Another week, 2 more degrees of ROM. I'm gaining flexion on a timetable closer to a regular diet than the crash course Adkins -- I just keep adding a few degrees here and there. I'm now at 143 degrees, about 2 degrees shy of my good leg.
I went swimming for the first time. Not pool-walking; real swimming. A few weeks back, we set up the 20-foot round, 3-feet deep, above-ground pool. It sits right next to the camping trailer and the '75 Impala resting on concrete blocks. Real classy addition to our backyard. But the kids love it, so I can't complain.
Anyway, I actually swam the length of our pool a few times. My swim stroke can best be described as "painfully ugly." Well, assuming you can see my form past my blinding "office glare" tan. Truthfully, I can't call my swimming motion, a "stroke." That would be an insult to swim strokes; thrashing about is more accurate. But luckily it only takes me 2-3 "strokes" to cross my pool. Anything longer and I'd drown. No, wait. I'd just stand up. The pool's only 3 feet deep. Phew.
Similar to using the ellipitcal machine, swimming felt...odd. My leg felt more like a broken flipper, flopping precariously like a creaky door barely attached to the hinges. Not sure if that's my gimpy knee; the weak quad; or just my uncomfortableness with swimming. I doubt I'll swim regularly enough to give Michael Phelps a run for his money. But I do hope to get decent enough that the life guards won't have to rescue me. Or at least good enough to avoid having to wear my daughter's Strawberry Shortcake floaties.
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4 comments:
Hi Jim,
I recently started reading your blog as I was looking into ACI. in 07 I was riding my bike and was hit by a car. In Dec 07 i had arthroscopy and they basically shaved some cart. down. More pain, syn visc injections, PT, started to get a weak quad. Had OATS in Sept 08. Lost all of my quad, lost my job, could not do a straight leg raise for 4 months!! Now, I have more pain than before surgery. I see a specialist on July 1st who is doing a study on cart. transplant. My knee still gives out and is still painful. I can feel the implant all the time. My current OS wants to do OATS w/a cadaver graph... Not sure if I am willing to do it again. I am 23!
Any advice? Man, I understand the slowness, the weird feeling in the pool, and the frustrations...I stayed home for SIX months from OATS! Still have a very weak quad---ARRGGGH!
Hi Becca. Man, that's a lot to go through at only 23.
I decided against OATs because I was concerned about donor rejection and the chance the cadaver cartilage wouldn't fit properly and/or mesh wholly with the existing cartilage.
As for the ACI surgery, here are some questions/issues to discuss with your OS: where is the defect? How big is the defect? Will he have to do an osteotomy, too? How many ACIs has he done? How many ACIs on the particular defect area? I've read a couple of blurbs about some mishmash of ACI cartilage. What kind of cartilage are they going to implant? A mixture of your cloned stuff and other hyaline cartilage?
ACI surgery and recovery is no joke, something my blog hopefully conveys. It sounds like you've already been through something similar. Depending on the type of work you do, you'll probably be off work at least a few weeks, maybe longer if you're required to be on your feet.
Hope that helps. Feel free to email me directly at etrij@sec.gov if you have any more questions. Keep me posted.
Jim
Jim-thanks for keeping us laughing.
I love to swim and hope to get some pool time during rehab. My surgery is one week!
Hi Jim,
My appt is on Wednesday. I know he will do x rays and MRI. My last MRI didnt show anything and then I had the surgery and there was a grade 4 defect...
I can see that ACI is no joke---I read your whole blog-I lost my job over the surgery and it was nothing like ACI. Staying home for six months was the hardest thing I have done in my life thus far.
I will take all those questions... I am just not willing to do another one if I am going to be worse again.
Thanks for the reply!
Becca
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