The journey to recovery

Happy Monday everyone! The start of a brand new week with a brand new knee!

Russell's TKR surgery went very well. It took place last Wednesday at 12:45 pm. He spent the night at the Lakeshore Hospital and was discharged Thursday at noon. It is good to have this behind us. It's only been five days or so and Russell is making remarkable progress, greatly due to the Game Ready cryo-compression unit. For those of you who mentioned that it is a game changer, you were right. The pain is less, swelling is down, as such he is much more mobile. Although the walker is always close by, Russell finds himself being able to walk without it at times. 

Having said all this, the leg still needs to be elevated 40 minutes per hour and exercises three times daily. This afternoon, the physiotherapist from CLSC will come for the first time. I think she will be impressed by Russell's progress. So far, it appears to be a somewhat easier journey, albeit not without pain, than five years ago. 

A few interesting tidbits about the surgery...the operated leg was held in place by an orthopedic robot which allows the procedure to be perfected according to the need of each patient. Russell thought it was pretty cool to see. A not so cool moment though came when the epidural wore off half way through surgery. It seems that his body metabolized it too quickly....it made for a few interesting minutes until the anesthesiologist intervened and put him under for the duration of the procedure. The memory of that moment will not be forgotten any time soon.

The journey to recovery has begun with each passing day bringing the promise of healing.  Russell will come out of this with a strong knee, ready to walk the streets of Italy in May.

In other news, Merlot and Sherlock came home on Friday, after having spent a mini vacation at Myriam's. We missed them a whole lot. They quickly got back into their routine. It's good to all be back together 💕  

Those are my news for today's blog. Russell will see his surgeon this coming Friday and get the bandage off. Another step in healing. The next few weeks leading up to Christmas will be very busy. Now that the surgery is behind us, I have to get my act together and start planning the upcoming festivities. 

Have a great week everyone!

A waterproof bandage with no
staples...sutures under the skin,
glue holds it all in place.

The Game Ready cryo-compression unit doing
its magic, a chilly 34F with soothing compression.

The Boys - Sherlock and Merlot 
looking very handsome and freshly
bathed at Myriam's before coming 
home!

The Boys, home and ready for some training...
they did not miss a beat and hit the trampoline
right on cue.

Nothing better than a fresh blanket of snow to
sniff and explore.

 Sherlock and Merlot love to lounge
close to the Christmas tree.

Partners in rehab, Spicy and Cooper giving 
Russell encouragement with his physio, this
moment captured February 9, 2019.