Long game

Long game-

Nine weeks.  One would think anything would be healed after nine weeks.  I have to admit that I am back at the gym, though I am about as strong as a newly born kitten.  It is great to move some heavy (sort of ) stuff again and sweat a bit.  PT is going very well or so my therapist says.  I am apparently ahead of the curve for fifty-eight year olds who have had both of their knees replaced at the same time.

But I am not a patient person and I am still limited in what I can do.  A three-mile walk in the sun resulted in a pretty sore pair of legs the next day.  But,  I do need to remember that I have been ten weeks or more without any significant exercise and my knees suffered major trauma. 

I have to start looking at the long game here; one year is a more realistic barometer than nine weeks.  Duh.  The pain is relatively minor: generally a two or a three on a ten scale.  I am still waking up around 2am most every night and staying up for an hour or two.  The knees are stiff when I first wake up and when I go to bed.  I can’t climb a mountain or play racquetball yet.  I can take care of myself, clean the house, make a meal… I am functional.  Truth be told, I am in better shape than I was before the surgery and the trajectory is up.  I am still feeling a little bit better every day.  Not a lot, but a little.

I am still using ibuprofen and acetaminophen, generally every six hours or more.  I have actually taken one Ambien and got a great night’s sleep.  I may do it again.