2016 Review

Hello Everyone :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
So this is the first "official" post of 2017 and it feels good. I'm so excited to get going with this blog again, and I have a lot of exciting things coming up this year that I can't wait to write about.

2016...
What a crazy roller coaster ride of ups and downs, eh? So in 2016 I started off not living at home (I was doing a 1 year theology course), I got discharged from physiotherapy (and all things knee related WOO HOO!), I had 3 jobs, and I also moved back home in July. It had it's share of good and bad moments and really made me grow as a person and learn a lot about myself.

It's always good to start with the highlights of the year, and this year had a fair few of them!
So I saw 5 Seconds of Summer for the 5th time on their Sounds Live Feels Live Tour back in April. And they were incredible (as usual, what else is new?!). They create such an amazing atmosphere in the arena and everyone has the best night of their lives and just forgets about everything else that they've got going on. And that is why I love concerts! I also brought one of my best friends with me, and it was her first concert! So it was super special to be able to share that experience with her too!
I also saw Busted this year too, on their Pigs Can Fly Tour in May. I had been looking forward to this night for quite some time, as some of you might know that I was meant to go see McBusted in 2015 but couldn't go because I had my knee operation (which you can read about here). So when I heard that Charlie was coming back to Busted and they were touring again, I just had to go! It was an insane night! It brought me right back to my childhood, and they sang all of my favourite songs and all of their lyrics came straight back to me. I saw them with my sister and we honestly had THE best time just acting like we were 5 years old again and jumping around our living room. It was all VERY exciting! I am also seeing them again this year in February.
The final highlight of this year was when I moved home in July. Don't get me wrong, I loved living away from home, getting to be semi-independent for a year and living with my best friends. But after a year of doing this I was more than ready to get back home to my family and back to normality, of some sort.

Now for the lessons...
This year I faced some pretty big challenges in my life but it meant that I learnt a thing or two about myself. 
Firstly, I learnt that I am capable of a lot more than I think I am, and that I am stronger (not in the "do you even lift bro" sense, but mentally) than I thought I ever could be! This became clear to me as I was completing my physiotherapy sessions. I used strength and determination that I didn't know that I had, and when I felt like giving up; I would find that extra push from somewhere to keep me going! And that is something that I will keep within me for a long long time yet!
The other thing that I learnt this year is that when you get knocked down, you have to get back up and be stronger than you were before. But a piece of scripture that I read during a hard time this year really kept me going. And that was "Don't worry about anything: instead pray about everything" (Philippians 4:6), this really reassured me that everything was going to be OK and that God is for me, not against me and that He is on my side.

My hopes for 2017...
Now I didn't enjoy 2016 all that much, but instead of sitting and complaining about it, I'm going to make some changes and set some goals for this year so that I don't make the same mistakes.
My number 1 thing this year is to JUST HAVE FUN!! To not take life so seriously and make the most of every single day. Along with this I want to try and be a more positive and happier person, even when things don't seem to be going right or when times get hard.
My final hope for this year is that I can just be myself and just do what I want to do, and not worry about what other people will say or think about me. I've been thinking about this goal for a while now, but I finally feel like I'm in a good place in my life for me to finally take this seriously. It's the start of a new year and I am ready for what life has in store for me!

A Canal in Amsterdam

Finally, my plans for 2017...
This year is going to be great, and I believe that if you declare it, it will happen!
There are a few things that I am pretty excited about, one of those being that I am going to Amsterdam in March - which is going to be AMAZING!! I'm going with one of my best friends and I haven't been on holiday in about 4/5 years, so it's going to be great to explore a different country and get to experience new things.

Another thing that I am excited about this year is that I'm seeing Busted, and in my hometown too WHOOP WHOOP! Along the lines of music, there is also going to be new releases from some of my favourites in the music world this year; from the likes of Ed Sheeran, The XX, and John Mayer. And I cannot wait for those, and from what I've heard already, it's going to be a good year.

I hope you're all having a good start to 2017, and that it will continue throughout the whole year!
What are some of your resolutions/goals for this year? Leave me a comment and let me know what they are.
Happy New Year everyone!

Jess x

MY ACL STORY: The Week When I Finish....

Remember this!

Hello Everyone :)
Week 13:
I've actually done it.....
I've finished college for good.....
I had my last 2 exams this week, and they didn't go too well but I'm just so thankful to finally have college out of the way - especially after the year I've had! Now I am free to spend my summer as I wish (which will consist mostly of sleeping).
Recovery wise things weren't too great this week, but I'll explain later on in this post why.

I started at the ACL class this week. This is a special class where all of the ACL patients at my physiotherapy place come together for an hour and work on their recovery together, whilst listening to some "hype" music. The room is set up with 10 different stations, ranging from the cross trainer to balance boards and all that comes in between, and we then go round in a circuit spending 3 minutes on each station.
However, because my physiotherapist was ill this week, I was left with another physio who ran the class too - but he didn't know what I was good at or what I struggled with. So he basically just observed me the whole time, rather than helping or encouraging me. So I didn't really enjoy it too much as I feel like I work better with a bit of encouragement.
Also my knee was super wobbly this week. No matter what I did it just wobbled like crazy! It was incredibly frustrating, especially when it came to doing the jumping from side to side and then balancing on my operated leg on the trampette as it was too wobbly to even balance. Also when I was doing the step ups and step overs on the step box my leg wobbled and ached so much. The physio seemed to think it was because my knee was tired which would explain the wobbling.
After this session, I had quite a lot of pain in the muscles around my knee and it ached really bad. Hopefully next weeks session will be better because right now I'm not too keen on this new class. I'm not sure if it's just because I don't like change (and this is a big change for me), or because my knee was tired, but I'm really hoping this feeling goes away for next week.

This is going to sound so random, aha, but this week I had a dream that I could run - like a full on sprint! But when I woke up and I still couldn't run I was so so upset :(
It'll happen soon, I just wish it would hurry up. I haven't been able to do it for around 10 months (since I first injured my knee). It's funny because before the injury I was never that fussed about running, but I think it's that thing of whenever someone tells you that you can't do something, and it just makes you even more determined to do it. I think running is like that, because I'm not able to do it and now I would do anything to be able to.
But I will get there!

My scars poking through my ripped jeans aha ;)

So this week was another boring one because I spent a lot of my time revising and trying to get my last 2 exams out of the way, but now they are so hopefully I'll start being a lot more active and fun aha ;)
This week I also wore jeans for the first time since the operation woo hoo! I probably could have started to wear them a while back but I love my jeans to be super skinny, which then requires the skinny jean dance (girls, you know the one...) But I finally did it, I'm getting back to normal, slowly but surely!
If you would like to read my experience of my other weeks post-op, then you can find those blog posts here. 
Feel free to leave me a comment if you've been through this (because I could use all of the advice and knowledge), or if you just feel like leaving a comment :)
Stay positive and keep on being you x

I'm Back....Again!

Hello Everyone and Happy New Year :)

Well look who's back....
It's been quite a while since I last posted on this blog, and to tell the truth I have missed it dearly! But this post is just to quickly say that I am back and that I have some plans for this next year (and onwards, if all goes well haha!)

The next few posts from me will be pretty old, as they are ones that I've had drafted for over a year but just haven't published yet! So I want to get those out of the way first, before I move on to the new ones. 
I am also hoping to give my blog a new look at some point as well, just to keep it looking fresh and a bit more modern.

So this is it, I'm back! And it feels SO good.
Keep an eye out for my next few posts.
And stay positive and keep on being you x

MY ACL STORY: The Week When I Exam....

Hello Everyone :)
Week 11:
This week I have been incredibly boring (yet again), but it's the middle of exam season and all of my time is spent either revising, rehabbing my knee or sleeping, so please forgive me!
There was no physiotherapy this week either as my physio was away from work, but that doesn't mean that the exercise stops :)

Something to remember when going
through this process!

First things first, this week wasn't all smiles :(
I went round to my friend's house one evening this week and she has dogs - so I was already skeptical about going round in case they jumped up at me or something like that. But things were going fine, until another one of my friend's started playing with one of the dogs. She had a bone and was trying to throw it in the opposite direction but it hit my knee instead! And then the dog jumped up at my knee, resulting in me crying from all the pain.
It was lucky that I had brought round the CyroCuff to give me some sort of relief, but my oh my did that hurt!
I guess it was the scar tissue complaining again - as it always is!

I also had my first A2 exam this week, which meant that I have just been revising like crazy!
The exam was Media Studies which is probably my best subject and the one that I felt most confident with as I have already achieved a grade A in my coursework meaning that I would have to screw up pretty badly in this exam to not pass overall!
It went extremely well and I managed to remember everything that I needed to, result! I love it when you feel like all of the revision that you did actually paid off :)
2 exams down, and 3 more to go.

The beautiful Hayling Island :)

So this week is a very short post as I really didn't do much worthy of writing about!
The physio exercises are going well, and I'm really trying to work my knee as much as I can to get something from all of the workouts, so that includes upping the reps and adding weights to certain exercises to build up the muscle and strength.
I also took a walk along a (pretty much) deserted part of the beach on Hayling Island whilst the sun was setting. It was truly beautiful, and it felt good to be able to walk all of that way and feel almost no pain - although I must add that the stones were very difficult to walk on but I gave it my best try!
If you would like to read my experience of my other weeks post-op, then you can find those blog posts here. 
Feel free to leave me a comment if you've been through this (because I could use all of the advice and knowledge), or if you just feel like leaving a comment :)
Stay positive and keep on being you x

MY ACL STORY: The Week When I'm 2 Months Post-Op....

Hello everyone :)
Week 9:
Where have these past 2 months gone?! I always thought that recovery would be like the night before a concert that you've been waiting months for, and time just goes so slowly. But surprisingly, it's gone pretty quickly!
Despite this quickness in time, it has been no less of a struggle! But I truly believe that staying positive is the key to a healthy and happy recovery.
It's been a good week :)

Okay, so first things first, I finished college for good this week (apart from exams). This is probably the most exciting thing that has happened in quite some time haha!
Finishing college meant that it was time for my Sixth Form Leaver's Ball. It is a dance type thing that happens at the end of the year to celebrate the end of college, and people dress up all fancy and it is an evening to be enjoyed by all. However, despite wearing flat shoes (and most others wearing heels) and taking it as easy as I possibly could, I still ended up sitting out the majority of the night because my knee was just far too painful. I got up to dance to "Don't Cha" by the Pussycat Dolls (let's face it, who doesn't?!) and that was it, my knee was done for the rest of the evening. This was extremely frustrating and I wanted to enjoy it more than I did but there was nothing I could do about it at the end of the day.

I had 2 rounds of physiotherapy this week, and I felt that both of them were victories in the recovery department.

Knee flexion is flexing ;)

In the first session I had my knee flexion and extension measured for the first time since the day after my operation. I have gained 30 degrees in flexion and my knee extension is nearly at 0, so I'm very nearly back to my full range of motion in my knee! This was such great news and it put me in the absolute best mood ever :D
The proper full range in the knee is around 135 degrees in flexion and 0 for extension. So I am so very nearly back at the full range of motion.
At this physio session I also went on the rower for the first time post-op. It felt super weird at first but after the first few rows, and going quite gently, I got into the rhythm of it and built up the right amount of momentum. I love adding new exercises or pieces of equipment to workouts because it makes me feel as though I've progressed enough to be rewarded with a new exercise, and that makes me happy.

In the 2nd session of physiotherapy, my physio measured my flexion and extension again because he forgot to write it down the first time - how professional?! Anyway for 2 months after ACL reconstruction, the knee flexion should be at 120 degrees, but I'm at 130 degrees. So when he told me that it made me extremely happy because it means I'm further on in my recovery than I should be, and further on than most other people.
I also started doing some leg stretches this week. This included sitting on my legs, so that they were bent underneath me. I couldn't get my bum to sit directly onto my feet, but I was really close and it was a good attempt for the first time trying it. I then tried standing up and holding my foot where the shoelaces are and pulling it up behind me - so pulling it towards my bum - whilst balancing on my good leg. Both of these exercises felt very relieving once I had completed them, almost as if I had needed to do them for a while.

So this week has been very productive, recovery wise.
In the gym at physio, there was a woman who was wearing the clunky knee brace that I had and could barely do anything. And whilst I was doing all of these crazy (well crazy for me) new exercises, I watched this woman and it really made me appreciate just how far I had come in terms of my recovery! Going from being bed ridden and barely being able to walk, to 2 months later and I'm relatively back to normal. Life is crazy :)
If you would like to read my experience of my other weeks post-op, then you can find those blog posts here. 
Feel free to leave me a comment if you've been through this (because I could use all of the advice and knowledge), or if you just feel like leaving a comment :)
Stay positive and keep on being you x

MY ACL STORY: The Week When I'm Boring....

Hello everyone :)
Week 8:
I'm not even gonna lie, this week has been proper boring, and I sincerely apologise for this post because it may bore you to tears.
Anyway, the reason for this boringness is because I had my first exam of the year, so all I have been doing is revising like crazy! The exam was AS Ethics, which I was re-taking from last year because I did awfully. And it went surprisingly well, so I was glad that I did spend a lot of my time revising as I felt like it actually paid off and wasn't all for nothing.

This week I had another physiotherapy session where I progressed to some exercises using props. Last week I was doing the same exercises but just on their own. So I was doing the bridging exercise on its' own. But this week I did it with an exercise ball under my heels/legs. This meant that I could really work my hamstrings and could work on my core muscles to keep the ball in place - without moving it too much.

Great things take time :)

Another exercise that I did last week without a prop was balancing on my operated leg. But this week I balanced on my operated leg whilst holding a football in my hands, with my arms out straight. I then had to lift the ball above my head, then back out in front of me, and then I had to turn to the left and to the right holding out the ball - whilst balancing on my leg. I had to repeat this 5 times. I also did this exercise on a blue foam block - so the surface was uneven and really tested my balance! By the 5th time, my leg was quite wobbly but at no time felt like it could give way.
The third, and final, exercise that I did last week without a prop was the sit-to-stand. But this week I was given a 1kg ball to hold out at arms length in front of me. This was so that my muscles really started to work again in my legs. By the 15th time doing this, my legs and arms were shaking like crazy!
In this session my physiotherapist kept saying to me "this is too easy for you", and then he'd find a way to make it harder. This made me feel as though I was really trying to push myself, and as though all of my exercise at home was really paying off.

I went out on a few outings this week, these included going to see Pitch Perfect 2 (which was amazing - maybe better than the first one?!) and going with my friend to get her nose pierced.
On both of these outings I wore a knee support to compress my knee and to help me feel some sort of comfort. I found that wearing this made me feel a lot more confident when walking - with it still feeling quite wobbly.
Walking is still quite difficult, and I'm still slow, but I know that with more time spent on my knee it will get back to normal.

I told you that this week would be incredibly boring *yawn*, and if you made it this far then I applaud you!
I'm not taking as much Ibuprofen anymore because there isn't as much swelling or pain in my knee, which is amazing! The only time I feel like I need it is the day after physio when I feel some muscular pain from the strain in my hamstrings.
If you would like to read my experience of my other weeks post-op, then you can find those blog posts here. 
Feel free to leave me a comment if you've been through this (because I could use all of the advice and knowledge), or if you just feel like leaving a comment :)
Stay positive and keep on being you x

MY ACL STORY: The Week When I'm Free....

Hello everyone :)
Week 7:
I'M FREE.......
I ACTUALLY DID IT!
As you may be able to tell, I am pretty darn excited and happy this week. I love weeks like this, they really make you appreciate your progress and show you just how far you have come since the first day of recovery when you couldn't even walk. I also have the truth about what happened in last weeks blog post which you can read about later on.

I'M FREEEEE :D

This week (if I didn't make it clear already) I GOT MY FRIGGIN' BRACE OFF :D I'm also crutch free too! It feels so good to not be restricted by the knee brace anymore, and to be able to feel normal again, despite the scars all over my knee. I'm not getting so many stares when I'm out and about, but I'm really slow at walking, so people are getting frustrated because it looks like there is nothing physically wrong with me, but there is :(
Oh well, I'm just so happy with my progress to this point to actually be able to get it off. I was always told by my surgeon that I would need it on for 3 months, but the fact that my physiotherapist didn't think that was necessary makes me insanely proud of myself; as if I'm further on in my recovery than they thought I would be.
Freedom has never tasted so sweet!

At physiotherapy this week I used the trampette for the first time post-op. I only did gentle - almost stepping - from one foot to another, and then landing on my left leg in a bent position and holding that for 5 seconds. Adding new exercises to my workouts always make me feel like I've made a bit more progress so I can add something new.
He also told me that he believes my consultant at the hospital will be really happy with me and my progress when I see him in June - which, again, made me really happy!
Ok, now for the truth about my wobble last week. I asked my physiotherapist what he thought it could have been and he said that he thinks it may have been the scar tissue in my knee still healing, and by twisting it a little bit, I may have just pulled it almost. It is nothing to worry about, and it happens, he said that there was no way I could have torn the ACL again just by walking.
So that put my mind at rest and made me feel so much better.

After this physiotherapy session, getting the brace off, and no longer using the crutches, I may have pushed myself a bit too hard. So rather than taking it easy for a few days (like I was told to do), I carried on as usual. This led to me feeling an immense amount of pain in my hamstrings and bum, I was also quite wobbly when walking - which is one reason why I was walking slower than normal. Stairs are also an issue again as lifting my legs and putting all of my weight onto one of them to get up and down is hard, but I want to push myself to make sure that I get this skill back again as you can't avoid stairs in life.
I only have myself to blame for this pain, and it's like they say "no pain, no gain"!

Indeed.

So this week has been incredibly eventful and full of happiness and smiles, hooray for progress! 
I managed to have my first bath post-op this week (I know that you can have one 48 hours after getting staples out, but I was just incredibly nervous that the wounds would open up - which they didn't). I obviously still had showers, but having a bath is so relaxing and it's something that I've missed greatly in the past 7 weeks. 
I also managed to go back to my own bed this week :D Because my bed is a cabin bed (so my wardrobe and desk are under my bed), I couldn't use the ladder with the knee brace, so I was sleeping in my dad's bed. But I'm finally back and it's never felt so good!
If you would like to read my experience of my other weeks post-op, then you can find those blog posts here. 
Feel free to leave me a comment if you've been through this (because I could use all of the advice and knowledge), or if you just feel like leaving a comment :)
Stay positive and keep on being you x

MY ACL STORY: The Week When I'm 1 Month Post-Op....

Hello everyone :)
Week 5:

This is a good inspirational quote
for me for this year :)

I can not believe that this week was 1 month since I had my surgery. It has actually gone so quickly! The first few days of recovery were extremely hard and long, but once the hard days were over and the recovery got properly going, the days just flew by. And seeing the difference in not only my knee and the strength of my muscles, but in my mindset and the way that I'm thinking about everything. Before surgery I thought I would be the most miserable person ever, and that I would try and hide away as much as possible. But I've surprised myself by the amount of strength and determination I've shown through all of this past month. I honestly believe that if I wasn't as positive as I am being about this recovery, then I wouldn't be as far as I am.
Hoorah for speedy recoveries and positive thoughts :)

This week I wore trousers for the first time post-op! That sounds absolutely ridiculous and not something to be essentially excited about, but this made me very very happy.
For the past 5 weeks I've been wearing shorts and playsuits, no matter what the weather (which in the UK is not always great). I wore clothing that didn't cover my scars so that they could get some fresh air and it was easier to apply the CyroCuff. But this week I decided that enough was enough and I wanted to at least try and wear some trousers.
So, I wore some tracksuit bottoms (yes, they were baggy but that doesn't matter!) and stayed happy for the whole day aha! The fabric felt weird on my scars at first because I still had some scabs left on the staple holes, but apart from that everything was fine. I've missed wearing trousers (I never thought I would ever say that aha).

I also started taking some Ibuprofen for the swelling in the back of my knee this week. For a few weeks now, I haven't been taking any medication for my knee as there was no pain so I didn't see the need to. But the swelling in the back of my knee just wasn't going down, despite keeping it moving and icing it.

The cuts just look like pen now :D

So I did some research into taking Ibuprofen just for swelling, even if there was no pain in the area, because I was scared that it wouldn't work or it would be like insanely bad for me. But after researching and speaking to my mum about it, I found out that it was in fact ok to take the Ibuprofen for swelling.
And after taking 2 before bed, I woke up to a much less swollen knee! Normally when I bent my leg, all of the swollen skin would bunch up and would prevent me from actually bending it. But when I woke up the next morning, I was able to bend my leg much more without the bunch up of swollen skin. I'm going to continue icing my knee multiple times a day and taking the Ibuprofen at least 2 times a day for the best results.

So, this week has been a lot of firsts and experimenting for me. But with this whole recovery I think its all about finding something that works for you.
I'm still continuing with my exercises from physiotherapy twice a day and they're going really well, I'm also still on 2 crutches when I'm out of the house but none inside - so there's no change there really.
If you would like to read my experience of my other weeks post-op, then you can find those blog posts here.
Feel free to leave me a comment if you've been through this (because I could use all of the advice and knowledge), or if you just feel like leaving a comment :)
Stay positive and keep on being you x

MY ACL STORY: The Week When Things Get Back to Normal....

A little quote to brighten your day :)

Hello everyone :)
Week 4:
I love the fact that every day I wake up, I can feel a difference in my knee. It's always so motivating to carry on once you've already seen such a difference, it's very addicting aha! This week, things seemed to - more or less - get themselves back to normal. I started back at college again, after being off for nearly 4 weeks due to the surgery, and I got back into the gym at physiotherapy again. I never expected this recovery to get going as fast as it has done, I'm honestly so proud of myself :)

So first of all, I started back at college this week, and to say it's been stressful would be a  MASSIVE understatement. Not only am I still on crutches, but most of my lessons include going up stairs, which is not an easy task to undertake when there are 100s of people around. But thankfully I was given the key to the lift to use and abuse, and it is fabulous!
By the end of the day I can definitely feel the strain on my knee, and my hamstrings too. It'll be when I'm sat on a chair (which in a sixth form college, they are not the most high quality of chairs, let's be honest) and I'll feel a twinge in the back of my thigh and I then have to reposition myself on the chair, all whilst trying to still pay attention. *sigh* Here's hoping things get easier soon.
My teachers and fellow pupils have been really supportive though, and have been an incredible help, so that makes things easier :)

This week also saw my second physiotherapy session (to read about my first, click here). I knew from my last session that I was going to be in the gym this time, so I was a bit apprehensive about it as I was worried that it would be too much pain to handle. But everything went great, woo hoo!
I started off by doing 10 minutes on the exercise bike (which is something that I struggled to do before surgery), and then I moved on to do some stepping exercises onto a box. This then progressed to almost lunging off of the other side too. The lunging hurt my knee slightly but the pain is different to the pain that I felt pre-surgery, as that wasn't helping anything, whereas this is a "no pain, no gain" type thing aha!

Balance-y, Balance-y!

I was then asked to balance on my bad leg, which even my physiotherapist wasn't sure I'd be able to do, but I DID! The amount of pleasure you get when you do something that people don't think you can is unbelievable aha. I was a bit wobbly at first, but after the first few times my leg was really strong and stood well on it's own.
The next few exercises were mainly conditioning and strengthening, which I was also told to add to my exercises to do at home.
I also learned some more about my meniscus tear, in the fact that it was a lateral meniscus tear which would explain why I felt more pain on the right side of my knee than anywhere else after injuring it. And I was also referred to a new physiotherapist for my future appointments who deals with the ACL patients post-op, so he can point me towards the right direction of where I should be.

So, this week has been the week of getting back to normal, and it feels blimming good to be back there!
I'm now down to no crutches in the house, and my leg is feeling strong. I'm still using 2 outside the house though as I'm still quite cautious of other people, but that is getting better day by day too.
If you would like to read my experience of my other weeks post-op, then you can find those blog posts here.
Feel free to leave me a comment if you've been through this (because I could use all of the advice and knowledge), or if you just feel like leaving a comment :)
Stay positive and keep on being you x

MY ACL STORY: The Week When Things Get Going....

Hello everyone :)
Week 3:
(I am warning you now, this post will contain some gross images, so if you are sensitive about wounds/healing skin then I would skip this one!)
So this week has probably been the best week of my recovery so far! I had my staples removed (YAY!), I had my first physiotherapy session (YAY!), I "attempted" to do some college work (boo!), and I went for a few outings to try and get my leg moving some more. Life feels good right about now :)

The largest of the incisions that were made.

I'll begin with Wednesday when I got my staples out. Leading up to this day, I was extremely nervous as I'd never even had staples before so I didn't know what to expect. I was worried that it would hurt, but then I kept thinking that it can't hurt as much as having them in, right? So I had a bit of a google to see how other people found it. And the majority of people said that there was -almost- no pain. And then there were a few others who said that it was very painful (but I chose to ignore them).
Around 30 minutes prior to my appointment, I had some paracetamol (as this was something that quite a few people suggested) to help with the pain during. I took it more as a "just in case" type thing.
Once in the treatment room at the doctors, I was put straight on the bed and was asked to remove 2 straps from my brace. The nurse took the plasters off of the wounds and just checked that they were all healed and free from infection - which they were HAZAAR! I had a little look to see what they looked like and instantly regretted it, I'm quite squeamish when it comes to things like this.

The three small incisions on my knee cap.

The doctor could tell that I wasn't having the best time so she just explained what she was going to do and then got on with it. She used the clippers that I got given from the hospital to unpick the staples from my skin. At each staple I felt a pull at the skin and then a little sting, but honestly (coming from someone with quite a low pain threshold) it was not as bad as I thought it would be! Well compared to everything else that I have been through, pain wise, this was nothing. I could also hear a little ping as the staple came out of the skin which was quite amusing.
After the nurse had removed all 9 staples from my knee, she reapplied some plasters and I was all good to go. I had a few questions regarding exercises and such. But she reassured me that my wounds had healed extremely well and that there was no chance of them opening, no matter what I did. She also reassured me that doing exercises should be a lot easier now as I won't be restricted by the pull of the staples - which is something that I found.
It feels good to be staple free!

My nasty bruise :(

The next day I had my first physiotherapy session since the operation. Again, I was nervous but very excited to get the recovery ball finally rolling!
My physiotherapist checked my flexion and extension and was very impressed, she told me that I'm doing better than before I'd even had surgery, which is amazing! I showed her the exercises that I had been doing at home during my first 2 weeks and she was happy for me to move onto some more strenuous exercises (let's just say, they are exactly that!). These exercises included gentle squats, lifting my leg in a locked-straight position laying down, and a lot more bending of my knee in different positions. And I am now down to just 1 crutch in and around the house, but still 2 when outside.
My physiotherapist told me about a nasty bruise that I did not know I had on the inside of my knee. It's not painful in any way but it doesn't look very pleasing!
Here, I learnt that as well as having my ACL reconstructed, I also had my Meniscus sorted out whilst they were fiddling around in my knee - but I was not told this in hospital which I was quite annoyed by. I'm not sure if it was just a partial tear, or if it was completely torn, but it was sorted out nonetheless. I am happy that it was sorted out while they were already doing stuff, but it would have been nice to have been told.

Going out and about with the plasters off of my incisions now, I notice a lot more people tend to stare at my knee. It was bad enough with just the knee brace, but I have noticed it get progressively worse. And I get it, it's not something that people see everyday and obviously people will be inquisitive and want to know what has happened. I'd much rather people ask me what has happened, rather than just staring! But hey, it happens.

This week I also got the news of my follow up appointment.....in just under 3 months time :( Which is extremely infuriating because my physiotherapist wanted my brace off in 6 weeks, but I think they need the permission of the hospital to be able to do that. And because my appointment is in just under 3 months, it looks like I'm gonna be stuck with my brace for a while longer yet :(

So, this week has been the week of new beginnings and finally being on the mend!
If you would like to read my experience of my other weeks post-op, then you can find those blog posts here.
Feel free to leave me a comment if you've been through this (because I could use all of the advise and knowledge), or if you just feel like leaving a comment :)
Stay positive and keep on being you x

MY ACL STORY: The Week When I Escape....

Hello everyone :)

My delicious "escapee" Oreo and Nutella
ice cream

Week 2:
I know that I'm still meant to be on "bed rest", but can you really blame an active 17 year old girl for getting bored of just staying in all day everyday?! So this week included a few outings; such as going to the cinema, going to my grandma's for a shower a few times (which I finally managed to do!), going to Church, going out for dessert (twice) and then a few trips to asda too. However I did restrict myself a little bit as I wasn't allowed to venture out to London to see McBusted on their UK tour :( Which I was deeply saddened by, but you know, you've got to pick your battles.

This week I was finally able to do the final exercise that I was given! Which was an incredible feeling, to finally not feel the horrible pain of straining my muscles - but almost feeling comfortable in the position. The final exercise that I am referring to is the one where you have to sit with a rolled up towel (or anything that can be rolled) under your heel/ankle. You then tense the muscle on the front of your thigh and push down with your knee.
On the topic of exercises, because I am now past the first week, I only have to complete the exercises 3 times a day, rather than every hour. I feel that this is a lot more manageable and allows you to really appreciate the exercises when you're doing them.
So I am very proud of myself for how hard I have worked this week :)

The shower bag on my leg

I also managed to shower for the first and second time this week. Now, this sounds gross but I have been washing with a flannel everyday, but having a shower seemed much too difficult for the first week. At my house, we do not have a shower so it meant I had to go to my grandma's house (but grandma's spoil you so...). Once there, I had to cover my leg so that the wounds and plasters would stay dry. I used an actual shower bag, that you can get from any supermarkets or chemists, and it had draw strings at the top and bottom to help keep all of the water out. This helped a lot! And my leg came out completely dry.

After escaping to have some dessert with friends, I was feeling happy and full up of ice cream and I decided that I wanted to try and take a few steps without my crutches.
I was quite nervous to try it, but I ACTUALLY MANAGED TO DO IT! I walked with a limp, but there was no pain whatsoever. I'm still meant to walk with 2 crutches at all times but knowing that my leg feels strong enough to stand on it's own made me so incredibly happy.

This is what I missed out
on :(

Although, this week wasn't all smiles and happiness, because I did have to miss out on going to see McBusted :( Because I still have the staples in and I still have the brace on (and I'm only meant to be partially weight bearing), it just wouldn't have been ideal for me at all.
I got the tickets for my sister for Christmas and kept it a complete surprise. When I found out I was having surgery the week before the concert, she had to find someone else to go with her as I just wouldn't have been up to it.
But my sister and her friend both had a great time, and it turns out that McBusted were filming that show for a live DVD, so I can at least pretend I was there!
 And my sister bought me a T-shirt and a wristband, so I was extremely pleased with those.


So this week has been a little bit mismatched, but I think it was spent being quite chilled out still. Hopefully next weeks post should start to get this recovery ball rolling!
If you would like to read my experience of my first week post-op, then you can find that blog post here.
Feel free to leave me a comment if you've been through this (because I could use all of the advise and knowledge), or if you just feel like leaving a comment :)
Stay positive and keep on being you x

MY ACL STORY: The week when I'm lazy.......

Hello everyone :)
Week 1:

My leg, with the knee brace that had
just been put on.

Welcome to my first weekly update that was discussed here. This week included my stay at the hospital, my first day at home, and then all of the days that followed which were spent being incredibly lazy..... But hey, it's what the doctor ordered ;)

The last thing I remember before being put to sleep was an Eastern European anaesthetist saying "Sweet Dreams" to me before I completely blacked out - talk about terrifying! However, the actual reconstruction of my ACL went really well, and the surgeons were really happy with how everything turned out. Although, there was a tiny mishap with a needle being pulled out of my knee and some of my blood splashing up onto a surgeons face (#TypicalJess, it could only happen to me!). And so I had to have a blood test to check me for any diseases, just to be sure for the surgeon's safety. But it was all fine and he lived WAHEYYY!

My first week of recovery has been.....challenging, to say the least. I was only in hospital for one night, so once I was able to walk safely with crutches and bend my leg I was ready to come home on the Thursday. I went on a walk around the hospital on my crutches and my physiotherapist said to me "We can get a wheelchair for you on the way back if it's too much?". But I absolutely refused, I was determined to walk on my own aha! I was then given the all clear to go home and endure 2 weeks of absolute nothingness, oh how tragic.

I was on quite a lot of strong meds, so once I got home I just slept until Friday. The worst one was definitely Tramadol! Now I had never heard of this before, but once I started getting some dodgy side effects I decided to have a little google (as you do) to see how other people found it. And most people had the same sort of problems as I did; nausea, dizziness, drowsiness etc. So I immediately stopped taking this and just got by on Paracetamol - it didn't take away all of the pain but it was much better than all of the side effects I was getting from the Tramadol.
The worst part of the pain was the staples, even when I was just lying in bed I'd feel a big pain in my leg and it was from the staples - and then the more I thought about them and pictured them, the more it all started to hurt. Let's just say I can't wait to get these babies out!

Exercises.... This was where the real recovery began!
I started doing my exercises every hour from Friday, although not the one where I had to rest with a tensed leg for 10 minutes with a rolled towel under my ankle, as I attempted and failed, and ended up in a fit of tears. The other exercises were going really well though, and the bend in my knee is getting progressively better! My knee brace is now squeaking with every move I make, so I guess that could be a sign of confidence?? Or maybe moving ahead?? I don't know, but I'm quite proud of my squeak for now aha!
After the exercises, I like to put the CyroCuff onto my knee. Now, the CyroCuff is one of the world's best inventions, let me tell you! It is full of icy water and it gets placed in the fridge, and then it is ready to use whenever you feel like it. The main use of this is to keep the swelling down, which it is slowly but surely doing - I can now start to see my kneecap! But yes, the CyroCuff has been a great relief of pain too.
I also thought that stairs would be an issue but they're probably the easiest part! I was shown a safe way to use crutches on the stairs and I'm only supposed to be up and about when I need the toilet anyway. So I'm not using them too much, but they are relatively easy!

So this week has just been a lot of bed rest, sleep, movies, little exercises and kitten cuddles (which can help anything!). Hopefully after the first few weeks, my recovery will be coming along thick and fast and there'll be no stopping me!
Feel free to leave me a comment if you've been through this (because I could use all of the advise and knowledge), or if you just feel like leaving a comment :)
Stay positive and keep on being you x

It's Been A While......

Hello everyone :)
So after an extremely lengthy break, I am officially back and I promise to update this blog a lot more than I have been recently. As usual life has happened and I've barely had a chance to keep up with everything. There have been tragedies, injuries and a very *traumatic* ordeal with a certain boy band member leaving along the way. But I feel now is the perfect time to be more active on my blog.

You can expect a weekly blog post, on something that I won't say until my next post (purely to keep everyone on their toes!), so you have that to look forward to from me.

Sorry that I have neglected this blog so much, but I am back now! I hope you're all well :)
Stay positive and keep on being you x