I got onto the table at ATI on Wednesday and told Brad about the pain in my knee I experienced all day Tuesday. It was an ache that felt like the two bones that connect at my knee were smashed together! It was a constant pain and was tough to bare! He put on his thinking face and thought for a moment. He decided that he would put my leg in traction and that made me feel better.
He worked on the inside of my knee and my adductors were a little bit tight. He worked on my calf and said that was tender as well. It frustrates me that it is only going to be a month after surgery and Dr. Frush said it was a four-month recovery so I have to endure this pain for three more months! He left to get the belt for traction.
I’ve said before that it looks like a seatbelt, a beige seatbelt. As he was tying one end around my ankle, I asked him if other places have belts in different colors. He laughed and he thought that everybody just has beige ones. I told him that I would special order purple ones! Just to make it fun! After he tied one end around my ankle, he clicked the buckle and put the other end that was another loop around his hips. Then he took a step backward and I could feel my knee-joint opening. It felt so good!
He looked like he was counting so I didn’t say anything. I can talk someone’s ear off comfortably or I can just sit in silence equally as comfortable. My knee felt SO MUCH better! My mom came in just as my traction was finishing and she asked Brad about it. Larry hooked me up for ice and stim and I remained quiet. Once my stim was over, Brad came over to put my brace back on and told me that he was not going to be there Friday so I was rescheduled for Thursday. That conflicted with my schedule so this was my last meeting for this week and I will see Greg on Monday.
I am SO frustrated that it is taking SO long for my knee to heal after surgery and I think I can credit that mostly to having MS. I’m choosing to look at it as a blessing though to help me get through it. I’ve always thought that I was limited being in a wheelchair; but, being confined to a recliner with my feet up and my knee iced constantly, only getting up to be carried to the restroom is SO MUCH MORE limiting! I am so much more limited!!! I can’t wait for these three months to be over!