Questions

[thisnewday]

I've been pushing pretty hard, in recent days, to do the complete post-op P/T routine listed in the paperwork brought home from the surgery center. Among the papers we were handed at the bedside was a page of generic instructions about deep vein thrombosis (blood clots), including info on signs and symptoms, what to do in case it's suspected, and exercise to prevent it.

Like I said, I've been pushing pretty hard in the run-up to my post-op appointment and the presumed start of my formal P/T program. And so I added several exercise that were on the generic list on top of the ONE that the doc specifically gave me.

I think I also mentioned that my pre-op visit was scheduled two weeks out from my surgery date, even though their published info said that a week to ten days was what they normally aimed for.

The result is that I've been pretty much on my own for going on two weeks. And I have, in fact, had a couple of questions which I probably should have gotten answered in the meantime. That is, after all, why God gave us cell phones. He took away phone booths and gave us cell phones. And if that's not evidence of "Intelligent Design," I don't know what is.

Anyway, having spent considerable time doing P/T for back injuries/surgery and the rehabilitation of a hand mangled in a cycling accident, I wondered if I should be heating the area of injury before exercising it and icing it afterward. (With, you know, ice cubes in a plastic bag, not frosting out of a can.)

The rationale for that is that you heat the area to increase blood circulation and relax surrounding and supporting tissue so as to not cause additional trauma and ice it to prevent swelling afterward. Initially, I rationalized not doing so because of concerns about renewed or increased bleeding at the surgery site, but that danger should have gone away by this time. In any case, that wouldn't have precluded using the ice. Or the damn cell phone.

My other concern was how far/hard to push as far as the knee bend in the exercise I was given. That movement is on the second count of a 5-count exercise. What I had been doing was to simply hold the two count, as I was lying on my back with the leg raised, and allowing gravity to pull down against whatever swollen tissue was prevent full range of motion.

But a couple of days ago, I decided to get a jump on the formal P/T program which I know looms ahead, and I started using the muscles in that leg to put additional pressure on the resisting tissue. And this morning I got up with a very sharp, very localized pain near the site of the surgery.

So now my dumb a$$ is sitting with a bag of ice on the knee and wondering if I should just take some time off before my Monday appointment when I'll visit the Mount and receive the stone Tablets which will govern my life from now until whatever Eternity awaits me.

Given what I know about the history of these things (shout-out to my man Abraham here), I intend to take special care to avoid any form of animal worship. Which means that, for the first time, I'm sort of glad we no longer have the two cats. Because they seemed to expect that...

LPK
LiveJournal
3.19.2016

Comments

[rosegardenfae.livejournal.com]

Your post gave me a much needed smile today. Thxnks.

[olbuksings.livejournal.com]

You're very welcome. We're something between a roller coaster ride and a train wreck these days and sometimes a little irreverent humor is all that keeps us in the car...