again.

The great thing about John is that he cataloged his successes (being able to reach the brakes on his bicycle, pick his nose with his pinkie finger) while describing what worries him, tying his shoes, buttons.

More on the successes. That is the key.

At least it was for me.

Sorry for the rant.

[Sooner or later]

I have been lucky. My longest recup time was also from a meniscus operation.

1973. Pre scope. That was a hurting sob for nearly a week. Cast for a month. My exercise was high tech leg lifts. I filled one one my girfiends purses with rocks and lifted that. After a couple of weeks I would take miles long walks with that damn cast. I couldn't tie my tennis shoes so I used a pencil to tuck the laces into the side of the shoe. During my walks I had several people stop their cars and offer me rides.

Good luck with your rehab. The more diligent you are now the better off you will be down the road.

[cabmandone]

Small victory. I went outside to grab a beer!

[Sooner or later]

Originally Posted by cabmando

Small victory. I went outside to grab a beer!

12 oz curls.

[vash]

when I got my leg rodded, I had a follow up visit with the ortho surgeon. he told me my leg could bear weight, but I had to let it heal a little bit before trying. and to wait for my PT to get started.

I went out to the parking lot where my ride was waiting for me. I was on crutches. I got the urge to try my leg out..so I lifted my crutches and took a few quick steps. it hurt, but I was motoring across the parking lot. I had that blue boot thing on anyways, so I wasn't without some protection.

I got home, and my doc left a message (before my cell phone). his message was that he was serious about waiting until I tried to walk, and that he saw me from his office window. Busted!

I know what you mean...healing is slow. and healing is boring.

[Arizona_928]

Last spine surgery was using a walker for 2 weeks afterwards. If a paraplegic i don't think i would want to live with that quality of life.

[cabmandone]

Originally Posted by Sooner or later

12 oz curls.

Might have to make another trip or three out to the garage just to stay in shape. Don't want the biceps getting flabby!

[greglepore]

You learn and get over it. Still can't lift anything over shoulder height due to my m/c misadventure, and didn't walk for 3 months. Gotta stay focused on the long game.

"Rehab" is pretty much what you do daily over 55 if you want to be vital when you get old enough that the lack of being really fit for your age would suck.

[daepp]

Hey Nick - listen to your doc and heal well!

This is a very timely thread for me. I’ve been to work the sum total of about 6 hours in the last 2 weeks since I broke my ankle. And like Vash, my ankle is able to hold my weight even though I’m not supposed to try it. I have - and more than just once - and now I’m worried that at my follow up appointment next Tuesday that they’re going to cast it or say I need surgery. When last I saw the orthopedist he put me in a massive and complicated boot and said “...probably won’t need surgery.”

But this lying around is mind-numbingly boring. And it’s nearly impossible to stay off it 100%. And as my mind wander, I just hope I haven’t added to my time in mind-numbing-land!

[cabmandone]

Worst part is it's my left leg. I just got done installing the refreshed transmission in my car last weekend and got to drive it a little the day before I went in for surgery. It shifted sooooooooo nice but now... no clutch for you!

And yeah I'm gonna listen to the doc. Several years ago I had this done on my right knee but for some reason I had to have a second surgery 3 months after my first because I was still in pain. I don't wanna go through that nonsense again.

[thor66]

If you're already nuts, you can't go nuts

[Nostril Cheese]

Funnel the insanity something creative if in the hospital.... Write a best selling horror novel about it.

I was stuck in the hospital for ten days trying to get an ankle infection to go down after surgery.....

Lots of good drugs, reasonably good food, friend brought over my guitar, CNC design on laptop, Star Wars, Star Trek, Twilight Zone, Police Academy Marathons.

[Nostril Cheese]

Originally Posted by daepp

They gave me that same boot! It sucked!

[Baz]

Cabin fever......need to get out.....breathe.........

[Zeke]

My wife had neck surgery on Tuesday. Got her home today so my turn to be nurse for a few weeks.

Now being in a shoulder sling for 30 days is a beotch, but 5-8 weeks in a neck cast is something I would not want. I really feel sorry for her. If you remember, she was rear ended in my '88 Carrera 10 years ago and it finally came to this. We got zero settlement.

I don't even know the nature of the surgery. All I heard was "lots of screws." Hopefully things will start to improve as she has been more or less bedridden since December.

The hardest part is not the cooking, cleaning and helping with hygiene, it's providing entertainment to maintain positive and not slip into depression as she has often because of the constant pain.

[mattdavis11]

I'm on the verge of having the mother of them all. Heart. I'll be happy if it's just a stint.

[Bugsinrugs]

When I broke my pinkie playing softball I removed the cast because I couldn’t work with a cast. When I had meniscus surgery I went back to work within a week. When I had rotator cuff surgery I rebuilt my deck after two weeks off. I’m stupid but I can’t sit still.

[Scott Douglas]

Originally Posted by mattdavis11

I'm on the verge of having the mother of them all. Heart. I'll be happy if it's just a stint.

Do you know if you're even a candidate for a stint?
I'm actually happy I didn't get a stint or two or three. My brother got them and has to take blood thinners the rest of his life.
I had a quad bypass at the end of Dec and am walking 2.5 miles almost every day now. I still have only 40% efficiency due to the damage I incurred, but I'm not on blood thinners.
I'm lucky as I think it could have been a lot worse, I could be dead.

[unclebilly]

Many of you know that I had knee surgery on Jan 20th after a ski accident on Dec 27th.

I had my ACL and MCL reconstructed.

I still am recovering... sugarwood will be delighted.

Until last week, I was diligent with doing my physio 3-4 times a day (except on weekends when I was taking my kids to the ski hill for race training) and I struggled to straighten my knee.

I noticed that I had better extension on Sunday - Tuesday and gradually would lose mobility throughout the week. I was overdoing it. Big time.

I’ve since dialed back the exercises to 1-2 times a day (on the instruction of the surgeon who was gobsmacked I was actually doing the physio 3-4x a day) and have been able to straighten my knee every day. It’s working. I still have a pretty good limp and need to be careful but feel like things are finally coming along.

I’m hoping another 2 months of rehab and it will be ‘normal’. I have lost a huge amount of muscle mass from quads.

I understand why some people choose to skip ACL surgery altogether. I still wouldn’t have taken this path.