Day 17

I reached another important milestone this morning, an event that has nothing to do with my knee or rehab. I turned 50 today.

I'm not much for celebrating birthdays, and this one is no exception. But I'm okay with turning 50. It doesn't bother me that I'm AARP eligible. Nor am I too not freaked out that a big chunk of life on the big blue ball is behind me. I've got a lot on my plate at the moment, and the the plan is to remain focused on each individual day, accomplishing what needs to be done. The "long term" for the time being is watching my son play his first season on the varsity baseball team and getting ready for my return to work and golf.

While I've obviously done well so far, I'm still cognizant of the fact that I cannot get ahead of myself and do too much. That happened Tuesday, the day the staples came out. My leg was especially sore and stiff yesterday morning, to the point where I could not get through all my exercises. That's the first time that has happened. The knee had loosened up a bit by the time John the Therapist arrived in the afternoon. He added a new exercise that stretches the hamstring muscles (behind the thigh) and things improved further.

John is ready to send me to outpatient therapy, but unfortunately I don't have an easy way to get there until I can drive. I should get my driving "privileges" backc after I see the doctor April 2.

As John had recommended, I did a few exercises before getting out of bed this morning. It made a difference and I feel pretty good this morning despite it being the first day of my 50th year.

When you need to stretch just to get out of bed, I guess you really are old.

My first outing since the surgery is tonight. My daughter's middle school theater group is performing the musical Pippin. I'm a little anxious about how far I have to walk, but should be fine if I take it slow and steady.