So it’s been about a month since I’ve written and I feel like I’m in the final countdown with it being only 6 days left until my surgery. 6 DAYS!!! I’ve been so motivated and so excited and now the realization that I’m 6 days away is hitting me and I’m feeling a bit nervous. But I’m ready to get the show on the road and start the healing! Before I can get on with the surgery though, I’ve been preparing my body by working hard and eating right. 

For the past month I’ve been up north with my family focusing strictly on my recovery. I’ve had a lot of time to focus on myself, eat healthy, and prepare my body for this surgery. I’ve been riding the stationary bike about 12K a day along with a 30 minute knee strengthening yoga series and I’m moving around just like nothing ever happened. Of course I can still tell my knee isn’t nearly as strong or stable, I was encouraged by the doctors to start biking and swimming because the stronger the surrounding muscles around my knee are, the easier and quicker the recovery.

So they’ll be operating on my ACL, my lateral meniscus and possibly my MCL but the doctor said he’ll see when they go in for surgery how “messy” the MCL is. I’ve decided on a patellar graft for my knee reconstruction surgery. The two most common grafts you can get are from the patellar tendon or the hamstring. He recommended the patellar to me because most female athletes don’t have as strong of hamstrings, so the patellar tends to work better for women my age. Unfortunately, the downfall to the patellar is the recovery can be harder with more knee pain and it’s said that kneeling may be an issue for the rest of my life. But, having said that, the patellar is closer in size to the ACL and therefore stronger in the long run. I’m hoping I’ve made the right decision and won’t have to have a repeat surgery in the future. Fingers crossed! 

This week I’m trying to detox my body and get my immune system up. I’ve cut down on my smoking and I’m quiting after my surgery (hopefully for good, but if anything I’ll do the 5 weeks they recommend), eating lots of lean meats and nuts for the protein as well as getting my fare share of antioxidants to boost the immune system. Plenty of fluids is always a plus and I’m up to my head in vitamins! 

Let’s get the ball rolling, it’s gonna be a good week!