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 Wobble....

This is probably my favourite quote that
I've found from this whole process :)

Hello everyone :)
Week 6:
Recovery is hard..... It just had to be said.
Honestly, I have never been through something as physically and mentally challenging as this. But every week that I get through is like a huge pat on the back for me, like a "congrats, I know this is hard, but you're getting through it" type thing. It also makes me feel really good when I think that I can't do something, and then I push through and do it. It's true what they say "My knee may never be the same, but neither will be determination"....

This week I had my first physiotherapy appointment with the new physiotherapist, who deals with the ACL patients. He had me on the wobble board (for the first time post-op, hoorah!) which was incredibly difficult at first, but once I got into it my balance seemed to improve - which may be my gymnastic skills slowly coming back aha! My physiotherapist was really impressed with my balancing and thinks I'm doing really well with my recovery. I also continued with my strengthening - gentle - exercises. I was informed that for the first 12 weeks this is all we can do, as before that time is when your body is still getting used to the operation, and is still adjusting to the new ACL. So the heavier exercises (like running and jumping) will come after that time, just to be on the safe side.
He also told me that my recovery may be a bit slower than other people's because of the tear in my meniscus that had to be sorted out, which is frustrating but it has made me even more determined to prove him wrong.
My brace should be coming off next week too, and I am very very excited about this! I'll finally have freedom :)

However, despite the positives, I also had a bit of a wobble this week. I was in town shopping, with my brace on and using my crutches, when I felt a sharp pain go through my knee. I'm not sure if I stepped funny or twisted my knee a little bit, or something like that, but I suddenly felt A LOT of pain.
I then had to stop for a few minutes and gain my strength back (and calm myself down as there were a few tears), but then I got going again but didn't put so much weight on my left leg.
I'm still not sure what exactly happened, but it did put a downer on my recovery this week as I've been trying to take it as easy as possible to not aggravate my knee :( At my next physiotherapy session I will ask if he knows what could have happened.
I know that I won't have torn my ACL again as it would take much more than a little twist when waking to do it, but you can't help but have a fearful mind, especially being so early on in recovery, that you've done it again.
Hopefully I'll be able to shed some light on this in next week's post.

This week also saw one of my favourite bands, 5 Seconds of Summer, begin their first headline arena world tour (I know, what a mouthful) *sounds of me sobbing from being so proud*. You may be thinking "what the heck does this have to do with your recovery?!" Well this first show brought about 5SOS' new song "Permanent Vacation" - which may I add has been on repeat for days. And this new song is bloody great to do physio exercises to and I would recommend it to everyone. It is incredibly catchy and sounds brilliant live. The chants throughout the song make it an absolute anthem and get everyone so hyped when listening to it. I love it!
It has also got me super excited to see them in June :D

5SOS in Lisbon.

So this has been a pretty calm week (apart from the wobble when shopping) in terms of recovery and progress being made. I'm still taking Ibuprofen regularly for the swelling in my knee, which tends to be worse after any exercises, and I'm still using the CyroCuff for this reason too. But things are still going well and I can feel my knee and muscles getting stronger every single day!
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