Tuesday, January 25, 2011 -- Day 13

Today we're doing good, it's 10:00a and I've eaten and taken a shower..now I'm exhausted.

So Kevin left for work at 8am and I refused to get out of bed because I was somewhat comfortable. So I managed to get out of bed by myself - I shift up the bed and grab my thigh to dangle my op leg off the bed and sit up, no problems here anymore! I also gt up earlier to use the bathroom and got back to bed alone. I feel a lot stronger than even two days ago which is a noticeable change! So I came downstairs and got my yogurt/granola/strawberry breakfast which was yummy! Then back upstairs for my shower. I was a bit hesitant since no one was home, but I didn't try anything fancy so I figured I couldn't hurt myself. 

I got my clothes and headed to the shower. Got everything ready and able to grab once I got out of the shower. Before surgery we bought a new shower head, the type attached to a hose so you can sit and use the shower head which was such a great buy! So I take it off of the hook and let it dangle in the shower. I crutch up next to the shower, put my non-op crutch into the shower and quickly put my leg into the shower (over the tub), then shift closer to the tub and bend my leg at the knee to get my op leg into the shower - no pain here. -- I know I have explained this, but just going over it again to help anyone who got confused the first time. SO...I sit on my shower seat which I bought on eBay for $40 and use the shower hose. I first do my hair and put it in a towel so it's done and out of the way (I use a 2-in-1 shampoo / cond) no need to fuss with the hair since all I do is sit home in my chair all day. I wash my face next followed by my body. For christmas I asked for a loofa/sponge on a stick to help wash my back and op leg since I wouldn't be able to bend...so this also is a great idea!

SOO the big step today was shaving my legs! The last shave was the day before surgery so I looked pretty manly. So the non-op leg (not sure if this is considered my good leg or my bad leg now...technically my PAO is my good leg but I'll stick to calling them op and non-op leg for sake of argument) was easy to shave since I can put it up on the wall (also suggest the Intuition razor which is the one with the bar of soap around the blade so no need fussing with gel and a razor). The issue was with my op leg, I can bend to the right side and the left side a good amount but bending straight is difficult since I can't go more than 90 degrees. So my op leg may not be perfect, but it's a hundred times better than how it was before. I am also getting SUPER dry skin so I used some baby oil at the end of my shower so I didn't have to lotion up after the shower. I feel so refreshed, but it does take a LOT out of me. Lastly is putting on socks, that is VERY difficult and was a little painful. But I think I got the hang of it so YAY!

Before bed last night I did take the Oxycontin, 12 hour slow release, just to relax me a bit so I could be a little more comfortable. BUT, Kevin let me sleep on the couch for 2 hours so needless to say I didn't sleep much in bed. urgh! Don't fall asleep anywhere but BED because then your entire night gets kind of ruined. But I did roll to my non-op side with a pillow between my legs twice and was pretty comfortable. So I made few more big steps.

One last thing, Kevin helped with my exercises yesterday after work and I felt much stronger. There are 6 exercises PT gives you to do before you leave the hospital:
1: flex your foot/ankle up and down 10 times twice a day
2: squeeze your butt (proper terminology obviously) 10 times twice a day
3: tighten your quad, so basically lift your leg from the knee down up a couple inches 10 times twice a day
4: roll your knee in 10 degrees and out 10 degrees (may need help rolling out) 10 times twice a day
5: move entire leg (hip to foot) to the left 10 degrees and to the right 10 degrees - 10 times twice a day
6: (you will need help for this one) laying flat, have someone bend your leg up to an 80 degree angle to your body 10 times twice a day.

So I have done the first 3 by myself and can do the rolls almost all myself. But I do need help with the others. I feel like I am helping when Kevin is moving me but he told me I wasn't! So yesterday he could really feel the difference (in just one day) I can really help lift my leg up to the 80degree angle, so YAY I'm getting stronger.

Anything else changes...I'll update. Can't believe I'm off pain meds only 13 days after a MAJOR surgery where they cut my bone! Still feeling pretty great, but still LAZY!