2019 Life Logs, Day 66: Over the First Hump
Date: Thursday, March 7, 2019
Weather: Still Sunny and Cold; High 28, Low 15 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

I wish I thought knee replacement recovery would be a one “hump” affair, but I’m not sure that will be the case. Today is day ten after the surgery and I did feel like I made it over the first hump. I’m down to taking Tylenol three times a day or every 8 hours and any pain or tightness I have is manageable with exercise and ice. I feel like I am getting my energy level back and it is much easier to get around and to do the prescribed exercises. The visiting nurse that came today was the ‘real’ nurse who has been on vacation in Florida. Evidently, I have had substitutes. Today’s nurse said if things continue as they are now, I will be released next Wednesday—ready for outpatient physical therapy. She said I could start driving as soon as I feel up to it, just as long I don’t have to revert to taking stronger pain medication. She said as soon as the snow and ice is completely melted, I can start taking walks outside. And she said I can reduce the time that I have my feet elevated to a couple of hours during the day. She also talked to me about nutrition and recommended that I keep track of how much protein I am taking in each day. She says as long as the body is healing from a wound, it needs 75 grams of protein daily. If you don’t eat that much, your body will ‘steal’ it from somewhere and that robbery can lead to tiredness. According to her, protein during the wound healing process equals energy. I had Heather go to the store to buy some Kefir, cottage cheese, and yogurt for me. Heather added protein powder to that list. I don’t normally eat dairy, but I will add it for now. The nurse also said to eat eggs daily as the albumin in eggs aids in wound healing. Her suggestions check out with what the National Institutes for Health say about wound healing, so my focus tomorrow will be figuring out how to get those 75 grams of protein while eating boiled eggs for snacks!