Day 3 - Sunday

Another early morning for me.  I got some good rest for the first time though.  I think I woke up half because of some pain and half because I was rested.  This is the earliest I've been up in three consecutive days in a long time.  I can't even remember when it might have been.

I got up and predictably went straight for the pain meds. They're a generic for the drug NorCo.  Anyways,  I had two of those with a glass of water and poured myself a bowl of shredded wheat.  I've been going for a high fiber diet as one of the known, common side effects of these pain meds is constipation.  Possibly more on this later.

After breakfast I decided it was time to take my original bandages off and replace with fresh ones.  But first I needed a shower.  The doctor told me not to shower for 5 days.  Now, I don't know if anyone follows this advice, but I couldn't any longer.  My hair was extremely greasy, it's August, I had been wearing the same shorts and underwear since Friday, the day of surgery.  I did change t-shirts one time.  I needed to keep the bandaged section of my knee dry so I got plastic garbage bag, had me mum tear a hole in it and slide it over my foot.  I tied it off with a twist tie and I was all ready to take a shower.

Getting in and out of the shower was a bit treacherous.  There is a tub, so having to step over that with one foot on the ground and a wet surface caused a little anxiety, but other than that good shower.  I got some fresh clothes on, brushed my teeth (also first time in while), and felt pretty decent afterwards. 

The bandage stayed dry in the shower and it was now time to take it off.  Here's a picture of how it was originally wrapped after surgery.

There was the Ace bandage on top, followed by some cotton wrap that tore off easily.  Under the cotton wrap was a thicker bandage seen in the next picture.  If you look you can see where my leg was waxed / shaved up to and in the inside of my thigh are the surgeon's initials (SC). 

Here's where it starts getting good, the final layers are coming off...getting closer to the potential gruesomeness.  Well here it is...





Obviously, lots of swelling.  The four cut marks are black, not because of the color of my heart and the blood it circulates, but because of an antiseptic called Betadine used to keep the incisions clean.  All the swelling makes it difficult to move or bend at all.  I've been doing knee bending "exercises" and trying to put pressure on while walking.  I've acquired a cane, which is great because waking up from sleep and naps has been getting tough.  Not my knee but just my entire upper body has been aching from using the crutches.  The cane helps me put pressure on the leg, gives me some balance and doesn't beat me up so bad.  I've decided to take the day off from work tomorrow and try to return on Tuesday.  I think by then I should be able to get around pretty confidently.