While both my surgeon and myself are a little disappointed that my left thigh swelled up back to its normal size during week 1 post op, there are little changes happening that shows that recovery really is happening. Instead of making a post for every day, I’m going to detail week 2 and 3 post op all in one big post! Happy reading folks!
Day 10 Post Op – 5km walk achieved
Because my thigh was starting to swell again, and because the swelling hurts my knee especially, I decided to go out walking for as long and far as I could. This ended up taking me on my 5km loop through my neighborhood, over the ring road and into the forest and back again.
By the end of my walk, not only was my thigh slightly softer and less swollen, but I noticed I was walking more like a human being than a penguin. The swelling had gone down around my knee so I didn’t do this weird stiff legged penguin walk.
However, let me tell you something. Getting the fat sack sucked out from my inner thigh is changing my gait. Since I can walk straight on that foot, I can feel the changes in my ankles, knees, hips and lower back. It hurts, it aches, the pain killers aren’t doing jack crap to target it (and I can’t take ibuprofen along side it). By the time that the aches and pains from the gait change ease up, it’s going to be time to wash, rinse and repeat with my right thigh. *cry*
Day 11 post Op – Another day at the gym + more walking
I’m thinking about going to the Keukenhof tomorrow, on Monday. So I insanely moved my normal Monday afternoon training routine to 9am this morning. Which became 10am because for some reason I thought it was 9:30.
Holy crap the gym is full on Sunday morning. Where in the heck are all the people coming from? And, of course, whatever torture my trainer wanted to put me through, someone ended up grabbing the equipment before he could.
I’m surprised even with the rest of my body aching and complaining from the gait change, from having to compensate for my left side, having to work double time just plain healing that I haven’t lost much strength. In fact, my bench press progressed from 35kg to 40 today. And to think I once was benching 55kg….needless to say the 40kg was HARD.
We also increased the weight on my straight leg deadlift a bit. It’s getting a little harder to hold the bar out on the upright position from my thigh, so that stung a little bit. Not too bad, but I can’t go any heavier until the top part of my thigh is a little more healed since the bar rests on my thighs in the top position. I technically am at 60kg, but I really don’t want to think of that weight resting on my left thigh. *cry*
And of course there was walking today in between the sun, rain, sleet, hail and snow. Is it spring, fall, or winter in the Netherlands? April really can’t decide.
Oh, and something else I’ve noticed. I can stand up quicker and it doesn’t feel like someone kicked me in the thigh. Putting on my compression stockings wasn’t nearly as painful this morning either and I got them up mostly myself as well. Achievement unlocked.
Day 12 post Op – Got my night stocking off by myself and my daytime stocking on!
BIG win! It’s taken 12 days of pain and suffering, but I was not only able to get my night time stocking off by myself, but I got my day time stocking on without help! This means that I won’t be having to get up at 5am (I work at home) so my husband can help me! SCORE!
It’s almost like a light switch got flipped on the pain level. A few days ago I’d happily box someone over the head for touching my thigh, but today, no problem. A few days ago putting on the day time stocking was done with loads of tears and screams, today, no problem. A few days ago when I stood up I’d have to wait a few minutes before being able to move. Today, I can pop right up without even thinking about it.
I’m not unhappy with this in the least.
Oh, and I got a big tip about the god awful itching….antihistamines. I took an allerclear this morning when I got up and the itching is barely existent. Tonight I’m going to try a benadryl for the really intense night time itching that’s been going on. We’ll see how that works. If it works, I may have to go over to the UK and have a friend of mine pick up a bunch of benadryl and allerclear for me at the US AFB they’re stationed at.
Day 13 post Op – MLD HURTS but I’m off the painkillers
So this morning, before driving over to a client an hour away, I had a 30 minute MLD session. I think it was slightly more tolerable than the first session I had after my surgery last week (last Thursday I think?). But after about 20 minutes I had to cry uncle and tell my therapist to ease up a little bit because she was really working on the hard spots on my leg.
However, I probably had to pee about 200 times through the day and I’m pretty sure I wasn’t as swollen by the end of the day as I had been, so it’s doing something.
And, I’m totally off the painkillers my surgeon gave me. So that makes me pretty happy.
For the rest, I really didn’t get to go out walking since I was at a client and had to go in later than normal due to the MLD. And, it was raining cats and dogs so I really didn’t want to go out.
Day 14 post Op – 2.5 weeks to get the cycling achievement
As you know, I live in the Netherlands. Besides tulips, windmills, cheese and clogs, the dutch are known for cycling. Bikes are a way of life here, both as an incredibly cheap method of transportation but for fitness as well.
I have a car, so I’m in the latter group. I cycle for fitness and I LOVE it. Pretty much from the day of my surgery until this past weekend, mother nature has been taunting me with beautiful, warmish, sunny weather. In other words, perfect dutch cycling weather.
Unfortunately, my knee has been pretty swollen due to the liposuction around it (it really objected to the vibrating cannula my surgeon used since it repeatedly battered my poor knee as well as the trauma of the lipo) and while I achieved walking the day of my surgery, the cross trainer 2 days post op, and lifting 5 days post op…until today I haven’t been able to cycle.
It’s really been eating at me!
However, that has all changed. Today, 2.5 weeks after the left thigh liposuction, I was able to go out for about 5 kilometers! WINNING!!
The first kilometer was the most painful, both for my knee and this large, painful and hard lump that has formed on the back of my thigh. I’ve been working the damned thing every night, tried walking it out, having my MLD therapist work on it, etc. However, know what has made it smaller? Cycling funny enough.
Around kilometer 2 my knee stopped aching as much (I thought I was going to have to turn around) and the back of my thigh wasn’t as painful. By the time I got home, the hard ridge that has formed just behind my knee at the base of my hamstring reduced in size and this pocket I could literally fit my finger into to (like a behind the knee vagina…) was gone.
So, now my daily routine will consist of quality time with my bike (or on a bike at the gym when it’s raining…..that’s when by the way, not if…). Maybe next week I’ll try a spin class!
Life is getting back to normal. Now if the damned night stocking didn’t feel like it was burning my flesh in the middle of the night, life would also be pretty good.
Day 15 to 19 Post Op – The pain is lessening with every single day
There really isn’t anything major to report in the last 5 days. I’ve been to the gym, on my bicycle, to MLD and it’s all fine. Every day the pain to the touch on my left thigh is lessening and the swelling is going down. So that’s good news!
Day 20 Post Op – Cycled over 12 kilometer
Today is the first day I tried going more than 5 or so kilometers on my bike. Since the weather has actually turned nice (for the Netherlands…the sun has been sighted), I decided to cycle the 6km to the gym and back.
The good news is I didn’t die.
The bad news is I managed to get the wind against me both ways (this happens in this country, it sucks).
It took until about kilometer 5 to really get my right leg to the point of my left. That is, the muscle in my right leg was burning badly and it was dead tired after a few kilometer. Meanwhile, my left leg was happy to carry on at 19km/hr.
I’ve been talking to my trainer about this and he pointed out that I’ve lost probably about 10kg off my left leg, meanwhile, my right leg still has to carry all that weight around. And, if you have never noticed (i.e. the heavy feeling legs), lippy fat is heavy. So I guess it makes sense that my right leg is going to complain, until it doesn’t.
I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to having the other leg done….I want this light feeling on both sides!
Day 21 Post Op – I think the major changes are done
Today I went to my MLD appointment and my therapist asks, “Doesn’t this hurt?” I look at her with a puzzled expression. “Well, I’m just pressing on this really hard and last week you were looking at me like you were thinking of ways to bury my body.”
It took my brain a few seconds to catch up (it was 9:30 in the morning and I hadn’t had my coffee fix yet) and realize, oh yea, this isn’t hurting anymore.
Between this, and the fact that my husband said that there are places just behind my knee that started feeling like my calves felt when the swelling went down big time, I think that the major daily changes are done. Sure, there’s still swelling that needs to go down, so in another week or two I’ll post some inches lost and pictures in an update, but I think the pain and suffering that went along with this surgery is very much a thing of the past.
I’m perfectly ok with this.
PetraAnn
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