One week post op

I am still looking for a blog to see what to expect but cant find one. Apparently my surgery went very easily because I was textbook for this type of surgery. I went into surgery at 740 and was out by 815. Of course I was in recovery for 3 hours but the surgery time itself was very short.

I had a femoral block placed in my upper thigh post op by the anesthesiologists when I came to. Before the surgery they spoke to me about this being an option but I was told it was not always done if the person could handle the pain from the surgery. 

I consider myself to have a very high tolerance for pain. I don't even remember telling the nurses how much pain I was in, but they opted for the block.

I am very thankful for this because it really alleviated my pain for the first day to the point where I felt nothing but a dead weight. 

Day two: I changed my dressings and to my mom and I'd surprise my knee was not that swollen. When I say not that swollen though I do mean it was swollen.  However I have seen my knee swell to almost triple it's size and it was nowhere near that which was good.

Day 3: I took a shower. This was very difficult and as gross as you may feel, I suggest pushing it back as much as you can, you don't want to mess with the heeling process by moving around too much plus it's extremely difficult to do this without weight bearing(I was instructed to not put any weight until my post op visit 8 days after surgery.

Days 4-5: pain was manageable with ocycodene and eventually Tylenol. Sleep was the worst because I can't sleep on my back but unfortunately that's the only way to sleep with my leg locked in this brace.

Day 6: took only Tylenol today for pain. I do have a high tolerance for pain. The pain was still there but it was manageable with only tylenol(I didn't want to take many Oxycodene if I didn't have to)

Day 7: I decided to go without any pain medicine and see how long I could.  I take naproxen every 12 hours since the surgery so I was not entirely pain medicine free but I was on a lot less.

I did however take one right before bed to alleviate the discomfort from moving around in my sleep.

Day 8: first post op appointment. I got my sutures out today. I am scheduled to start my physical therapy in 10 days. Doctor said everything is looking good. I am a little nervous however because I have now missed 5 days of school and am going back in 2 days. This is one thing no other blog mentioned, school and work. 

These are actually my two biggest concerns at the moment. It's the middle of winter and there's a lot of snow and ice. I have not been outside yet on my crutches for a longer distance than a couple of feet from the car to the door so being up and walking around a school is a little terrifying. Not to mention all the work I am going to have to make up. 

Well that is all the updates I have for now. 

Suggestions: 

-get lots of comfy pillows for elevation. This is especially helpful  For the time when you're body gets tired of laying around. 

-tv shows, movies, and books are going to be your best friends. 

-the occasional visit of friends with comfort food has been one of the best things because not being able to leave the house sucks so try to get people to visit you if you can!

-as much as you may feel needy because you can't do much for yourself, try to remember to thank whoever is helping you out through all of this because as much as you're in pain, the person caring for you has other things that they are putting aside for you. Show them you appreciate it.

Why I'm blogging

I have just undergone a mpfl reconstruction surgery. Although I assume anyone who found this blog already knew what this surgery is, I'm just going to clarify what I had done.  In my surgery I had my ligament replaced by a donor ligament with 2 screws. This was done to stop my knee from completely dislocating and from subluxations. 
I have been looking everywhere for a blog about a teen athlete recovering from this surgery to see what I'm getting myself into, but I cannot seem to find one anywhere. This of course led me to start this.  I don't think anyone will really ever read this but it's nice to believe that maybe one day this will help someone that goes through a surgery. 
I am 17 years old. I have dislocated my knee 5 times in the last 4 years, however 3 of which have been in the last 6 months.  I have been to numerous pt(physical therapy) sessions throughout these four years but my doctor finally sent me through surgery.  
I had said no to surgery 3 times before but I finally gave in after my knee dislocated after going up a flight of stairs at my high school.
The decision to get surgery was very hard, but once I decided to do it, I felt confident that I would once again be able to do normal activities.
I used to run track, cheer, and dance.  Although I know a lot DONT consider dance or cheer as a sport I'm not here to argue that. I consider myself an athlete and am blogging my recovery hoping to aid another in what their recovery time will be like. 
I would also like to say that I am usually very conservative in my medical choices and I don't recommend going through surgery unless it is your last option.  These things can be tricky and I wouldn't want someone to go through the pain of recovering from a surgery if it was unnecessary.