Medina’s best-known knee replacement is nearing the end of its recovery. This also means that having people listen to my whining is also nearing its end.
My disability leave ended last week. I am back to work and getting around without canes, crutches, or walkers. I walk slowly and sometimes limp a little. This is only to prove to my co-workers that I had something done.
I’m not sure which was the easier part of disability: being confined to a chair 95% of the time and having people wait on me at the beginning, or being able to move around but then having to get a lot of things myself later on. I guess the first part. “It is good to be king.” – Mel Brooks.
In the first month it was not easy for me to move around so I sat in my chair all day. I was covered by four blankets because we had one of our coldest winters ever and I was too lazy to get up and turn up the heat. It was nice and cozy. The only downfall was the buildup of ice on my blanket just below my chin. Visitors questioned why I had an ice scraper next to me.
I didn’t spend the whole 24 hours each day in a chair. I had to exercise my knee three times a day. There were the annoying telemarketing calls to be answered every other hour. And my lunch didn’t make itself. So, some rain DID fall into my sedentary life.
Trips to physical therapy were also on my weekly calendar. Three times each week I went. I now know how prisoners felt centuries ago when they first entered a medieval torture chamber. There are no candy machines, hot tubs or wet bars as I hoped. Just lots of things for stretching, moving, stretching, wrenching and stretching. I didn’t mind the rack too much, but being drawn and quartered was uncomfortable.
Here’s a tip for those that need to do physical therapy exercises at home: always perform your exercises when family or visitors are around. They will be impressed with your motivation and feel obligated to get you something when you ask them. Be like your mother, toss a guilt trip their way!
I really didn’t have too many highlights during my leave. I mean, how much can happen in a recliner? I definitely had some low points, though. I had a tooth pulled. And another tooth, which was cracked, needed filling. Remind me to send a 1099 form to my dentist.
Our dog got hit by a car, too. Because I was home “doing nothing” I became her home health care worker. I had to give her physical therapy three times a day, feed her, and make trips to the vet. Several. And let me tell you, after the operations, we now own the most expensive dog in the county. I have a game going – whenever someone asks how much the operations have cost I reply “I’ll give you three guesses, and your last guess will still be low.” So far, I haven’t lost. Well, I haven’t lost my game, but I think I’ve lost respect with my friends for how much we spent on a dog.
So, all in all, my knee is improving each day. That’s good. I’m also back to work. That’s not. But that’s a blog for another time…
Glad you’re recovered and back to the daily grind. When I was a kid I was sworn to secrecy about the money we spent on our various pets. We had a cat with a leg pin and one with a cesarean section. Also had a dog with a intestinal twist that required major surgery … and then he bit a couple people had to “go away.” Very ungrateful!