6 Weeks Since Injury

Today marks 6 weeks since that fateful morning in my living room.  Four and a half weeks post-op, I admittedly have jumped the gun on my weight-bearing which is not supposed to start until 6 weeks per my surgeon's protocol. Some doctors say 4 weeks, some say 6 weeks. So with the insight of a wonderful, though small, online community of people all over the world who have sustained this injury, I decided to listen to my body and give weight-bearing a shot.

6 weeks toe-touch weight bearing atrophy on left leg.

     Last Sunday was the first day I really started planting my foot on the ground and it felt wonderful. As I hoped, just the act of putting weight on my left foot improved my circulation and got rid of the prickly neuropathy on the bottom of my foot.  Monday, I was sore.  It was not my hamstring that was sore.  It was the other muscles and joints in my leg that had not been used since March 11.

     As you can see from the photo, the left leg with the sock has no muscle definition in the quads.  Compare to the other leg that has done all the work or 6 weeks and you can see what the left leg is up against.  Since the leg has not moved, the other tendons are also tight.  A mild case of drop foot has shortened the achilles tendon which places a stretch on the calves just by planting the heel on the ground.  The other muscles and tendons supporting the knee are weak so there is little lateral knee support with effort. My hip flexor is also tight, not allowing my leg to hang back in stride, so right now my gait is more of a penguin waddle from side to side.

    Monday I noticed my calf was sore so I rested most of the day.  Tuesday, the pain in my calf resolved so I advanced myself as tolerated. By Thursday, I crutched around the the block with partial weight bearing two times and felt quite accomplished.  Not to mention, baby Emily was downright thrilled that mommy was going on a walk with her while my friend pushed the stroller.  Today left me with some medial ankle discomfort. Weird.  Though I should be proud of my weight bearing accomplishment, it is a sobering reality of the commitment it will take to get my body to work with my leg in a functional way again. To keep things positive, I will leave this post with a list of small victories.

1. Reading lots of books with Emily. There are two things she knows a mommy on the couch is good for: breastfeeding, and reading books.

2. Michelle reading to her sister to keep Emily out of trouble...and they both enjoyed it!

3. Crutching around the block in the sun two times with Emily.

4. Crutching by the rock wall in my backyard to yank out some bindweed...ALWAYS satisfying!

5. Riding with my mother in law today to pick up Michelle from school. It was my first after-school pick-up since the injury 6 weeks ago.  Michelle threw her arms around me and said "Mommy!  This is the best news ever! It means you're getting better!"