Diligence Pays Off

It was a pretty good weekend. A time to settle in and get things rearranged to accommodate the walker and all the other gadgets I'll need for a short period of time. A time to get my system back to normal. A time to get some real rest and sleep without being awakened every several hours.

Thanks to Loren for loaning and sturdy chair with arms from his waiting room. It's been multi-functional; great for dining, doing seated exercises, and sponge baths. Renee and Jeff brought a nice upholstered chair with great arms and it's been so comfortable to sit in for an hour or so.
Good for visiting, icing knees, or even watching the Tour de Suisse.

I was very conscientious about my exercises this weekend. I tackled the standing exercises on Saturday afternoon. Using the butcher block on one side and having someone sit in a chair so I could hold onto the back of the chair, I was able to replicate some parallel bars. Worked great having someone built into the equipment to do the rep count and read directions for the next exercise.

Sunday I tackled the seated and the supine items. I hate the seated exercises. The one where I have to just slide my foot in as far as I can just kills my left knee. I've gotten smart enough to break out the headphones for the seated exercises. I had my music on, my eyes closed, and tears streaming down my face. The next thing I knew, someone was rubbing my back. Jane rubbed my back as I finished up the last of the "hurty" moves. It was awesome and really helped me get through it. I am being very tenacious and it paid off today.

Today was my first day of outpatient rehab. I chose the Pinnacle Health Rehab at the old Osteopathic Hospital. The facility, in the Bloom Center, is new and very nice. The "gym" is bright and airy, very clean, and brand new equipment. My therapist, Nate, is a young guy and seems pretty nice. This first session was just spent taking the history and taking measurements. Well, last Friday my left knee was 45 active (54 passive). Today is meausred at 54 (60). I'll take that increase! Nate said that the swelling is going down and my diligence has paid off. I'll be going 3 times a weeek. He showed me a few addiional exercises to add to my book. He said I seem to have a good attitude and he expects things to go well. I think we're on the right road.