guam's osteotomy

[guam]

nascar, why don't you check if dr sanders has any openings that time?  they were very accommodating with me

[guam]

at exactly 3 months today since my HTO.  haven't felt much improvement in the last 3 weeks.  i'm sure my laziness in doing my exercises and the extra 12 pounds i put on in that last 3 weeks haven't helped any. 
anyway, after that unexplained bout of pure laziness, i finally hit the gym today and started to tweak my diet again this past weekend.  hopefully, i didn't get my body too used to that lathargic feeling.  workout was good today and i'm currently just icing my knee while i type this.  i have a full week of workouts written out.  from swimming in the pool to lots of knee stretches and exercises (from my pt) to stationary bike, i'm determined to get my life back.  sick of the sometimes limping.  i don't want to feel anymore "bad" days, although it's inevitable, i'd like to minimize them at least.

[nascar02zp]

I might look into seeing dr. Sanders if my insurance would cover a decent amount on out of state insurance claims, but they won't.  They have already complained that I saw 3 different doctors before one actually found out what was wrong, and then that I even saw a 4th after that to confirm the dianosis. My last surgery was done by dr Cole in Chicago when I lived there and I tried to go back to him and my insurance said they would only pay like 60% of the costs whereas if I get it done in Michigan, I'm 100% covered.

[guam]

that sucks nascar. i'm with aetna in california and they didn't give me any problems with going to a different state for surgery.  is your dr. cole the same one who travels with the bulls?

anyway, since my last post, i've had the past 3 days without the sharp pain around the operation.  while my knee still hurts when i walk, the sharp pain that's been there since day 1 has seemed to become a lot more dull these last 3 days.  i hope that trend continues since it's such a good feeling not always looking for that pain to appear every time i get on my feet.

[guam]

getting back to activities is getting closer.  however, losing the 15 pounds i gained since the surgery seems so far away.  i haven't been doing as much stretching exercises.  instead, i've been swimming a lot more and i've added the elliptical machine to my stationary bike exercises.  i have to say that the pain this past week has been much more bearable.  i know there will be some bad days, but i'm so happy that i'm actually feeling gains this past week.  it feels like it's been so long since i've seen any.
my friend told me after the surgery not to think of my healing in days or weeks, but in months.  good advice.

[guam]

since my last post, i pinched a nerve on my shoulder blade, so i was unable to do my exercises for a few days. i had to stay in bed for a full day. the pain finally went away after 5 days.  i think i got it from when i was trying to add weight when i was using the bench press.  bad idea to keep going when i noticed a slight pinch on the lift.
anyway, i noticed the benefit of my exercises when i wasn't able to do it.  prior to the pinch, i was swimming, doing the elliptical, and the stationary biike and i really could feel the improvement. once i was unable to exercise, i could feel the stiffness in my knee.  i'm back to my exercises today and it feels better a few hours after my exercises. 
still a long way to go.  it feels like forever, but i'm glad to be where i'm at right now.  i can do most things, just no sports.  it's driving me crazy, but i have to feel lucky for what i can do rather than sulk for what i can't do.
wishing everyone on the board luck with their knees.

[Zilldancer]

Thanks for this diary, Guam. I'm going to have the same surgery (plus a few more) with the same surgeon so I'm particularly interested in how well you're progressing. And it sounds like you're doing great, which is encouraging.

[guam]

able to swim again.  thank God! that shoulder blade pinched nerve was a weird one.  never had it before. 

 i can't surf yet, but at least i can get in the water.  and it's good therapy for me.  was able to swim, do stationary bike and elliptical yesterday.  hoping i can make that a 3-4 day a week tri-fecta.  doesn't feel so good doing them, but it always feels worth it afterward. 

would rather do fun stuff, but i'm hoping this "exercise" routine will get me to the fun stuff again

i know it's only been 3.5 months, but it just feels like this recovery is taking forever.  considering i've had problems for the past 4.5 years, this should be a cakewalk, but hopes of a full recovery always feel that way.  i guess i'm anxious because i've had so many disappointments with my knees in the past.

[guam]

was able to do some modified cross-fit today.  man, am i out of shape.  i had to take sooo many breaks.  in the last round of exercises, i think i ended up just sitting out the last minute in a pool of my own sweat.  that s**t was tiring.  hard to believe i used to last the whole class without any breaks besides the one they give you between rounds.

at first, i was afraid to do the class, but i remembered it's a go at your own pace class, so taking a few breaks was ok, even if i was the only one taking it.  everyone else was pretty fit.  also, i had to have the instructor give me a whole bunch of modified exercises whenever the rest of the class was doing full burpees, box jumps, or anything that required jumping (which were a lot of exercises). 

unfortunately, i don't think i'll ever be able to fully jump again, but i'm finding lots of substitutes that will at least help to keep me in shape.  if i can one day surf and snowboard again, that would be cool too.  after all, being able to do those 2 sports again are what's motivating me to get better.  of course, i'd be happy with just surfing again, which i'm sure i'll be able to do within the next 3 or 4  months.  i've been told i would be able to snowboard after a year, so i'm crossing my fingers for that one.

anyway, happy easter everyone!  eat well

[guam]

the weakest time of the day for my knee is when i first get up in the morning.  i always expect it to be the same as right before i go to sleep.  however, when i get up, my knee is in a state of shock and i always kind of stumble around trying to get my bearings.  it's actually kind of funny when i think about how my knee adjusts to the sudden shock of 7-8 hours of no weight to a sudden jolt of all 180 pounds of me bearing it's weight down. 

anyone else get this when you first get out of bed?

[smartdriver]

i know it's only been 3.5 months, but it just feels like this recovery is taking forever. 

It's been over 2 years since my HTOs and my knees ache worse now than they ever have.  They actually never felt better after surgery, but I know that I am definitely in the minority here.  Most days I wish I had an "Undo" button to put them back to where they were prior to surgery. For me, the pain was transferred from the lateral side to the medial side of my knees.  Tylenol and Ibuprofen don't really help either. 

And yes, mornings are rough.  I've got a desk job, and sitting all day takes its toll in the stiffness department as well.  My knees definitely feel alot older than the rest of me.   

[guam]

i know how you feel smartdriver.  every knee surgery of mine seems to have been a failure.  i'm hoping this one is the exception. 
my knees also feel like they belong to an 83 year old rather than a 38 year old.

[knee2no]

My knees have always hurt in the morning.  The only thing that has remedied that is losing weight but that doesnt sound like its an issue for you.  What does your doctor say?

[guam]

weight is definitely an issue.  while i'm not grossly overweight, i'm about 15 pounds heavier than prior to my surgery.  it would definitely help to drop the weight i gained.  for sure i feel the added weight gain on my knee.
and like any doctor, mine also let me know that keeping the weight down would be good for my knees.  i forgot what the formula was for impact on your knees.  i believe it was for every pound of weight, you put 3 pounds of pressure on your knees when you walk.  not sure on that, but i'm sure weight loss would benefit any bad knee.

[guam]

still have good days and bad days.  just when i think i'm getting better, i have a bad day.  right now, i am walking without any limp and not much pain.  my knee does tend to hurt if my currently operated leg catches a kink in carpet or my foot drags and i almost trip.

the other day when i woke up i had a hard time walking and the pain was on the back of my knee.  it caused me to limp for the whole day.  prior to that day and the days after, i've been fine walking.  goes to show that even when you think everything's getting so much better, you still have to be patient before you can continue old activities.  that day just reminded me i'm not yet ready to do my old sports for another few months.  however, the pain does shift a bit.  some days it's on the front (from one side to the other), some it's on the back medial side