Its exactly 8 weeks and one day since my knee surgery that made me rest more for longer than I have had to in many years. I was told 4-5 months of rehab for my meniscus repair. Now I am at the end of month two and realize I still have many more weeks of rehab in front of me.
The first month I was not allowed to drive so I sat around and gained back the ten pounds I had just lost. I got a lot of reading and knitting done and binge watched way too much TV. The cats liked me to be home and sit around a lot so they got attention. I had to postpone many doctor appointments. The only thing I did get to do was go to physical therapy twice a week.
In the second month, I was allowed to drive and do more things. I started going out of the house and going to all the postponed doctor appointments as well as the grocery store, library, etc, as well as PT. This meant as I resumed my normal activities I hit the exhaustion plateau more frequently. I got out of shape (and fat) while sitting around for a month.
In addition, as I am doing more, I am making my knee hurt. Every PT session starts with ten minutes on the bike to get started. Yesterday, at minute 6 my knee started hurting so I had to move on to other tortures prematurely. The therapists told me its because I have been exerting myself that my knee is telling me that its not quite ready for everything I am putting it through quite yet.
At the beginning of the third month, I am seeing the end of PT. Three more visits to go before I return to the gym. I think the only reason I am ending PT so soon is because the gym I go to (for dilapidated people) is run by physical therapists and I will revise my workout with one of them before any exercise.
But at least I can look forward to going to the gym. The gym is where I spent nearly two hours three days a week. I chat with lots of different people there as well as get in a good workout. Its a big event for me - both the exercise and the socializing. I can't wait.
I just hope my knee is up to it. I realize that I can't just hop back into an hour of cardio followed by 45 minutes or more of stretching, weights, and resistance exercises. But I am getting frustrated with the amount of effort it takes me to do much along with the length of recovery required afterwards. Also, its the wrong season to sit around with an ice pack on my knee....
I am recovering. If I have come this far in two months, I should be able to get back in shape in another two.... I hope?
1 comment:
Nice post.
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