I went back to aqua therapy this week, and it’s already making a huge difference in my ability to move. Everyone keeps telling me how well I’m doing, and all I can think about is how much farther I need to go. Oh well. (I live in fear of the dreaded MUA — manipulation under anesthesia, where the doctor goes in and tears your scar tissue open because you don’t have the expected range of motion.)

The PTs in the rehab center told me they don’t usually get patients who are this engaged in their recovery. It’s more common that patients get the surgery and believe their job is done — when it’s only just beginning. I know what the PTs mean; I met some of those people in aqua therapy. They constantly complained about how the surgery didn’t work and how long they’ve been in pain — while they walked around the pool talking on their cell phones. I mean, there were some people who I never once saw do actual exercises. (That said, the doctor did not give me enough pain pills, and that was rough.)

I, on the other hand, overprepared. Read lots of books, watched lots of rehab videos, asked lots of questions. When I started aqua therapy again, my therapist told me she couldn’t believe how well I was doing. (Which was what I told her all along. I think she just assumed I would follow  the same timeline as her patients who didn’t take an active role in their recovery.)

So far, it’s paying off.