Hello, Renrenspeakers! I hope all is well! I am officially ONE WEEK post-op from my ACL surgery that was done last Tuesday (technically I am day 8 now). I can’t believe how quickly time has flown by. I remember ruminating about surgery day for 6 weeks, wondering how recovery would be like and how much pain I would be in. Now don’t get me wrong — there is definitely physical pain involved. Day 0 (the night after my surgery) was such a tease compared to the week that I’ve had. I had a nerve block that targeted my saphenous nerve for the surgery, and with that, I still had motor movement of my quads. Thus, I was able to get in and out of bed with barely assistance, lift my leg to go to the bathroom, etc. I could even stand for a bit with minimal pain. I felt a lot of numbness in my anterior knee/quad, and I was thinking, “Wow, if I feel like this already, week 1 recovery is gonna be a breeze.” I went to bed feeling pretty good and in minimal discomfort overall.

The next day, I woke up from my leg being elevated all night on my wedge pillow, went to the bathroom, washed my face, brushed my teeth, did the whole thing. I felt fine…. until I did not. The front of my leg felt like it started to burn, and I had to lie down immediately. I was scared that I had already done something wrong to my leg and maybe I overworked it the day before. It quickly clicked that the tingling, burning sensation I was feeling was the effects of my nerve blocker wearing off. Yeah, that maybe 3/10 pain I felt Day 0 quickly shot up to at least an 8/10, even a 9/10 a few moments throughout the day. I was pretty much bedridden with continuous ice and religiously following my medication regimen in order for the pain to somewhat minimize. I had a few cries throughout the day and felt completely defeated — something as basic as swinging my leg over the side of the bed, which I could do the day before, suddenly felt impossible. All I wanted to do was to take a nap, and even taking a nap just caused so much discomfort and pain.

Day 2 is when I felt like I received a new burst of energy and some hope again. Pain was definitely still there, but it felt way more tolerable like a 6/10 even with pain meds than compared to Day 1. I didn’t even cry that day, lol! I was still mostly bedridden, but I found my way back to civilization in small ways — a phone call here, a distraction there.

By days 3-7 things were noticeably better. I felt much stronger, my energy was returning, and I even migrated to the couch to spend time icing and elevating there instead of in my room. I felt like I could tolerate being upright more, and I either got used to the pain, it became more manageable, or I was less focused on it (probably a combination of the three), making each day feel more hopeful.

Life after surgery is HARD, and I am finding that things take so much more time and exertion. However, it is also wonderful to find beauty in the little things that I do end up accomplishing. I wanted to share 10 milestones that I am personally grateful for achieving thus far:

1. My first 2 PT sessions have been great. It feels good to exercise and challenge my body to regain its flexibility and strength again. At my first PT session, my AROM for my right leg was 53 degrees of flexion, and my extension was already nearly close to 0 degrees (I am hypermobile, however, so I still have some degrees left to go to achieve the same symmetry as my left leg). Since I am weight bearing as tolerated, I was able to complete some calf raises without the use of crutches (holding a bar, of course), and I was able to get such a good stretch in my calves that made me feel more confident with weight bearing with my crutches for ambulation.
2. I took a total of 3 showers, and the third shower was the most successful because I finally figured out how to maintain a comfortable enough position while sitting on my tub transfer bench. I was mostly able to complete it by myself (minus set up with my brace and compression sleeve).
3. I started using the bathroom all by myself including the toilet transfer since day 4 post op and it was a huge success.
4. I reinvented my gait belt to a leg lifter (shoutout my OT knowledge to make this adaptable), and now I can also get myself in and out of bed with the assistance of my gait belt.
5. I was able to sit in a chair at the dining table semi comfortably for almost an hour while eating breakfast, though my leg was still mostly extended as I sat on the chair. However, I did not need any stool this time to prop my leg on it for additional comfort.
6. I have weaned off most medications. No more oxy for me (prescribed of course, lol), whohoo! Ibuprofen is still in rotation though just in case.
7. I was able to stand and bear some weight on my right side without crutches to complete tasks such as brushing my teeth, washing my face, and even assisting minimally to make simple meals with my mom.
8. I can sleep on my back pretty comfortably with my leg elevated throughout most of the night. I am such a tummy sleeper that I was worried I was not gonna be able to get any sleep during this process. Surprisingly, I can fall asleep with almost no issues on my back!
9. Pain has been pretty manageable after Day 1 of my surgery. I would say on an average since Day 2, it has been no more than a 5/10 even after PT sessions.
10. I switched from wearing an ace wrap to wearing a compression sleeve under my hinge brace, and it feels SO much better and less restrictive overall.

Overall, week 1 has been a lot physically and emotionally. The hardest part is just realizing how taxing ‘simple’ tasks such as going to the bathroom, taking a shower, and moving around the house is. However, I could not have made it through this first week without some of my biggest support systems such as my fiancé, my mom, and my roommates. They have been extremely all hands on deck, making the first few days of surgery way more seamless and less impossible. From making meals and refilling my ice machine to lifting my swollen leg, managing my medication, and even tucking me in at night — every little act made my heart so full and reminded me how loved and supported I am. I am also so incredibly grateful for all the other people who have checked in on me and have sent encouraging words, thoughts, prayers, care packages, and food! I feel all the warmth and love, and without the support of everyone in my life who is so special to me, recovery would have gone differently emotionally and mentally.

Week 1 is just the very beginning of a long journey ahead. I know there will be a LOT of bumps throughout the road, as progress is never linear. I tell this to my patients all the time, so I must also understand what I preach lol. Nevertheless, I feel much more resilient than I did before my surgery already, and I am looking forward to continuing my path of resilience and becoming stronger in every aspect of my well-being.

Thanks for tuning into the blog, and be on the lookout for my next update for week 2 recovery! 🙂 Shoutout to the ACL warriors out there who are doing their best every day to be better and better!

Peace and love,

Irene