Hello friends, if you follow me on Instagram you might have seen that I had knee surgery recently. August 11th to be specific. Now that I am 16 weeks post op I wanted to share the ways I prepared and how it went through out the recovery process. Personally, I find it comforting reading about other people’s experiences when going through stressful times, so I thought I would share some things that helped me along the way.

To give you some context on this situation, in 2004, I tore my ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) at cheerleading practice. Yes, I was a cheerleader in high school , thank you very much. Back then the last thing I wanted to do was have surgery. Whether I was going to the beach, shopping at the mall or hanging with my friends, I always had an excuse not to get this fixed. I was young and figured it would just get better with time. Overtime I was able to strengthen the muscles around the ACL, adapt and learn to live with it. It would definitely be uncomfortable at times especially as I got older, hello 30s! In hindsight, I should have got this surgery done when I was young, not working full time and when I was living at home under my parents dime. But, it is what it is.

I have spent almost 20 years adjusting to not having a functioning ACL. From my knee shifting out of place, to this dull ache that I would have at night. It has been my normal for a long time. It was not uncomfortable or painful everyday or anything, it went through phases, but I knew overtime this issue would continue to persist. I consulted with an Orthopedic Surgeon and had a MRI to see what it looked like 20 years later and discuss what my options were. I ultimately decided to undergo surgery. I was quite anxious over this decision. I mean, it’s surgery, who wouldn’t be? But, I am no stranger to surgery (unfortunately).

Taking a brief moment to thank surgeons, who dedicate and sacrifice many years of their lives to saving others lives. It’s something I could never do and just have so much respect for this profession.

Pre op care

Okay, continuing on, I want to share how I mentally and emotionally prepared to have this surgery. Obviously not all surgeries will have the privilege of time in advance to prepare for, but if you are having a scheduled surgery, this is for you. If you know me at all, you know I am very meticulous when it comes to my living situation. I keep a very tidy home and operate at my highest when my space is in order. I also thrive on routine and systems. So, I wanted to make sure I had all my ducks in a row. God I sound old. Essentially I wanted to make sure everything was set for the next few weeks during my recovery. I didn’t want to be thinking about all the things I need to get done. I made a detailed list of everything in the house that needed to be deep cleaned and also ensuring weekly chores were checked off too.

Next was my self-care regimen. An “everything shower” was crucial. When I broke my arm 5 years ago and was recovering from that, I would have given anything to have an everything shower. This injury was due to a car accident so I did not have any prep what so ever prior to this surgery. My amazing husband gave me baths each night and assisted in making me feel human again. And my beautiful sister shaved my legs. I couldn’t wash my hair with two hands for months! So, leading up to this surgery, I knew I had to indulge in an epic shower. This entails a thorough scalp cleanse, a hair mask, a fresh blow out, shaving, exfoliating and lots of body oil. I just wanted to soak up every moment of a hot shower. I also gave myself a manicure/pedicure cause I knew I definitely wouldn’t want to do that for a while. I’ve been doing my own nails lately and honestly love it. I find it very therapeutic and rewarding after, like, I did that?! Surgery is rough on the body, regardless of your procedure so I highly recommend treating yourself a little and making yourself feel great!

Next was making sure I had the proper entertainment lined up. Lately I love reading 3 different style books cause I’m not always in the mood for the same thing. Typically I read a daily passage from *The Daily Stoic, a fantasy/drama/thriller and an Autobiography. Everyone should have this, trust me! I find having 3 different genre of books feeds different aspects of my mind and always keep me wanting to read. I just finished *Stassi Shroder’s- Off With My Head and it was fantastic. Big Vanderpump fan over here. Also, finished *Lock Every Door, a mystery/suspense. I also needed to line up some shows. I found myself diving into my comfort tv like Sex and the City, Friends, Brothers and Sisters, Desperate Housewives. I am always on the hunt for a new show so I thought I would share a few that I really enjoyed and occupied a lot of my time.

• Outlander on Netflix

• Warrior on Max

• Righteous Gemstones on Max.

We have a two story home and our master is on the second floor so I knew I would be spending the first couple of weeks post op on the couch. We have a full bath downstairs which is great. I packed two travel bags so that I had all my self-care things with me. One bag was my “medical bag” which had my first aid supplies, medications, muscle cream, scar gel, and oral care. The other bag housed my beauty/lifestyle products including: hair brush, razor, skin-care, lip balm, headphones, phone charger, vitamins, nasal inhaler, calming essential oils, cuticle oil and hand cream.

I wanted to ensure I was getting adequate protein during the recovery process so I made sure our fridge was stocked with protein drinks. Something really easy to just grab and have. My personal favorite are *Orgain Nutritional shakes. I like the Vanilla and Strawberry. I always had coffee each morning followed with *Bone Broth. Sean would cook most of our meals but I wanted to have convenient ready to eat foods. A few of my favorites are salted cashews, dried mango, Lara bars and That’s it bars, and cucumber slices with hummus.

Post op care

First few days are the worst. I was in pain, barely could get comfortable or sleep. I will say, dealing with a traumatic arm surgery 5 years prior definitely gave me a different perspective on this recovery. My best advice is to accept the state you are in and allow your body to just rest, as much as you can, and follow your Doctors recommendations. I think that your state of mind is crucial in the healing process. It’s so easy to really overthink and get anxiety during the recovery process. It’s important to understand you will be uncomfortable, in pain and not at your best. And that is okay. This is a season of your life that you will be past one day. The prep ahead of surgery (if you can) is so helpful though and helps your mind be somewhat at peace.

About day 5 post op I was no longer taking pain medication and was able to manage the pain over the counter acetaminophen and ice. Ice is SO incredibly healing!!! I was committed to icing my knee multiple times a day, like every 4 hours or so was crucial to the healing process and pain management. I even used my ice roller on my knee, which felt so nice. After about a week my husband went back to work and my bestie came and spent several days with me. Having support from my loved ones was very helpful during the first couple of weeks. Me and my bestie went through Outlander y’all. We were hooked. I would definitely recommend having a support system so that you can rest and not try to do things you shouldn’t be doing. Trust me, that is very hard for me. LOL.

I hope that this was helpful for anyone who might be having a scheduled surgery in the near future. Remember that it is okay to be nervous, emotional and overwhelmed. Don’t disregard your feelings. Just get organized, and prepare strategically. Treat yourself before and do what makes you feel the best so you can fully be present for your recovery ahead.

XO,

Charlene