Dougal Campbell's geek ramblings

I think I’m in the “it gets worse before it gets better” phase of recovery from my knee surgery. Maybe I just overdid things yesterday (visited our chiropractor and went out to a restaurant for dinner). Today I had a headache all day and my stomach has felt just a little off — not naseous, but not hungry. Of course, part of my trouble might be lack of sleep. I can’t move around like normal, and anytime I need to move my leg in the slightest, I wake up. It’s taken its toll on me, and I wound up conking out for a good portion of the day.

But, I still try to do the exercises that the physical therapist showed me. At least after seeing the therapist, I have a better idea of what I can and can’t do with my leg. It’s not in as fragile a state that I initially thought, so I’m able to move it more than I had thought over the weekend. But I definitely can’t attempt to put any weight on it, or I would risk tearing the ligament grafts loose.

It’s frustrating that there is so little that I can do for myself or for my family. I can move on crutches from my bed to the couch, and I can even maneuver myself to go to the restroom on my own, but that’s about it. I have to use a bath chair to take a bath, because I can’t get my bandages wet. And my wife has to help me with that, because you might be surprised how difficult it can be to get yourself in and out of a bath chair when you can’t move your leg.

It’s really taking a toll on Susan, because in addition to her already busy schedule for work, grad school, and household, she now has to take over all the things I normally would do, and she has to take care of me on top of all that. We have a little bit of help, but nothing really substitutes for having both of us up and functional. I’m going to owe her one primo vacation when I’m back on my feet again.

I’ve got at least three more weeks on crutches, and probably a few more weeks after that before I can help out with some of the heavier house and kid help. And I’ll still have a few more months of healing to go after that before my knee will be ready for really normal activity levels. I’m anxious to be done with it. I’m usually a very patient person, but this is not something I want to be patient about.