An apple a day, keeps the doctor away.

Since Thursday, I have felt like someone was squeezing my head in a vice, stomping on it with a big boot, then spinning me around and punching me in the gut. Sounds fun eh?

I feel so detached from the real world and my regular routine, it is not a fun feeling at all.

But the good news is - my knee feels great!! YIPPEE!!

I had to hide for 2 days in my bedroom with the curtains closed, and could only come out to the rest of the house when it got darker. Like a friggin Vampire - but not the cool kind, the ugly scary kind. I am still not sure if it was the Flu, bit more than likely a side-effect from the Spinal Epidural I had. A small amount of Spinal fluid can leak and then wreaks havoc with Nausea and Killer headaches, especially when sitting up or standing. I could only lay flat without feeling like shit. Not fun. Do you know how annoying it is to have to lay still? I am so sick of laying horizontal.

Pete has been amazing - jogging with the dogs because he knows how important it is for them to remain fit - and he secretly enjoys it too, he has done all the housework, cooked for me, fed the dogs, held my hand, rubbed my feet, made me tea. I think I'll keep him.

Today is 100% better, and last night even went to friends for supper last night - and thankfully they had a nice recliner and dimmed the lights for me as the headache was still lingering :) It felt good to get out of my house. I am going a little KOO KOO for coco puffs.

Thankfully I get to look at this face all day long ... I have it pretty good.

GRAHIC CONTENT AHEAD:

Introducing ... Franken-knee!!

Here's hoping for a better week ahead.

me, myself and i

me, myself and i :: 3/12/Gyp, originally uploaded by sarah ....

Gyppie still can't do free running, so while I was playing ball with Kaleb poor Gyppie had to wait and watch ... but being the good Border Collie she is, she stays put in one spot ... she just enjoys barking her head off in frustration. So do I.

We'll continue rehabbing together, and we'll be back in the ring, better than ever!

Gyp has been on restricted exersize since November due to a groin pull (Psoas group of muscles), she now has the go ahead to do more extented strength and endurance exersizes and we'll see how her muscles holds up. It's been hard work, but it will all be worth it in the end.

Even with my surgery I am still able to do all her stretching, and thankfully I have the best guy in the world who takes her and Kaleb jogging everynight :)

I do my exercises 3 times a day right now, so Gyp and I do ours together - Kaleb does them too, to keep him in shape.

I feel pretty good - there is really no pain at all in my knee, it hurt worse last week before the surgery.

I was able to bend it another 4" yesterday compared to day 2. So I'm hoping in the next day or two I am able to bend it another 2 or 3".

I stopped taking the Tylenol 3s on Wednesday after barf-fest 2011. Now I am just taking Advil, and actually just Advil Cold & Sinus as I have a wicked head cold.

It was a good day yesterday, Pete's sister dropped me off an edible Arrangement made of fruit that is dipped in chocolate, presented as a bouquet .... ya I ate it all. My neighbor brought me over a fruit basket which was super nice, and Kaleb proceeded to jump at it, grabbed a Banana and high tailed it to the yard - it was classic Kaleb. I think I must stink because my mom brought me some new lounging clothes, apparently wearing the same thing for 3 days isn't a good thing?? I like visitors .... it makes the days go much quicker.

Well back to the couch I go - today I am getting back to some work - which I am actually looking forward too, now that I have my brain function MOSTLY back.

The big "knee-veal".

Yesterday was spent like this ... ( today is pretty much the same)

last night we took off my bandages to see what was underneath

... drum roll please

it'll be nice to see my knee cap again one day ...

there are 4 incisions - not the 3 I was hoping for. I'm thinking he wasn't able to get at the area where the tear was so the 4th medial incision was made, it is right in the spot were the majority of the locking and pain came from, here's hoping it helps.

This morning I resumed my physio routine

... and it's a good thing I have such a supportive and loving coach.

"mama rest your leg right here"

"you can do it mama", lift that leg a little higher

"good job mama"

"you did good mama, way to go"

Surgery Day

I have to thank all of my great friends and family who called, sent me emails for extra support - the bottles of wine and flowers were nice touches too, you know who you are :). You have no idea how much easier it made it for me. I am lucky to have such a big support group of Family and Friends, it makes life so much easier. I have an army of nurses and friends who have been through similar things, so by the time I went there, I knew what to expect.

The nurse came to check my vitals, and I was so calm that the Nurse asked if my heart rate was naturally so low. And that was before I took an Ativan LOL. I honestly put my mind in the same state I do when running Agility at a big event - there was no turning back. I was freakishly calm.

I have a goal - I don't want to be in Pain anymore. Poor Pete had to listen to my songs on the way to the Hospital but he was so great. He held my hand the whole time. I use humour as a coping mechanism, and I am glad to say I had the Staff laughing :)

Dr. A came in and signed my leg, couldn't figure out what "SLA" meant. I thought it meant "Stupid Leg Attached", but I figured out it was his initials...

You have no idea how many fears I conquered yesterday:

- I got my first IV (and it didn't hurt and I didn't cry)

- I didn't faint at all when the Surgeon came it to talk about what he was doing

- I didn't faint when the Anesthetist talked about the options for my sedation

- I chose to go for the Spinal and took a needle to my back (so I was numb from the lower back down) ... boy I could use a tan.

- AND you won't believe this ... I watched my surgery! It was cool to see the inside of my knee and see my Meniscus just hanging there, my altered Drug induced state made it possible for me not to panic.

The deed all done.

The Surgeon said he was very surprised at how much my leg moves laterally, and he is surprised that my leg doesn't give out on me more. He's never able to get a good feel for it when I'm awake - as I have the Art of guarding down to a science. So when I meet with him in 2 weeks, we will be discussing further surgeries, and I am OK with that. Well at least I think I am, could be these wicked painkillers not making me think straight however.

My Therapy dogs helping me stay sane while I'm having to rest.

Also never out of reach are Ice Packs (icing every 30min) and Tylenol 3s, I'm poppin' those bad boys every 4 hours.

The beautiful flowers a friend sent over, I was greeted with them when I got home.

I'm now on the road to rehab, and I am looking forward to the Journey. I will be better, faster and stronger than ever. Look out, here I come!