Rant #3,313: You'll Never Walk Alone

I went to my doctor/surgeon yesterday to get an update on the condition of my left leg, and the news was pretty good.

Not perfect, but pretty good.

My leg is not bendable yet at the required angle of 90 percent at this stage of my rehab, and at first, the doctor thought it was much less.

We were told at physical therapy that I was in the 70s percentile, but when the doctor first looked at my leg, he said I was only in the 40s.

But then he saw my range of motion--up and down and side to side--and he changed his tune, saying I was actually doing pretty well, in particular because this was a second operation--recovery from a second operation is a bit more difficult.

The doctor said that now was the prime time for me to really ramp it up at physical therapy, and get the leg beyond where it is in the 70s percentile to into the 90s.

I am already doing this, and let me tell you, when I come out of PT, I am pretty tired and a little sore, but a good tired and a good sore, if you know what I mean.

And he wants me to ramp.it up with my home exercises, which I told him I am already doing. One of my exercises, in fact, I do more than 450 times a day--the exact one he told me to ramp up--so I am doing what I need to do to get back to as normal a situation as possible.

The doctor then loosened my brace a bit, allowing for more independent movement even while wearing the brace.

And yes, he said I can take the brace off in a month, and yes, I should be able to drive by my goal, which is April 28, my birthday.

And better yet, he wants to see me again in two months, not the customary one month, so the doctor must have a good sense of where I am and where he believes I will be in May.

And with this crazy-but-beautiful weather we are having, I walk around my new neighborhood with either my wife or my son each and every day, so that certainly is helping me.

So all told, I guess I am doing pretty well--but there is just so much more to do.

Right at the onset of this, i was told that my recovery would take seven to 12 months, and certainly, my second mishap set me back several months.

So when you add everything up, most people are dreaming of a white Christmas, but I am dreaming of a "walk" Christmas, as by the end of the year, I should be as close to beating this thing as.possible.

But honestly, if it takes longer, i am "all in" for whatever it will take to get me back to where i should be.

So all in all, while the examination might not have been perfect, it was as good as I could expect it to be.

Yes, I am.on my way ... but like I said, I still have plenty of work to do.

Have a great weekend. And I will speak to you again on Monday.