So this is what it feels like when the block wears off...

Wow! Well, early this morning, I was doing pretty well. I had set my alarm for 5:30 to remind me to take my pain medication at the designated time (the post-op instructions said to start taking the pain meds on schedule even if you weren't having pain so you didn't get caught off-guard when the anesthesia wore off). I figured it was a good sign that my alarm woke me up and not my pain. I also discovered that I had regained the full use of my leg muscles and I could now do my leg lifts without having to lock the brace. I took my meds and did a full set of all my leg exercises and was feeling pretty good when I went back to sleep around 6:15.

When I got up for the day around 8:30 or so, I noticed that my leg was sore - really sore, actually. For the next couple of hours, it got worse and worse. Apparently when they say that the femoral block will last 12-24 hours, they really mean it! Not that I will ever have any way of ever comparing this first-hand, but if that femoral block is the equivalent of a woman having an epidural during childbirth, then I can't imagine how women ever managed before the epidural was invented!

I was supposed to have my first physical therapy visit today, but just as I was starting to get my clothes changed to get ready to go, the therapist's office called and told me that he had come down with a virus and that they didn't think it was a good idea for me to come in today. I was able to talk to him and describe the exercises that I was able to do as well as my increased level of pain now that the block had worn off. He suggested I speak with my surgeon's office to see if they had any additional instructions for me since I wouldn't be seeing the PT until Monday.

When I spoke with the athletic trainer at my surgeon's office, I described the kinds of movements I have been able to do and how my pain has increased since last night. He seemed pleased with the level of motion that I described and also said that the pain level I was describing was (unfortunately) not unexpected. He told me to keep doing as many exercises as I could over the weekend and to use the CPM machine as much as possible. Even though it didn't make my leg feel any better, it was reassuring to know that my range of motion and levels of pain are within normal limits (though now at 2:30pm as my most recent dosage of pain meds begins to wear off, I'm starting to question the definition of "normal")

Anyway, I wanted to post the picture that Anne took of my knees the night before surgery when she drew the "warning label" on my good knee (my surgeon is a UT alum):

I was going to post some more pictures taken through the surgeon's scope during surgery, but I didn't want to gross anyone out. Being the former EMT, I thought they were cool, but I'm sure others will appreciate my discretion.