Better safe than sorry

Well, the head PT doesn't think that I've done anything major to damage my knee. No torn medial collateral ligament or anything like that. He says that it's most likely some localized inflammation. Just happens to be near a nice big nerve; what luck I have. Might have moved wrong or somehow shifted my weight on it by accident, or just plain overdid it trying to exercise. At any rate, my instructions for the weekend aren't going to be too hard to follow. I'm to not move around much, do only about 10 reps of just a couple of exercises, keep ice on it and keep the leg elevated since the knee is swelling again from this new irritation. I suppose planting my ass on the couch and watching movies will keep me in compliance there.

The downside is, of course, that my climb towards normal activity has slipped down a bit. Turns out that post-op rehab is one of those 3 steps forward, 1 step back kind of things sometimes, as opposed to a steady upward arc that most would prefer. I'm concerned because it's going to be still several more week before I will be able to pick up computers and carry them around or crawl around under people's desks and hook things up. Hopefully I will be able to work out something with my boss so I can return to work on a light-duty schedule where I can work from a computer. Maybe I can do some things for his real-estate side business, since that's mostly programming, web design and hosting stuff, all things I've done in the past anyway. Have to do something soon... Rent and dozens of other bills are all coming due soon and we're fresh out of money. Too bad I can't be like the government and just print more. My wife scrounged up some change from her purse and car today and we bought a couple of Powerball tickets today after my PT. Who knows, maybe I might actually have some good luck and win. That would certainly help put my mind at ease!

I don't have to spend time in the CPM anymore, and in fact can call the health care company on Monday and have them come get it (before they charge me for another month). The important thing I need to keep doing regularly is manually push my patella over to the inside. Now that the majority of the fluid has left the area, it's going to be that which keeps it from re-attaching to the tissue. If that happens, they my Orthopedic Surgeon will have to go back in and cut it away, and the whole process starts over. Plenty of incentive there to keep pushing that knee over to the medial side as far as I can, no matter how uncomfortable!

This coming Monday and Tuesday I have doctor's appointments. Monday I have the re, re, re-scheduled appointment to get my custom orthopedic shoe inserts. I'm still not walking on 2 legs yet, but I figure I may as well go this time as opposed to rescheduling it for the 4th time. If nothing else, it should make my right foot and leg feel better since it's having to do all the work. Tuesday morning I'm back at the Oral Surgeon's place so they can check on the progress of the tooth I had cut out. Perhaps they want me in so early just in case he needs to take out the ones alongside the gaping hole after all. I for one am going to hope not on that. Also next week my PT team is going to get with my Orthopedic Surgeon and see if he will sign off on me returning to work on a light-duty status. I know that it's a huge increased risk of me falling and injuring myself if I walk around in the world even a little, but my AFLAC is going to be running out in a few days and I've got to be able to do something to keep the bill collectors at bay. I'm sure he'll understand.

So here I am, taking it easy this weekend and then running around some next week. At least my initial fear that something was seriously wrong with my knee again were unfounded. Better safe than sorry I always say, especially with the kind of luck I have.