POST OPERATION

Its been two weeks and four days since my operation and this has been the first time I have had the opportunity to sit down and write about things since my last post. This is partly due to the initial period of much needed recuperation post operation but also because I have been a busy man which has come as a surprise to me. I always envisaged myself being laid up for weeks after such a procedure I went through but how wrong I have been......
I wanted to be in theatre as soon as possible. I arrived at the hospital at 11 o clock on the 18th Jan. So being there at that time and going through the usual protocol for an operation of fasting and only drinking water on the morning I thought I would be 'going down' around 2 o clock. How wrong I was. I even had time to watch the boys for twenty minutes in the Dunfermline Scottish Cup replay on Sky. (the game nearly put me to sleep before the Anaesthetist. Sorry boys good result). Whilst the day was going on the feeling of apprehension was building. As I have said before I'm not afraid of the actual operation it was the fear of the operation not going to plan. What was the surgeon going to find when he goes in that hasnt showed up yet? Is he going to be able to do everything in one op? Has any of it healed over the past five and half weeks?. These thoughts were racing around my mind all day so it ended up being a very long day with Jonny Wilkinson's book keeping me company.(great read and insight into a complexed individual but an absolute Legend). 
At 8.20pm Knock! Knock!. Mr Hogg its time. Lets get it on I said and off I went down to theatre.


The next thing I remember after 'going down' is waking up back in my room and feeling a million dollars(Morphine was to thank). The first thing I done quite nervously if I'm honest is look at the leg. I was expecting to have a brace on and my knee to be massively swollen, so as I peered down and seen neither of those things I felt a buzz. Wow it must have gone well. Is this possible? A bit of good luck for the Hogg! 
Anyway it was a long night with the nurse who was an absolute legend coming in every 15 minutes to check blood pressure etc and just generally check on me. The following morning a bright and smiling Mr Andy Williams comes into my room. I'm thinking he's smiling thats a good start. He sits down on the bed and runs me through everything he has done and how he thought it went. Firstly he says my medial ligament (MCL) had healed really really well in the 5 and half weeks before hand so he didn't have to do anything to that. BONUS! Next he says the Cruciate (ACL) part of the operation including the graft from my patella tendon went perfectly well. BONUS! My posterior Cruciate is good. BONUS! I'm laid in bed at this point thinking "right come on then tell me the bad news". He carries on to say other structures and little things are healing well including my lateral ligament(LCL) so he didnt have to do anything to that BONUS! He has stitched a piece of my cartilage that was torn but that went very well too BONUS! I'm almost out of the bed at this point wanting to run around. It was basically just a routine ACL op with some stitches in your cartilage. He finishes of by saying "Well Chris I'm delighted for you and when I finished your op your knee is like a normal knee so no worries of you getting back and you will be back stronger than ever. Also if you feel ok you can possibly leave hospital today depending on how you feel"

FUCKING GET IN THERE!!

                                                     (sorry for the expletive just how I felt at that time)

I shook his hand and off he went. For the next hour or so i was on cloud nine, well I actually still am. In the past 8 weeks I have gone from fearing for my career and thinking I wont ever play again to the great news of a successful operation and looking forward to enhancing my football career over the coming years. The general timescale of this sort of injury is 6-9 months so obviously I am aiming for the earliest possible but also I know I cant rush it. I left hospital later that day and spent the next 10 days in London with my Wife's parents resting up and weaning myself off the painkillers and all the drugs you have got to take.


So last Monday was my first day back in at the ground and over the course of last week I have progressed so much. As I said I had envisaged myself being laid up for weeks after but straight away after the operation I was up on my feet and walking on my crutches. Back in at the ground and working with the physio has been great and I have started a more vigorous knee programme to get the knee moving more and extending the flexion and extension which is the most important thing. This includes Isometric Quad and Hamstring exercises, variations of Knee bends, mini squats, prone leg hangs and other things. I have started a gym programme for the upper body and a core programme. I have got to be honest its been a hard week in the respect of actually moving out of the house and having to almost train your body again to being out and about but I'm on such a high after my op its been great. I'm also hoping to be off my crutches this week which will be unbelievable. I think I might frame those bad boys...
From here I actually feel like I am flying and the timescale of the Injury almost seems insignificant to some extent. I have a calendar with my short and long term goals on and I'm ticking off the days as I go by. When I got told Its a possible career ender I was in pieces for a bit but now I am at the other end of the scale. I have never been in such a good place mentally as I am now because I have experienced the low and now I will never take Football and my health for granted again and also I am determined more than ever to get back playing the way I know I can.
Again I'm not kidding myself on. Already the rehab is gruelling and I know the hard work is still ahead. There is going to be tough days but one thing I am clinging to is POSITIVITY! Always take the positives even if there is a set back I'm taking positives.


Just to finish i want to thank everyone again for all the messages and kind words and also this from Jonny Wilkinson


"KEEP AIMING TO COME BACK BETTER AND STRONGER. YOU DONT HAVE TO LET THESE THINGS DECIDE YOUR PATH. YOU CANT BEAT THE GUY WHO NEVER GIVES UP"