Thank you, Doogie, that's excellent... or, bathing is over-rated, anyway...

So, ah, today I popped along to XY Orthopaedics to be measured for my new 'bendy' (ie hinged) brace, which I assumed meant 'excellent, not so heavy/bulky, ease of movement, etc', and dare I hope, comfort...

Here's how it went...

After a good hour and half or so to get ready (without bothering to do hair or make-up; I'm talking 'bare essentials' here!), given I actually had a shower today, which involved the husband saying, 'I'm going to wrap you up like a chicken', then gladwrapping my leg, spraying me with the shower nozzle (not unlike he does when washing the dogs!), while I soaped myself and washed my hair, he then laughed at me when I got my undies stuck around the dodgy leg, finally pulled them up, only to give myself a wedgie :D Yep! An excellent start I'm sure you'll agree... It was my first shower since the nurse set me up for one in the hospital on Saturday and I only took one cos I was going out in public, but I'm sure my hygiene routine will improve...

So, after the leg-throbbing waddle to the car and 'the arse reverse' (a new, but handy, skill I've acquired) into the backseat and 'gliding' (I use that term loosely, and largely, inaccurately!) along, we get going, me hanging on for dear life over any tiny bump, let alone, sudden braking... Don't worry, I have my seatbelt on... well, passing my neck to my knee, without actually strapping anything in; it's more to appease the cops, than provide safety, really...

Paul missed the turn-off to the hospital, so we turn around, go to the car park of the new hospital, hoping it'll link up with the old hosptial. It doesn't. We come straight back out, ask for directions (fortunately there just happened to be a man standing near the boom gate, even though it was automated?), back to where we started, take the right ramp, but still no sign of XY Orthopaedics.

A woman comes out of the building, so Paul asks where to park/drop me off for XY Orthopaedics and she says to reverse a bit and go in from there...

We do. Paul lets me out while he goes to find a proper park, and I am of course greeted by STAIRS - ooh, my favourite, I say, rubbing my hands with glee! And promptly falling over. I find the lift to level 1, HOBBLE some more, bypass reception/bothering to check in and find the nearest couch to collapse on...

Paul soon finds me and says, 'ah, I found a ramp to parking on THIS level so we didn't need to do the stairs'... Ahem... Excellent.

I get Paul to register my arrival, as I am not moving until told otherwise...

Soon after, a physio no older than, well, Doogie Howser, introduces himself and invites me into his office... He is very nice and says, 'um, I'll let you sit on the chair for now, but I will get you on to the bed in a minute, as I can see you're still in considerable pain'...

I deduce that his observation skills can only be described as EXCELLENT...

We talk braces and life post-op thus far, and he says, 'You'll probably find this 30-degree one' (the current maximum I have to bend my knee, and trust me, it is the max I want to bend my knee!) a little more uncomfortable than the other one..."

THUD... goes the sound of my hopeful expectations plummeting southwards... Oh...

He gets the little steps out and I make my way up onto the bed - like a freaking champion!

He measures the brace against my leg and decides it's too long - cuts some bits off, marks up four points on my leg, fits the padding, then the straps and squishes the knee-support bits in as far as possible, saying, 'you'll find it won't provide as much support as the other one, so just be careful'...

Bleeding marvellous... Then again, I was hardly going to tapdance out of there, just because I could move my knee 30 degrees!

Other than the bendability, it's essentially the same as the other. I have to leave it on pretty much permanently, 'walk' in it, sleep in it, and of course, when the urge becomes me, tapdance in it...

Given its greater doing-up and undoing complexities, I can see it making me even less inclined to bathe... hmmm...

Oh, and bless Doogie's heart, I must've flashed him a million times when fitting it (dresses are, and will remain to be, the easiest thing to wear for some time!) and he maintained his professionalism and didn't bat an eyelid! Sorry, Doogie...

As I hobbled off, I thanked Doogie profusely, because he really was lovely and I didn't want him to think I was hobbling off without thanking him, but I just wanted to, you know, get a head start... These things take time and may as well be tackled as soon as possible.

So, as I made my way to the car, while Paul fixed the bill - yes, $255 for the involuntary upgrade - but we get to 'keep' the last one (hooray - I'll hang onto that for when I do my left knee!), Doogie says to Paul, 'Do you want to double-check where the car is, so she doesn't walk all that way for nothing?' (Oh I like you, Doogie!), so Paul goes ahead, gives me the nod, says, 'keep coming and turn left'...

I take my sweet time in doing so, tempted to take several overnight stopovers en route... eventually arriving at destination Honda Jazz, having said, '*#(*#&*#9!' more times than I thought I would, and find the doors locked... Oh thank you, husband...

I lean on the car, alter my position a few times, lean my head on my crutches and try to put my left foot under my right ankle to provide some kind of anti-blood-rushing-down-my-$(%*()$)-leg support, as the physio showed me - a neat trick to get the leg up to/down from the bed too!

Minutes, hours?, (felt like) DAYS later, Paul comes running, 'click click', 'oh, sorry, I forgot'.

Home now. Quite exhausted... too scared to walk on it, let alone bend it, so let's see how Mr Bendy-boot goes...

D Day, or rather Knee Day, has arrived...

I am currently savouring the freedom of unassisted mobility... pain-free movement, pain-free, well, everything! Admiring my scar-free, unsliced knee and hammy, that as of tomorrow, will be no longer...

Semi-nervous, but kinda not... Not so nervous about the procedure itself as I am the aftermath, the initial discomfort, the months of physio ahead and the immense frustration of not being able to do things I would 'automatically' do... Patience is not my forte... :) A patient patient? even less so :D

I had the conversations with the hospital today, so am going through my checklist (xrays, MRIs, consent form, health insurance, yadda yadda) and contemplating what 'garment' to take that will fit over my bandage and brace... Hmmm... I'm thinking this:

See you on the other side...

Let me rephrase that...

My surgery date has been changed (again) - this time for the better... back to the original date... and on a Friday...

Or should that be 'knee knee knooray?'

Current mood: 9 working days 'til Borneo (excited); a welcome distraction... 'for now'...

Birthday celebrations reclaimed :)

Having had a big sooky la la here - about my surgery being moved to my husband's birthday (and having already changed birthday plans to accommodate the original surgery date)... I have since learned that, while the 'day' is not negotiable, the 'date' is... so I moved it! It still has to be mid-week (boo!), but is now the week after Paul's birthday (yay!)

An easier ACL decision

In Googling 'no ACL' to see people's perceptions of life without an ACL, I was highly amused by this headline that popped up...

Happy non-Birthday Pauly...

...so a missed call/voicemail on my mobile whilst on a plane to Sydney last week informed me that my surgery date had been changed to Wednesday 4 May... No consultation; just that it had been changed...

This is annoying for a couple of reasons:

1. The lack of consultation

2. That it's now mid-week, which means more days off work, rather than the original Friday, which would have at least given me Sat/Sun to get over the initial pain/recovery...

3. It's my husband's birthday... and, I'd already changed our plans (from the weekend/progressive dinner and overnight stay) due the original surgery date and moved it to his actual birthday. His birthday plans have now been cancelled.

Not the end of the world, I know, but at tad inconvenient...

Though having been reading up on post-ACL recovery, I'm beginning to think "inconvenient" will be "the norm" for a while...

Current mood: "Getting nervous"...

Surgery booked...

After much umming and aahing, consulting with those who've had the surgery - or similar -

with largely positive responses, and "Googling my health" a tad... and with the husband and others basically saying, 'well, you really have to do it' (if nothing else but to prevent further damage/faster deterioration) down the track, I have sort of, well, I have, decided to do the ACL reconstruction...

It still feels a little rushed at the moment... maybe that's not a good thing... but I just feel like it's 'inevitable' and I probably should've done it some time ago...

Having said all that, the mere thought of it is now terrifying the crap out of me...

The thought of it/the surgery itself 'yesterday' was fine and I was/am more concerned about the rehab...

Today - I am terrified...