Walking

Here's the update on my surgery tribulations: I went back to the doctor this past Wednesday for my 4 week checkup. All was well so he gave me clearance to start putting weight on my gimp leg.

A week before this checkup I asked the doctor's medical assistant about the ACL brace you are supposed to get once you start walking. If it was necessary, I wanted to schedule an appointment to fit a brace so it was ready as soon as I was cleared to start walking. He said that would be taken care of at the 4 week appointment and I would recieve my brace that day.

Well it wasn't. I had to schedule another appointment to be fitted for a custom brace which requires 2 weeks to fabricate. When I learned of the long wait for the brace I was pissed because I thought it was necessary to start walking on the limb. I cornered my doctor to talk about this and I let him know I wasn't happy. His first suggestion was to continue wearing the leg immobilizer for another two weeks. I told him this is unacceptable because I want to start walking regularly now. Finally, he admitted that the brace is really intended for 'extreme' activity and that I can begin walking on the leg without a brace until it comes in.

So from that day forward I've been walking on this sucker. Wednesday I started walking using two crutches for support. Thursday I used one crutch and Friday I went totally crutchless.

My knee has held up pretty well through relearning to walk. Not too much pain at first. Over the weekend I had a bit of swelling and some additional pain so I took it easy today to help things along.

The most painful part of walking was the atrophied calf muscles which have been aching really bad. Knee seems rock solid.

Everybody pray for me that I don't have any accidents or 'extreme' motion until my brace come in a few weeks from now. I've come too far to screw this thing up again.