The First Week Post Operation

The next day, things didn't go too well. The nerve block didn't start wearing off until the night after the surgery and into Mothers Day. Long story short, on Mothers Day I decided to go out with to eat with my Dad and Phil at Bruno's, this Italian pizzeria that has the best Chicken Marsala in Clifton. I tried to hide away the pain, because I hadn't seen my dad for a while. Everyone who knows me knows that I LOVE FOOD and I would never say "NO" to food. For the first time in my life, I couldn't even touch my food because the pain was so intense. My dad lost his appetite because he couldn't withstand seeing me in pain. This is what happens when you do not listen to nurses or doctors advice of never being late on your pain medication despite the fact you don't feel anything, especially after surgery.

During the first week after surgery, I am going to be once again very honest its going to hurt and if you are a very independent person you are going to rely on your loved ones because your body will become very stiff the first few days. Make sure you have your loved ones and your support system, for me I had my boyfriend, my roommates back at home, my father, and my mother, to help you: emotionally and physically. You can't really move out of bed because your body is at at a standstill and you are trying to recover from the surgery. The first couple of days after surgery all I did was rest and elevated my knee with a pillow. Invest in buying the Aircast Ice machine with the cuff. Even if your insurance doesn't cover for it, the aircast is so worth the $200 because all you have to do is fill the aircast with ice and cold water circulates around your knee. You don't even have to keep getting ice every hour and put it in a bag, this is known as the old fashion way. I restricted myself from doing any physical activity the first couple of days. Everyone said that this surgery was going to be a piece of cake, but the first few nights were sleepless due to the intense pain and stiffness throughout all of my body. I am not going to sugarcoat this for anyone who has to undergo an ACL Reconstruction surgery, its going to hurt like a bitch. That's the best way to describe it, especially the moment when you wake up after the operation in the recovery room so be prepared for the pain. Keep your  brace on at all times, as much as I wanted to take it off I was scolded by my mother because there is a chance that you could fall and damage the knee again.