Pegleg is Still Here

It's been a very LONG three weeks, but I finally feel able to reconnect.

As far as I can tell, knee replacement surgery was a complete success. 

The bad news: To all my friends and family who counseled me on what to expect, you weren't exaggerating one bit on how painful the first few days would be. I felt like I'd been gun shot, but seeing as how I've never been gun shot in this lifetime, it must've been a past life memory.

Holy moley!! By the second day, I deeply regretted having this surgery. Once the nerve block wore off it was like hitting a light switch and the pain just flooded over you.

As expected, I did not do well with pain meds. Even with nausea medicine, I was sick or headachy all the time. Towards the end, I opted to live with the ache than take more meds.

The second week was marginally easier. The pain was no longer as severe, but there was absolutely no way on God's green earth you could sit or lie comfortably. I would collapse from exhaustion and sleep one or two hours and then a dull, aching pain would wake me up again.

The good news: Using that two months before surgery to strengthen my core and thigh muscles benefited me greatly. From Day 1, I was always able to sit or stand up by myself using my strong leg.

The other bit of good news is that according to my physical therapists and doctors, I'm progressing much faster than they expected. I've been very diligent with my stretches at home. I really want this behind me as soon as possible.

Greg tells me in another month, all this will be a distant memory and he'll have to be on constant guard duty that I not exert myself too soon.

I feel that way now, but I know I'm not ready. I tire out way too quickly.

Can I also say that Greg has been my angel.

I honestly didn't think he could keep up with the pace of running the household and keeping things clean, but he has been phenomenal. 

Sorry, girls. He's all mine!

He's gone through this himself so he knows the pain and discomfort I'm in. He also knows how much I worry about him and the animals, so he makes sure my brain gets a rest. 

I've not had to worry about anyone since I've been out of commission.

All in all, I feel almost human again, albeit with one still wonky leg. 

I have to relate one weird tale from the beyond.

On the third day after surgery when I was still in horrible pain, I managed to fall asleep, but I must've tried turning on my side. Somehow my leg had fallen off the foam wedge I used to keep it elevated. My body was straight, but the leg lay twisted.

I dreamt I received an email from one of my best friends, who happens to be dead. There was nothing in the body of the email, just our two addresses.

I woke up immediately, angry that someone would play a mean prank like that. That's when I realized my leg was in this painfully twisted orientation. It took all my strength to drag the wedge back and re-elevate the leg.

It was either my friend looking out for me, or my subconscious picking out the one thing that would rouse me right away. Either way, had I not woken up when I did, I could've done some serious damage.

Life is both mysterious and complex.

 

***Blogging will be sparse for the next few weeks. I'm still not sleeping well, but I'm improving.