Thanks for my new ACL Doc, now onto the boring part

About 10 days ago, Dr Schena and his team gave me a new ACL. In a 1hr 20min procedure he harvested part of my hamstring (apparently we last used this piece when we walked about on all fours), drilled a hole in my femur and another in my tibia, feed the hamstring into the holes, and plugged them with two dissolving screws. Today, the three little incisions below my knee, a few punctures lower down just above the calf, and one tiny hole in my thigh are the only proof that anything happened to me. Oh, and the small fact that I can't yet walk unaided.

If anything, the surgery was a lot easier than the post-op recovery. Although I was a little miffed that I didn't get to hallucinate (the anesthetist promised me "ladybirds and flowers"), the hours immediately following surgery were full of drug-fueled dreams, random conversations with Ebba and Scott, and pleas for more ice on my knee.

On Saturday and Sunday I entered my own personal world of pain. Percoset did nothing for me (why couldn't they find a better opiate?). Irrational me surmised that such pain must be abnormal - surely you should be back in the hospital getting some serious treatment? no? - and it wasn't until two burly paramedics talked some sense into me that I gritted my teeth and got on with it.

But being hapless and bed-bound has it's upsides. You get fed and watered. Every whim is attended to. You ask for ice and it arrives. People shower all sorts of kindness on you - they even bring the party to your bedroom. Nothing is too much of a hassle. So, I tried to forget about the pain and enjoy my time as maharajah of 2 SFP 219.

Now that's all over of course. I'm stuck with 6-8 hours in my constant passive motion machine (looks sort of like this), reading cases, and watching Lost (by the way, you can watching it for free online here. Amazing!). The recovery will be long and laborious. They say 5-6 weeks in the brace, 4 months of physio until I can jog, 5 months until I can sprint, and 6 months until I'm physically ready for Tortin. Fine, I can deal with that. But what worries me most is will I be mentally ready?