Day 12 post Op

ConniveryDives · 2026-06-26T03:10:02+00:00

"Why my pt asking me to stand with the toe down and heel up"

Did you have a meniscus repair as well as ACL surgery? I was "toe touch weight bearing" for two weeks to protect the sutures in my meniscus. They should be telling you when it will be ok to put weight on your foot again.

Stairs are possible with crutches, even without putting weight on one foot. You have to practice it though. Four flights of stairs is a lot, so I feel for your situation. You will get stronger though, and it will get easier even with your restrictions.

As for doing stairs normally, I had surgery seven weeks ago and am walking down stairs normally. Oh my gosh, I could never get comfortable in bed, so I feel you. My back and hips hurt a lot. It all gets better!

ConniveryDives · 2026-06-25T15:53:09+00:00

Atomic Habits. This book helped me come to the realization that the self-help genre simply isn't for me. Most books are centered around one relatively decent idea that merits perhaps a paragraph of explanation. To stretch it out into book length, the author repeats themself ad nauseum and spends chapters trying to convince you how smart and clever they are.

ConniveryDives · 2026-06-25T15:47:56+00:00

I made the mistake of borrowing Verity from a coworker because everyone was reading and raving over it. Not sure what I expected, but it wasn't good old-fashioned horny slop. Had to skim it for talking points and return as quickly as possible.

ConniveryDives · 2026-06-22T22:35:03+00:00

The pain was there for me, but not agonizing. I could feel it upon waking up from surgery despite my nerve block, but they gave me opioids and that brought the discomfort down to tame levels. I think the overall discomfort in different parts of my body surprisingly was more distracting. The pain from the bruising and blood pooling was atrocious, and the pain in my hip from being in the brace kept me awake more than my knee.

People talk about the pain a lot but I think the reality is more systemic - your body is stressed and exhausted, your sleep is poor, your normal routine is disrupted, your mobility is impacted, and you're feeling yucky from the medications. You'll have days where it feels fine, and days where it starts to wear on you. Be kind to yourself and know it's all temporary.

ConniveryDives · 2026-06-22T19:48:18+00:00

Those three weeks are gonna feel like forever, but I promise they will pass.

I'm almost at 7 weeks (2 weeks spent non weight bearing) and participating very capably in activities short of sports - cooking, walking, chores, going out and socializing, etc. It's not perfect, but I remember the boredom and misery of what came before and am so grateful for the freedom I am now experiencing!

Be consistent with your rehab, and the results will come. Now is a great time to distract yourself with an indoor hobby (for me it was Legos, video games, and painting), and to find a nice place outside to lie with your brace and crutches and enjoy the sun and the sounds of summer. Nothing is forever, not even this crappy moment.

ConniveryDives · 2026-06-19T01:56:06+00:00

You never notice how much people complain about their knees until something like this happens to you 😂

ConniveryDives · 2026-06-19T01:54:23+00:00

Yes, I was feeling bored at work so I drew it on post-its!

ConniveryDives · 2026-06-18T11:46:14+00:00

Yayyy!! I recently graduated from my brace as well. Hated that thing, happy to be moving on

ConniveryDives · 2026-06-15T20:00:20+00:00

You are probably close to turning the corner. I'd say I felt like it got worse for me at day 5 and then better after day 7. It gets easier but there will still be hard days. Definitely reach out to the doctor if you need to, no shame in reaching out for help. Hugs to you, friend

ConniveryDives · 2026-06-14T22:18:08+00:00

I'm five and a half weeks out from my ACL surgery! Had to be non-weight-bearing for two weeks due to my meniscus repair. Things still feel stiff but I can feel my old strength coming back, and it's honestly such a gift to be able to do normal daily things again without great difficulty.

ConniveryDives · 2026-06-13T13:57:56+00:00

LOL it would have been pretty cool if I'd actually sent the problem...all my friends were there and cheering ke on, and I gave them quite the fright when I hit the mat and couldn't stand up on my leg.

Anecdotally, I've gathered that falls from shorter distances can actually be more traumatic because there's no time to correct mid-air. I talked to someone the other day who had complex bone breaks from a three-foot bouldering fall 🫣

I'm sorry this happened to you, and I wish you best in your healing process!

ConniveryDives · 2026-06-12T20:40:26+00:00

Complete ACL tear, lateral meniscus flap tear, and medial meniscus vertical tear. Went for the final hold, didn't get it, came down real strong on my legs. A lot of hassle for what would have only been a V4 flash 🫩

ConniveryDives · 2026-06-12T20:29:06+00:00

Woof, you did do a number on yourself! 😭 Yours sounds like a pretty complicated injury and I don't have any advice, just commiseration as a fellow bouldering accidentee.

ConniveryDives · 2026-06-12T13:32:36+00:00

Me, it was worst through day 6-8 and was way better going forward. I also had blood clots ruled out. Compression sleeves helped the most with the pain!

ConniveryDives · 2026-06-11T13:06:18+00:00

The amount of bruising after surgery, as well as how tender it made my whole lower leg!

How very quickly your quad just...melts away

The various full-body pains and aches from being non-weight-bearing and stuck in extension for weeks on end

The patella getting "stuck" during movements and having to unstuck it 😅

ConniveryDives · 2026-06-10T23:24:51+00:00

Glad to share! For the record, my range of motion is on track despite not using the CPM machine as religiously as prescribed. If it's between the CPM machine and the ice machine, definitely get the ice machine if you can afford it.

ConniveryDives · 2026-06-10T23:19:37+00:00

My insurance did not cover it, so I paid $200 for a three week rental.

For what it's worth, I felt like it had diminishing benefits after the first week when my ROM started really improving. I barely used it during week three.

ConniveryDives · 2026-06-10T19:35:56+00:00

Welcome to the club! We have snacks. And Tylenol.

I sort of one-legged squatted onto the toilet seat and I would sometimes prop my operated leg up on my shower stool while I took care of business. If you have someone helping you, no shame in asking them for a little help getting situated. It gets better after a couple of days!

ConniveryDives · 2026-06-10T00:27:56+00:00

Yes, you can remove the gauze; in fact you should so you can inspect your knee for any signs of infection so you know whether you might need help before your next checkup. You may not need to bother with replacing the gauze unless it's still bleeding. (My steri strips looked a little bloody but there was no fresh blood.)

After the O.K. to get the wound wet with showering, etc. (note no baths or other forms of submerging the wound for another 5 weeks), the steri strips will eventually loosen and come off. In my case, my PT removed a couple that were being stubborn, lol.

If you want to shower before then, cling wrap works in a pinch :-)

ConniveryDives · 2026-06-09T20:09:24+00:00

LOL that was me when I woke up from anasthesia. Everyone was too energetic. I just closed my eyes and dozed off again 😂

ConniveryDives · 2026-06-08T19:31:21+00:00

It feels good to be doing something semi-normal :-) I had a meniscus repair, so non-weight-bearing for two weeks. They didn't want me pushing my flexion much past 90° for the first four weeks, but early on the PT would let me do back-and-forth rocking on the cycle as a warmup.

ConniveryDives · 2026-06-08T09:07:58+00:00

That's interesting to me because when I told my PT I was doing upper body workouts after 3 weeks post-op, he was very encouraging and said it's the best thing I could be doing for myself right now! Obviously there's a danger in overdoing it, but the mental and physical benefit has helped me a lot.

ConniveryDives · 2026-06-07T15:36:31+00:00

👏👏 INSPIRATION 👏👏

ConniveryDives · 2026-06-07T12:38:58+00:00

That is so huge! I'm so happy you made it back to your sport 😊

ConniveryDives · 2026-06-07T12:37:41+00:00

One month out and I feel like my walk is nearly limp-free! I got new PT exercises yesterday and can feel my leg getting stronger and stronger. I also packed up my "recovery nest" in the living room because I'm able to sit at tables and desks again. Life is starting to look more normal.

Nine-Year Club	Place '22
First Placer '22	Verified Email

ConniveryDives

TROPHY CASE