I will be honest – Day 2 was one of the worst for pain. I think if you have a hold on your pain meds, then it might not be such a problem. BUT. i was all over the place, trying out 2 every 4 hours, then 1 every 2 hours.. i just overall was not feeling very good. And the bruise on my arm from the needle finally showed up – I felt like a mess! It actually looked way worse in person.
Below are some tips and what medicine/oils I was taking on the second & third day:
- Lavender, Frankincense & Helichrysum – spray above & below wrap, over top wrap: every 3-4 hours
- Lemongrass, Cypress, basil (good for muscle spasms), wintergreen, marjoram, lavender: applied to both legs (above wrap on bad leg, knee on good leg) + bottom of both feet: every 3-4 hours
- After applying all oils, Peppermint was applied as the final oil – this helped drive in all the oils deeper
- stomach blend – applied to stomach whenever I could remember
- Diffused: frankincense/flue oil blend throughout the day
- Mom did an Aromatouch massage on my hands in the afternoon/at night
- For pain: lemongrass, clove (This helps numb any area), eucalyptus, white fir – try out which oil works best for you. Lemongrass was a godsend – i remember crying from the pain, and my mom applied lemongrass to the pressure points on my feet & in between my toes – the pain was reduced within 5 minutes! (see chart below for knee pressure point on foot)
- sports oil blend – applied to ear pressure point (see chart below): every 3-4 hours
- Vitamins/pain medicine
- homemade antibiotic – melaluca, oregano, flu oil blend & thyme: 2 drops in an empty capsule, 3x/day
- calcium & magnesium: 1 each, every 4 hours
- Multi vitamins
- pain medicine: I tried to take 2 every 4 hours, but it made me too nauseous and out of it. So, I started taking 1 every 2 hours. this helped me keep up on the pain, but it was annoying, as I had to set alarms through the night to wake up and take my medicine. AND you have to eat when you take it, so i was literally stuffing my face with rice cakes at 2 and 4 in the morning and then going back to bed.
- Your Knee
- Keep elevated at all times. prop pillows up so your leg is above your heart, with your heel on top. Let gravity keep pulling your knee down. This is critical in your recovery!! Elevation and icing helps reduce the swelling, which will help you move your leg quicker and easier.
- Don’t put weight on your leg until your doctor says you can. Since you are on so much pain medicine, you won’t be able to tell if you are hurting something in your leg.
- Listen to your doctor! My doctor was different from what I had researched and heard from everyone else – he didn’t want me moving my leg, didn’t give me a CPM machine and did not recommend setting up physical therapy until 1-2 weeks after surgery. I still moved my leg a little bit, but only a little – I knew when to stop. Use your judgement!
I hope this helps! If anyone has any questions, please let me know and I can try to answer or add to this post in more detail!
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PLEASE NOTE:
The information I have provided is not intended to be used in place of professional medical advice. This is information that I have gathered on my own through a variety of sources, and if you decide to use/apply any of the ideas from my site, you are taking full responsibility for your actions. This information is not meant to diagnose or to treat any medical condition. Please consult with your primary care physician holistic doctor to diagnose/advise of any medical condition if you have any questions. I am not liable for any damages or negative consequences resulting from any action by any persons reading or following the information on this site.
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Have you had an issue with random nausea? I’m on day four and I’m moving around a bit but randomly I have to lay down due to almost nausea. Plus how long do you ice your knee for? And how often?
Hi Shannon! I did a little bit, but peppermint oil/tea or ginger helped with that so it wasn’t really an issue for me. I iced my knee for 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off with my ice machine – your dr should tell you how long & often! I didn’t ice at night, only during the day. Hope that helps!
Hi
I am having surgery on March 17th for a torn meniscus and ACL. I am wondering how soon you were able to take a shower after surgery? Also do you think wearing t-shirt dresses would be convenient?
Hi Jennifer! Sorry to hear about your surgery… It really goes by faster than you think! I couldn’t unwrap my leg for 3 days after my surgery until I met with my surgeon again, so I used baby wipes for those days to keep clean! After that, I used a stool & sat in the tub, but only once. It was actually easier to just wrap my leg in a plastic bag & shower!
And yes – I wore dresses every once I started going back to work (after 2 weeks)…. Baggy shorts/ripaway pants the first 2 weeks, dresses the next few weeks until the swelling in my knee went down. Then, leggings around 2-4 weeks, then jeans. I hope this helps! If you have any other questions, please let me know… best of luck in your surgery!