I'm on the road to recovery...

NOTE:  I've been trying to post some updates since having surgery on both my legs 14 weeks ago, but my home computer isn't jiving w/ Blogger hence making posting regularly a bit of a challenge.  Until I can sort the issue out, I'm trying to post from work when I can. 

With that said, here's the lowdown of sorts...

The goddess of orthopedics completed a fasciotomy on both my legs (click here for a definition/explanation of this condition) on 12 Nov. The first 6 weeks after surgery sucked. While I was able to move around pretty well & even ditched the crutches, walker & cane relatively quickly, I felt like crap.  Absolute crap.  I tired out very quickly, not to mention it took me two & three times longer to get things done & I moved @ a Turtle's pace, literally.  As expected, I also had massive swelling due to the type of surgery this was, so elevation and ice were (and still are) imperative.  I entered PT the week after surgery which focused mostly on graston therapy (as well as stretching & pool exercises).  BTW, there's nothing like the feeling of a metal tool being driven into your skin/scar.  *insert sarcasm here*   

I returned to work approximately 3 weeks post-op so as you can guess, this made my road to recovery a bit more challenging and I found myself getting creative in being able to elevate my legs throughout the day.  I also found myself in bed by 7-8pm every night b/c I was so worn out.  I still felt like crap.  It wasn't til about 10 weeks that I started feeling better & a little less exhausted.  So of course in my stubborn lil' mind, I thought this meant I could start getting back into doing some walking and maybe even some running. I quickly learned this was NOT the case. I also earned myself a lecture from my orthopedic @ my last follow-up visit in Feb.

I'm now at 14 weeks and I can tell a huge difference. I'm on a new rehab/recovery plan (thanks to the goddess of orthopedics who set me straight & helped me to get a structured plan in place that won't result in me over-doing it). This new plan involves implementing graston therapy @ home several times a week in addition to continuing to elevate & ice. All 4 of my incisions look good, but the lower left leg is being a bit of a PITA (pain in the ass).  The scar tissue is not breaking up as it's supposed to in that area. The hope is that the graston therapy I'm implementing will help w/ this along. 

I'm also on a plan to start rebuilding all the atrophy I've lost. I'm on a specific walking/running plan (not to exceed 2-3 miles) and I'm also permitted to bike (stationary or on the road/trail).  While all of this sounds very exciting it's also a very sloooowwwww process.  Patience is my virtue.....