ACL Recovery Log #5 – Surgery Prep

Well, today is the day! I need to be at the outpatient surgery center at 11am. I’m not going to lie I’m a little anxious. But physical therapy has been going well and my PT said the quads on my injured knee look strong, which is good since that will help a lot after surgery. I’ve been doing leg raises, squats (!), and range of motion exercises. My knee feels pretty good. I’m curious to know how much my MCL has healed thus far, but I still don’t walk without the brace due to fear of my knee collapsing. I’m getting up and down the stairs a lot better, but I am struggling with the sense that I haven’t worked hard enough to get my leg stronger for surgery. I won’t go back to PT until March 16 (2 weeks after surgery), so my PT gave me some exercises to do at home during that time. I just want to get it over with and start recovering so I can get back to my normal life. The past two months have been difficult, as I’ve been struggling with my sense of identity as an athlete. To have everything that makes me “me” ripped out from under me has been hard to cope with. There’s only so much a stationary bike and rowing machine can do when all you want to do be outside and breathe in the fresh air during a workout.

This past weekend was all about surgery prep: cleaning the house, batch cooking meals to freeze, and getting my living room set up for post-surgery (I’m unsure if I’ll be able to get up the stairs afterward). After doing tons of research, here’s my list of things needed for post-surgery (most of these things I already had, some I just got on amazon)

–ice packs
–wedge pillow
–small backpack for transporting my stuff around the house/to appointments when/if on crutches
-pre-made meals in leak-proof containers for carrying to/from the kitchen while on crutches if I’m home alone
–leak proof mug and water bottle
–large body wipes (won’t be able to shower for a few days due to stitches)
-oversized shorts that will fit easily over a bandaged knee. I got a cheap pair of men’s workout shorts at kohls for $11
-ice machine. My Instagram friend Chelsea (who also had knee surgery a few months ago) offered to send me her ice machine—that is if the doctor doesn’t provide me with one after surgery—which I’m super grateful for.

PS follow me on Instagram for some surgery updates! I’ll write a more comprehensive post about what work/didn’t work post-surgery…and see you all on the other side.