@McGurk yup, kind of lolls over in bed, but really notice it when I’m walking. Really hoping that PT and strength will fix it.
@jnel biggest tip I can give you, do the pre OP exersises, the staff were impressed at the progress this fat old lady was making. Mind you they also said horse riders tend to do well, something about good leg strength, and a competitive attitude!
Thank you for the advice, that is my plan! I’m trying to push off the surgery until June or July next year but am taking it one day at a time. I just had a gel injection and my doctor wants to let that work as long as possible.
Agghhhh, not sure how it’s going here, have nothing to bench mark against…still trying to wean off pain killers, not so bad resting, but can’t achieve much in the way of a workout without some heavy hitters.
Still laid up a lot, get tired very quickly, not sure how I should be 12 days out…anyone remember how they were doing
I wasn’t off the painkillers until 6 weeks. At 12 days, I still was in hell. Spent most of the day napping and got up to do my PT, walk a lap around the house, and take my meds. Don’t forget that you’re anemic. You lost a lot of blood during surgery and it will take time to replace.
Weaning off the pain killers is tough, it’s a delicate balance. Too little, and you stop moving and don’t do the PT. We all know the perils of too much!
My compromise later on in recovery (farther out than you are, KBC) was to take them only at night so I could get a good night’s sleep.
At your stage, I think I took them right before PT, and at night and tried to manage with ice and anti-inflammatories the rest of the time.
Just been and had the staples out, that was fun, had to tackle them in 3 sessions, they were kind of tight…but the wound looks good. First time out and about two stops, some sitting waiting, and now crashed out at home…
Got another prescription of T3’s trying to use them just for Physiotherapy, I’m getting a handle on when I need to move, rest, ice or pop a pill!
Wow! You are doing awesome, thanks for keeping us posted! I was wondering how recovery would go so this has been super helpful.
It’s been a rough kind of week, I was getting frustrated about my lack of progress, struggling to do my exercises, pain, lack of mobility…Yuk.
Went to to see family doc and got more pain pills, but stupidly didn’t ask him to actually check the knee. Yesterday went to my first Physio appointment at the hospital…I was so delighted walking well hopping in to find my favourite guy is back…he helped me through my first knee surgery, and the early days of my recovery after my big accident.
He was was worried about the amount of swelling around my knee, and was a little worried about how a bit of the scar looks, so we had a nurse come in in and check, and it’s probably OK!
His thought, I’m doing to much, was told to drop the outside walks, and the housework, stop doing 2 blocks of 30 minutes of exercise. His new regime, walk in the house, rather 20 steps done properly, than 200m done poorly. Break down the blocks of exercises, rather do 10 x 6 minutes, with icing in between. Oh and massage, husband doing ankle to knee, me doing the knee and knee to hip.
Today I have taken rest, stayed in bed, slept, walked a little, exercise, back to bed, sleep again, massage a lot, and ice…and the knee is way down. And feeling better…
Tomorrow I get to take the new dressing off, and hopefully it all looks good, if it looks ugly at all then off to emergency we go…I pretty sure all is good.
@KBC - the worst part of major knee surgery, for me anyway, was having patience with my progress, or lack there of. Many riders I think have go-get-them, type A personalities and it really sucks to be told to slow down, to not be able to do simple chores, to not be able to simply reach your foot on your own and can be very frustrating when you don’t just snap right back to “normal”.
So be kind to yourself. Have a chocolate bar (or whatever that special treat is that you like). The progress will come, maybe slower at first, but it will get there in time. Resist the urge to do more, because if you don’t, you’ll piss your knee off in the process. Ask me how I know! 
Hope when your dressing comes off that all is well. Vitamin E oil is good for helping to diminish the scar, as soon as they say you can put something on your scar topically.
And how is your new pony doing?
@4LeafCloverFarm box rest is HARD…Really does seem that in some cases less is more, but everything I had read seemed to say you MUST push it…seems not so much…
Pulled the dressing and it looks great, will put another one on, just to be sure, but we have turned the corner.
The new mare…she better be awesome in the end, bought her a nice blanket liner and quarter sheet to keep her warm, had the vet to her because she maneged to bang her eye, had some cloudiness, but a week of treatment and she is good. Then she went sore, so had her shoes pulled, and a bigger size put on, out farrier thought she looked cramped in the ones she was in. Also had some heat, think the hay might be to good.
But she is coming on under saddle, body work was done, and as expected had all sorts of issues around the poll and neck, and is now moving better.
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