Soccer?

The only thing that has kept me paying $50.00 twice a week for physio is the idea of soccer...

under 200 days away.

Up to Date...

To all those following my progress, here is a new post to update all of you... I know I haven't written in a while, So I will do my best to remember. I have begun a more indepth part of my rehabilitation. Physio has provided me with many exercises that both strengthen and stretch my knee. For those who may even want to strengthen their own knee, or are worried about the muscles around them, these exercises are also very helpful in preventing ACL injuries. Ever day I am responsible for the following: Icing my leg.

Ice.Ice.Ice.Ice!!!!!!!! My knee is pretty swollen still, which prevent healing. Matt has decided to call it "Knighs"..... knee and thigh.... Thanks Matt! (haha)

Stretch: Let my heel hang on something higher, to stretch the back of my leg out. Gradually add weight to my knee to push my knee down.

Leg raises: Done with an appropriate amount of weight around the ankle. I am at two pounds on my ankle. Raise the leg while lying on your back, hold for 5 seconds in the air and bring it back down. The most important part of this is to remember to clench and flex your quad muscles.

Quad Tightening: tighten my quad, hold it for 20 seconds, let go, and repeat. repeat.repeat.repeat! Step ups: Stepping up onto the step with the weak leg and slow step back down, shifting the weight to my strong leg as I step down.

Calf raises: self explanitory.

Leg bends. This is what I have had most trouble with. Its excruciating when my leg hasn't bent in weeks and I am supposed to push through the pain. I find this very difficult.

I did have a successful week at physio though!!!!... I CAN PEDDLE ALL THE WAY AROUND ON THE BIKE!!!!!!!!!...WOOOHOOO... Which may not sound like much- but it was definately rewarding.... Biking is one step closer to running, which is one step closer to playing soccer again. It's almost been a month and I can walk- without a splint, indoors, ride a bike, have gained more of my muscle back, and can bend my leg MUCH farther!... Things are looking up!

Soccer, approximately 200 days away.

Crutchless!

Friday evening Ashley came over and kept me company, as I was still finding it very hard to get around on my crutches....So I continued to do my physio in hopes that something good is going to come from it!

So, Saturday morning I woke up- my leg was feeling pretty strong, although I was still hesistant to put all my weight on it. I showered which took a million years, but I am getting better at it. It sucks because I still can't get my wounds wet, until they have fully healed. I crutched around the rest of saturday morning.

I spent the morning not understanding the movie I was watching on T.V, and then I just said to myself..."well, lets just see what happens if I walk"...  my knee was giving me trouble the day before, but I just became a bit impatient. So, i tighten my brace all the way and stood up and....SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!     I am officially crutch free. (Success, as a result of constant physio exercises...) 

 It pretty much felt like Christmas to me. 

You don't know how good it feels to walk- until that gift is taken away from you!

approx. 212 days until I return to the pitch....

Day numero uno at Physio!

So,  this afternoon was my first day at physio.

Physio is magical, but its also hard work. They ice you, stretch you out, and made me able to bend me knee more that I thought I could... the bend in my knee doubled by the time I had left.

I am starting to walk via crutches, its slow, but feels MUCH better. Its slower than just using crutches normally. But its a relief and makes me feel better!... i love it. So i have to keep practicing. I also was given strectches to do, twice daily, so I have to stay very focussed on that!...My Physio therapist says if I am dilligent I should be able to ditch the crutches in a matter of days... and definately by the next physio appointment. BUT, I should use them as a defence mechanism when I am out and on the bus, to avoid people bumping into me.


Walking feels very weird. And after seeing my doctor on monday , i felt very abandoned by my health care professionals. No one was near me when i put my foot on the floor again. It was a weird sensation in my toes and up my leg- like I was learning to walk again- only on just one leg. My leg felt very weak, I was nervous and unsteady. Good thing my doctor didn't stick around to help me. He also tried to take my splint away- when I still need it, even for walking for the next few weeks... my doctors suck.

However, now, I am learning exercises to shift my weight from foot to foot, gradually bend my knee through my exercises. It feels nice and much better than yesterday... every day is better than the one before... I just gotta take these baby steps, do my exercises and stay focussed on the bigger picture.

Soccer... months away- but has never been closer!!

It has to be worse, before it gets better....

So, Yesterday was probably the hardest day so far.

I went back to work for a half day on Monday, because I had a doctor's appointment in the afternoon. Matt was great, drove me to work, picked me up from work, drove me to the hospital and drove me home, even made sure I ate some!... Matt is great.

Yesterday however, was very hard. I had to bus to work, which makes you think twice about all the rude people in the world...  People who look at you struggling to get on the bus, and shove past you- almost knocking you over, just to get on before you.  People who watch you struggle to pick something off the groud, trying to hold onto your crutches, and just watch- don't help you pick up your bus tickets- or whatever you may have dropped. This actually happened yesterday. My leg was across the two seats I was sitting on- because no one would get up and give my the priority seating- fine. So because of my splint. I can't my leg, so I can't sit forward in the seats, so i sat across to, with my leg across the seats, because thats the only way I could sit and fit in.  I had my beg in my lap aswell. This lady, actually came to my seat and starred at me for about 5 seconds and said... "well, is this seat taken?".... I had to take a deep breath before I replied to her- because I wanted to slap her across the face. I just said..."sorry, there is nothing I can do, because I am not standing....".... I guess people are that stupid.

Its pretty hard getting around my apartment, getting juice and eating is the hardest, because unless I want to stand and eat on at my counter, it can't be done. And the worst feeling came yesterday. My sock was wet because it was raining when I came home. So my foot was wet and freezing, except, there was nothing I can do, because I can't bed my knee to get to my foot... until Val came home- but really...its hard to not to be able to do the simple things- esp. things like put on socks.

At work my knee is sore and I can't stop doing work- I also can't rely on percocets during the day, or else I will fall asleep at my job!

Despite all the shittyness of this situation... Playing soccer again will be heaven, and that is what is getting me through it all...

Its worse now... but each day is one day closer to the end.