The Return of "Normal"
Well, David completed his first full week back to work last week after being home since his knee sugery on June 3. It has been an interesting journey for both of us.
Since this was his second ACL surgery, we had an idea of what to expect. But this time was very different than last time. The medication they gave him last time was Vicodin and it really didn't do anything for the pain. I have never seen him in so much pain and it was very hard for me to watch and of course very hard for him to deal with. This time, he told his surgeon that he wanted something different and they gave him Percocet. This was MUCH more effective with pain management. In fact, for the first 48 hours after surgery he kept saying that he was feeling great - nothing at all like the last time. Honestly, that intense pain never came back - a huge answer to prayer.
But that does not mean that things were easy! Thankfully, David's mom was able to come in town for the first week. She came the night before his surgery so that she could watch Kayla while I was at the hospital. We were gone for about 8 hours and I was very thankful I didn't have to entertain 2 kids in the hospital during that time! It was also really nice to have her help around the house. Since David was drugged and sleepy and not able to stand/walk/do stairs even if he was awake, that meant all of his meals needed to be brought up to him in our bed, we needed go upstairs to fill his cryo-cuff every few hours, and we needed to bring drinks/snacks and anything else he needed up to him. That meant a lot of trips up and down the stairs! Add to that the normal needs of having 2 kids (one an infant and the other a high energy toddler) and also things that need to be done to run a household (cooking, laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping) and add that to the fact that David (who is normally a very involved partner and parent) wasn't able to help in any of that, it made for a long recovery. My MIL was a huge help in doing all of those things, I can’t thank her enough for coming out to help. But she left after a week and David's needs were still very high. So I was taking care of the 2 kids, mostly taking care of him, and receiving no help at all. It was exhausting. Absolutely exhausting. The first 3 weeks were the worst. After that, he started coming downstairs after he woke up, which meant at least less trips up and down the stairs to bring him food/water/ice, and he was also downstairs to hold Isaac while sitting on the couch, or to watch them to make sure Kayla didn't do anything too destructive while I was in the other room, etc. He started his Physical Therapy after 2.5 weeks. However, he needed to be driven to these appointments since he could not drive while on medication. That meant a bit of stress for me to have to arrange my whole day and the kids schedule to accommodate that. But it was a good excuse for me to get out of the house and do things (Children's Museum, YMCA, zoo, Meijer Garden) so all in all it wasn't that bad.
After about 4 weeks he was able to walk without a limp and therefore was able to be done with crutches. He still remained on the couch the majority of the day, icing and elevating. But the last 2 weeks he was home he was able to be a helpful parent once again and that was awesome.
Having him go back to work has been quite an adjustment for us all. Kayla does not like it at all. She keeps telling me things like, "We'll wait until daddy comes downstairs". When I explain to her that he isn't upstairs sleeping he's at work, one day she said, "Well, he is going to come home soon and I'm going to take this rope (aka string) and tie him up so he can't leave again!" It is also an adjustment for me. While the first part of him being home was much harder than normal, it was much easier than normal for the second half. Isaac is 3.5 months old and with all the family in town those first 5 weeks and his mom coming out for David's surgery, and then David home, I really haven't been home alone with the 2 kiddos all that much. We've had some good days and some bad days, but overall we are doing pretty well. David saw his surgeon again last week and he is really pleased with his progress. He is able to bike and use the elliptical and lift weights as of now. He will not be allowed to run until after 12 weeks, and even then it will only be on a treadmill or track. Eventually, he'll be able to run outside and be able to cut, but that will come later.
So, we are all slowly adjusting back to our normal routines and are thankful that David’s recovery is going so well.