Saturday, August 8, 2020 – mid-morning

Going Rogue

After 4 1/2 weeks, I decided to go rogue.  I was no longer taking narcotic pain medicine, I could bend my knee fairly well, so instead of having my neighbor drive me to physical therapy, I decided to try driving myself.  It was just a two-mile drive.  No problem.  Been driving ever since…without the surgeon’s permission.

Then I decided to take back the walking of my dog.  It was good physical therapy as long as I kept control of the leash and walked carefully.  As a 15-year-old Cockapoo, my angel dog, Cinnamon, is not prone to darting around.  Together we are a slow and steady team of elders.

By 5 weeks I was mowing the front lawn.  It’s not large, it’s fairly even, and I just took my time.  No problems.  I started doing some simple gardening by then, as well:  weeding, digging up baby starts of Black-eyed Susans and potting them, deadheading this and that, etc.  It felt great to be working outside, and it was wonderful to go visit Mom and start our socially distanced/masked visits in the courtyard.

Six-Week Follow-up Visit with Surgeon

This past Wednesday I met with Dr. Hockman.  He reviewed x-rays taken just before the visit and said they looked excellent.  Then he had me walk, extend my leg, flex my leg, and he did some manipulations to assess strength.

I was absolutely delighted when he told me that at six weeks, I was at where most people are at 4 months.  Really???? 

No talk about prescribing additional therapy. He knows I have been serious about doing the exercises every day and will continue to do so.  No announcement to tell me that I could drive. He probably assumed I was already doing so.  Just, “Okay!   We’ll see you in 10 to 12 weeks to see how things are coming along.”  Happy surgeon; happy patient.

Moving Forward

In addition to continuing the repertoire of physical therapy exercises I was taught, I added a new activity this week:  Working with an Xterra fitness folding bike.  The best price I found was on Amazon: under $140 delivered on June 18.  That price is no longer listed.  With COVID 19, it seems this has been a popular item for so many people stuck at home.

I like the new bike toy a lot, and I understand why it has so many favorable reviews.  It is extremely quiet, sturdy, very portable, once out of the box, it only took about 30 minutes to assemble.  The Chinese manufacturer did a superlative job setting it up for a logical and efficient assembly.

I’m starting with a simple routine:  two miles in the morning and two miles in the late afternoon on level 4 of 8.  Baby level, I know…but I’m old!  As that becomes easier, I’ll increase my distance.  This will be great for the knee, and with it getting my heart rate up, this will be an excellent exercise option for the fall and winter weather ahead.

Plenty to do to keep me physically active in the months and years (I hope) ahead.  And the best part is that I can engage in these activities while keeping up with world events, listening to a podcast, or binging on Netflix.