The Leg Update
.We got good news today. We also received the timeline/blueprint to recovery.The Good News:Hygeia hospital in Greece, the plastic surgeon there & Dr T , my chillin like villain Orthopedic Surgeon did an AMAZING job on my leg & knee. My physician here in Florida coordinated a team of specialists including:VascularNeuroPlasticOrtho The Ortho I have here in FL has done the knee & Achilles surgeries on numerous A+ NFL & NBA players. He’s world class exceptional. He is also a well published Orthopedic Surgeon specializing in propeller accidents.
He reviewed the notes & ran additional tests & explained that what occurred was basically that the propeller blade struck once in the lower thigh & completely removed my quadriceps , including the tendons etc from the bone. And while it mangled the skin, it sliced once… and fairly cleanly. It spun and struck again. Because my thigh was wide open, it hit the knee bone and sliced off a piece. As horrific as that sounds (and it was) it was actually a blessing.
My Ortho here explained that Dr T (in Greece) essentially performed a partial knee replacement.To his delight, he explained that they used state of the art “parts” that aren’t even used with regularity in the USA due to cost. He also explained that Dr T’s technique & procedures was world class. He said he couldn’t have done a better job. All but one of the skin grafts have taken & luckily , the one that didn’t has formed a non infected “scab” that is healing properly from the inside out.The Challenge:
He was honest & said that pro athletes who have basically the exact same surgery as I did take 9-12 months to fully recover. So … he is starting me on physical therapy in 3 weeks.
And from there I’ve got 9-12 months of recovery.1st 3 Months: No Activity other that regaining range of motion2nd 3 months: Muscle re-building of the quadriceps
3rd 3 months: combining range of motion with muscle rebuilding & getting back to “normal”
9mo -12mo: Back to full activity