Today was my first day back in the gym since surgery. It wasn’t heavy or heroic; just rehab, light upper body on machines and slow backward walking on the manual treadmill. But it mattered. I needed the change of scenery. I needed the dopamine hit of the gym again. An absolute mega shout out to gymbro david who collected me and dropped me back home.
I got an absolute heroes welcome back at the gym from staff and some regulars. Felt good. High-Fives, hugs, fist bumps, scar checks.
The swelling is still here and it’s doing my head in. Mostly down the shin and under the knee; stubborn and limiting my flexion. I’ve been doing everything right. Cryo cuff. Compression sleeve. Elevation. Pedalling at home. Gua sha. PowerDot. BFR quad sets. You name it.
It’s time for the swelling to fuck off. It is messing with my head more than my knee.
It probably didn’t help that I watched a video today saying some people have swelling for months. Then I remembered my mate who was apparently fine by day three and riding a moped. But then was he intensely rehabbing like me. Fuck no.
All of that crap just bubbles up. Classic stinking thinking. Nip that shit in the bud pit.
I look at where I actually am.
I’ve got visible quad tone. My vmo hasnt died. I’m back in the gym. I’m doing backward treadmill walks with control. I’m not babying this leg; I’m rebuilding it.
No amount of comparison changes the fact that I’m showing up. And I’m not giving up just because swelling is slow to shift.
A friend said to me on the other day… “You either live your life or spend your days.” Today I got to spend 90% of my day rehabbing – so 90% living. Work took care of itself with 5% input from me. It’s a good time to remember how far I have come in 15 days.
Got home and was relatively tired. Had a rest with feet up, powerdot on quads. The bfr quad work smashed me today. A nice dinner of salmon rice and veg and then fell asleep. Decided to put the bearhug knee compression sock on to help push the fluid out.
Woke up from a mini nap, some fruit and began to gua sha. I think I went too hard. But back on the cryo cuff now and its time to call it.
Over and out. Total ramblings but its outta my head now. Tomorrow we rise.