The first week of HELL
The one thing that I feel we need more info on is what to really expect during those painful first days. I was able to walk, albeit painfully, between the time I injured myself and the surgery. So I had fooled myself into thinking I might have some mobility afterwards…..NOT! Even with crutches, just the weight of my boot and my foot being down was an intense pain! So for the first 5 days I really never left my bed. My loving wife waited on me like I was on my death bed. Maybe the fact I did not have a cast made this period harder on me, but having to keep my leg up and iced all the time was hell.
So for all the poor souls that have joined our club, my advice is simple…. be ready to do NOTHING! I’m the type of person that has to be moving if I’m awake, so learning to deal with the fact that the only pain free movement I truly had was the radius of my arms reach was very hard for me. So sit back, relax, grab the remote or a good book and take pride in the fact that we all will be stronger people having endured this experience!!!!
July 16th, 2008 at 11:51 am
Just keep the faith. I’m about 7 days post-ATR and I’m trying to stay busy with work or things around the house in order to hold off boredom/depression from setting in.
Maintaining a blog on this site really helps.
Here’s to your recovery! Cheers!
July 16th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
i stayed in bed for nearly 2 1/2 weeks post op. it really help s with swelling and DO NOT PUSH yourself. if you’d read my blog and others-you’d see that the first 3 weeks is the toughest. I am now on week 4 and just starting to get more mobile. Hang in there. Rent movies. Read books.
July 17th, 2008 at 5:56 am
I started playing crossword puzzles. Those actually are great time wasters! And sudoku, although I’m not a huge fan of it.
July 17th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
I agree with being able to keep it elevated and baby it, esp in those first few weeks. You want that wound to heal before any other complications develop and you have a lot of time to muck through things, so go easy those first few weeks. Prior to surgery I knew I would be working from home for the short term post op, but I still went thought a lot of emotions about the isolation, helplessness, frustration, extended recovery period, etc. If there isn’t a list of “insights” for each stage, maybe that is something we could do. Our own “What to expect when you’re expecting ATR recovery”, for each stage.
July 17th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
I think that would be great!! Also, we can start a “tips & Tricks” list that will help people understand the fun things we go through to take a shower, go to the bathroom and going up and down stairs!