Some background:
For pain, I was prescribed hydrocodone.
For nausea (from the pain medication) I was prescribed another drug.
And for anti-inflammation I was prescribed Ketorolac.
I can take the hydrocodone every 4 hours.
The anti-inflammation I take every 6 hours.
The first day, to avoid waking up in a maelstrom of pain, I took 2 hydrocodone every 4 hours.
By day 2, I noticed I would get a headache if I didn't take the hydrocodone every 4 hours, telling me my brain was getting used to it. I have a serious fear of painkiller addiction, and so I started trying to go about 5-6 hours and only taking one hydrocodone.
By today, day 3, I've gone the whole day and only taken 1 hydrocodone, as getting up to take a shower proved uncomfortable as it was also the day I finally unwrapped the stretch bandages and gauze from around the knee. I didn't feel outright pain, or anything excruciating, but the sensations of the leg breathing again, the water from the shower (perhaps too warm), and standing up for an extended period of time and having to slightly hop a bit without crutches to shower I think proved a bit overwhelming for my knee (or I'm just a pussy).
At any rate, I've been trying to do the isometric exercises suggested by my surgeon and get on my crutches to wheel around my apartment and the building for the days 2 and 3. Once the nerve block wore off, the surgeon recommended I use the crutches to place weight on the
By and large, what I've been told is true: back even in 2005, ACL surgery could be an absolute nightmare in the recovery, but *knock on wood* my early recovery has been relatively pain/discomfort free. I credit this to a great surgeon b/c my knee was not very swollen even after surgery and then again after removing the compression/wrap that went from my ankle to mid-thigh level.
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