Just when I thought the fun was behind me.... I always seem to be in a situation that is blog worthy :) As Nick says, "only you would this happen to." :) Crazy at the time, but luckily, things have definitely settled back down for the most part.... so no alarms to anyone as you are reading this....
Yesterday, I had my regularly scheduled physical therapy (PT) appointment. I go twice a week for now and am still doing fairly basic exercises since my big goal is getting my quad strong enough to do anything else. So I sit down with my PT and we start talking through our agenda & goals for the day. She asked how my rash was doing. For background, earlier in the week I had developed a small rash around the incision points that raised a little concern. She thought it might have been from me using lotion close to the area, so she encouraged me to not use lotion at all on my left leg. Well, the rash hadn't gotten better, but I didn't think much of it. Come to think of it- I had barely looked at it since we noticed it. I am only allowed to have the brace & compression stocking off during my shower, so I don't really get to "see" my knee much. Well, the rash was visibily worse when I got to PT... and not only worse in that area, but had spread across my entire knee cap and surgical area. It was bright red & inflamed. Ok, most of you are probably wondering how I didn't notice that... Well, when you have a stocking you wear basically 24x7 and have a brace that keeps your knee locked-- not much of anything feels comfortable or normal, so I had gotten used to some soreness and weird feelings.
So, back to the rash..... My PT was sure that it was an allergic reaction- but she wasn't sure to what, which is what made her so concerned. I was quickly getting the most attention in the PT office as all the PTs were coming to look at my rash. It was nice to see the widened eyes as they looked down. Real comforting- thought my leg must be ready to fall off or something. Well, one of the reasons I love my practice so much is b/c of the setup. Each PT office has a clinic within it or next door. So, there were doctors in the bldg that were available. My PT tried getting a hold of my doctor, but he was in surgery, so luckily, there are close to 20 other doctors in the practice to choose from. One happened to be in the same bldg and was called down to see me. Keep in mind- all of this is happening super fast and with an audience, as all the other patients have been left by their PTs so that I could have all the help & attention. Well, the doctor took one look at it and said that he thought I was allergic to the stereo strips (sp?)- the white bandaid type things that cover the stitches. He asked when they had been put on me... I had said in my follow up appt on the 8th... and I have had itching and redness ever since, but I had assumed that was just part of the wounds healing. He pulled back all of the strips and it was amazing- I had raised red marks in the exact locations of the strips and then red bumps all around them. He said that I must be allergic to the adhesive part of the strip to cause it to react that way. He asked if I had had trouble with bandaids in the past... b/c they probably use the same adhesive... I was like, um, I don't use bandaids and haven't needed them for things other than shots which maybe happen every few years and aren't left on for more than a few hours. And its not like I use stereo strips on a regular basis either. Well, he said most all of the coverings that they had in the practice used the same adhesive so he didn't want to put anything back on me for fear of the rash getting worse. After a few minutes of the strips being gone, my skin started to calm down, so that was obviously the issue.
The story doesn't stop here..... The doctor said that I can't not have coverings for my stitches b/c of the compression stocking and the exercises I have to do, he was afraid I would easily be pulling on the stitches causing bleeding or tearing. Not words I wanted to think about. He decided that the only solution was to remove my stitches- right then & there. Ok- so usually I like to mentally prepare myself for things like this, but no time to do that. I asked if it would be painful. He said that 2 of the 3 would hurt a little. Well, when they tell me it will hurt a little, I know that it means it will be fairly painful. Great. And to think, I hadn't even started my exercises yet. I was also freaked out b/c MY doctor didn't want to remove them until next week due to the depth of the wound- and from what I could see- I wanted them to stay a little longer too. Well, no chance. The doctor said that I would be worse off leaving them in with no coverings. Goody. He did say that after 10 days, stitches are technically ready to come out. I was on Day 11. He did the first one and I felt the pull, but it was completely painless- it was the easiest of the three- good place to start. Well the other two were much different. He even said as he was pulling them out that Dr. Boes secured them tighter than he normally sees. Great words to the gal laid up getting these yanked out. Geez. Well, he managed to get the other two out without me screaming though I did look like I was giving birth. I had a PT on each side holding my arms and telling me to breathe. I was flushed and in pain. I can only imagine the new patients coming in that afternoon thinking they were walking into PT but seeing someone laid up on an exercise bench getting stitches removed. Don't think that was the advertisement they were looking for :) And let me tell you- those bad boys HURT coming out! It was awful. I was shocked that I wasn't bleeding and felt very dramatic for causing a scene, but it wasn't pleasant. I am impressed with how small the scars will be. You would think I had more to show for getting a new ligament and 2 screws put in. Doctors amaze me!
Good news is that I'm doing well and met one of my goals yesterday that allowed me to drop the crutches all together! Loved hearing that- so now I'm ahead of schedule and just have the brace to wear now. Woo hoo. I think Camille is equally as excited, even though I still can't carry her. Baby steps.
After all that trauma/drama yesterday, all I wanted was a treat when I got done with PT. Well, that didn't work out either. I was already running late to meet John (who helps me get Camille in the afternoon). I figured I could scoot through the drive thru at Chick Fil A and still not be too late meeting him. Well, I get in line and after 5 minutes- still haven't moved in the line. So- I marked it a loss and left- and pouted until I got home. Ha!
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