ALMOST 6 WEEKS

Its been a while since my last update on the 'THEFIGHTBACK'. This is partly due to me being in such a good mental state that the need for me to sit down and get things off my chest so to speak has been at a minimal but the main reason is that basically I have been a very busy man.

I mentioned in my previous post that I have been so surprised at how quick and how much rehab you can actually do straight away. This begins straight after the operation (literally the nurse/physio is moving your knee within hours of the op) and ranges from flexion exercises to quad exercises to swimming and now in the last two weeks the exercise bike. The exercise bike has been a big progression for me. First of all I love cycling and its one of my favourite things to do in the summer when I am off. I just love the feeling of riding your bike out on the country roads in the summer on a nice day with the sun beaming down ( not very often in scotland or Middlesbrough when I'm home). Obviously at this moment in time Im on a static exercise bike at DW Gym in Inverness but never the less the feeling of my legs working again and ticking over on the bike have been a revelation. This is only possible as after what seemed like an eternity I am off crutches. These things were my wheels for 9 weeks. They were my friend for the most part but became so irritating towards the end. It was just little things with them like carrying a cuppa or the fact that no matter where I tried to stand them up they would fall and smash to the floor. So, needless to say that the day when I came off them was MONUMENTUS...The hard part has been teaching myself to walk again. It sounds strange but thats what I have had to do. Little exercises to get your leg used to walking took over me for a good week before I came off the crutches. It has took me almost three weeks to feel comfortable walking again and to feel like I am not walking with a limp.
 I have to give a big shout out to my mate Andy Shinnie at this point who is going through what I have gone through with those crutches and I feel his pain. Stay positive son and you'll be back before we know it both built like tanks and stronger than ever!!!!!!


Anyway its now Monday night and I've been packing a little bag and checking in online for a flight down to London in the morning (07.05 flight not looking forward to early start). This is for my 6 week post op appointment with my surgeon. Im really looking forward to going down and seeing Andy Williams as first of all I am going to give him a massive thankyou as last time I seen him I was still in the clouds from the drugs and I dont feel like I thanked him enough for what he has done for me. I know thats his job to perform these sort of operations and ultimately get results but I fed off his positivity and enthusiasm and this gave me a massive boost pre operation and helped me react more positively. So after the pleasantries it will be down to the assessment and this part I am a little anxious on. The fact that my knee has been feeling so good and that I am well within the guidelines of rehabilitation has made me a little more anxious in a way. I know I'm in great shape considering what happened and I know my body is feeling good but until Andy see's me and he agrees on what me and the physios think I'm still slightly nervous. All the main components of my rehab have gone very well so far at this early stage and I know the road back is still a long one but with some positive news tomorrow I hopefully should get the go ahead to start loading the knee a bit more and edge further along on that long road. I love a challenge and this has made me even more determined that I'm going to be stronger and better than ever.

Lots of hard work still to go but good progression so far I'm hoping my post operation report will say. Onwards and upwards from here if all goes to plan but if not I wont be defeated by this and will act accordingly but one thing thats getting me through this is positivity and also the willingness to do the hard work. I have had little setbacks in my recovery so far with trying to work too hard. One little setback started when I was flying through my exercises and went a bit quick and tried to do a single leg squat one day. The knee wasn't ready and was sore and swelled up so I had to rest it for 5 days before I picked up where I left off. This was my first mini setback and taught me a vital lesson. Listen to your body and do everything pain free. If it's not pain free it's not ready for it. A new mantra to follow.
Possibly my biggest gripe bar the crutches has been the inability to get comfortable. My nights have gone from snuggly 8-10 hour sleeps to ranging from 2-6 hours sleep. Constantly tossing and turning in bed has become a regular part of my bedtime routine and one that frustrates me but I guess this is part of the process. Something I have to deal with. I think I can put up with some broken sleep when I look at what other people in the world go through....
So now its a little bowl of cereal before I go to challenge my bed to a sleep fight. I'll get back to my 10 hours one day......


Just to leave you with something from a great TV series called Friday Night Lights (SkyAtlantic people its a must watch so far)

"Clear Eyes. Full Hearts. Cant Lose"