by Anura Guruge

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The good news: it is not too bad!

The secret is total knee immobilization with a full adjustable brace. With my knee immobilized there is really no pain. I kid you not. Yes, there is a twinge or two when you move it. But, anytime your knee bends — e.g., lifting it up to get into bed — there is pain, though it is not that bad and goes away once the knee is straight again. There was, alas, one exception to this and that was a few hours ago (i.e., on my 5th day). Up until Monday I hadn’t given the swelling of my knee and calves much notice. But, today, per my post-ER instructions I decided to apply a compression bandage to the knee — a bit too tightly. That was not a good idea. So, took it off and as recompense laid in bed for an hour with my legs elevated above my chest. No pain.

Consequently I did NOT end up taking the Vicodin-like narcotics that were prescribed to me by ER. They gave me a shot of morphine before I left (on Thursday evening). That was enough. After that I just started taking Aleve. Of all the pain medications out there I like Aleve, not that I take much pain medication. But, from what I can see it has the least ‘implications’ and it is supposed to last longer. Thursday into Friday I took the maximum 3 Aleve’s over a 24-hour period just to be on the safe side. Then I realized that that might be overkill given the absence of pain. So, I went to 2 every 24-hours.

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A couple of tips.

I am able to use my good leg to lift the damaged left leg onto the bed. That helps. So, I can get in and out of bed on my own.

I can just about getting into my pants by laying them strategically on the floor. But, today I ordered a few ‘tools’ from Amazon to make life a tad easier — a long handle shoehorn among them. Having to cajole my 12-year old to help me with my shoes is no fun.

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Truth be told we went on a 3-day long-weekend to the day after my accident! I had booked it over a month ago and there was no way I was going to miss it!

It was my left leg and I was able to drive, with no pain, discomfort or distraction for 6-7 hours a day. I was also able to walk (or at least hobble), in the snow, for reasonable distances to visit the sites.

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So, those were what the first 5-days were — ALBEIT WITHOUT surgery. Surgery is Thursday and things will change. I will keep you updated.

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Related Posts:
Search ‘running’ & ‘shovelling‘.

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by Anura Guruge