Well, Drat
I got very annoying news last week. That dad-gumm surgeon said I needed a knee replacement!
I thought it was just arthritis or a torn meniscus, but no, he pointed to the absence of cartilage between my two joints.
That knee had been bothering me for years, but I just lived with it, thinking it would improve with rest.
He was ready to plop me up on his table but I asked for a 2 month reprieve so I can put in the garden, have a garage sale, and finish a couple of jobs around the house. If I time it right, I might get it done in April or May.
In the meantime, every day, I work at strengthening my core and thigh muscles. Greg had a terrible time trying to get up from a sitting position after his surgery, so I'm learning from him.
It took him about a month before he felt confident to get around by himself. It was many more months before the nerve pain subsided.
I know from his experience that I need to tackle therapy with all I've got. The sooner I can move around, the faster I can recover.
So, I'm bummed. I thought about putting the surgery off another year or so, but I'm no spring chicken. I might as well get it done while I'm healthy.
My mother said: Welcome to the club.
That is not the club I was hoping to join. Ugh!!
Pray for the dogs and cat. Greg is going to have to feed, walk, and pick up poop all by himself. This will not be pretty.
I'm slowly ticking off my to-do list. The last thing I plan to do before surgery is to clean the house top to bottom.
I know Greg will do his best to take care of the dogs, but I might be subjected to hot dogs and pizza. He hasn't cooked a proper meal in years. It's not that he can't--he used to make me wonderful, from scratch meals. I suspect an alien has replaced the old Greg, and this one doesn't cook.
Anyway, if I don't post as often it's because I really want to get all these chores done before I'm laid up.
I'm gathering a few books I want to read and a list of favorite movies. The only thing I can't control will be the pain. I can't take the drugs Greg took for his post surgery. They make me very sick. I'll have to make due with ice wraps and a few sleepless nights.
Any advice from you other knee patients out there?
Comments
Just buy it. I know, you'll think it's terribly expensive and at $200+, it seems it is, but it's worth every penny. Trust me on this. After having both knees done, it's the single most important and wonderful thing he had.
Jimmy had his left knee done in March, 2022. That was the worst one. When the doc came into the consult room after the surgery which took more than twice as long as I was initially told it would, I said, "Well?" He hesitated and then said..."It was a mess in there." I asked if that was his professional diagnosis and he just repeated it. I don't think he expected what he saw and he's the surgeon here who fixes other surgeon's improper/horrible/bad/not=going=to=touch=that surgeries. The right knee last March was a breeze compared to the left, but that ice machine was a wonder and other than a little clicking and the fact that one can't really pivot anymore on a replaced knee, he's doing great now. But I won't lie, the therapy was brutal.
Also, while he had opioids, I only really gave him Tylenol. University of Michigan did a huge study and found that Tylenol is exceptional for deep bone pain. Who'd have thought? And it really did work plus, it's not constipating or has the stomach upset like opioids do. Consider that.
Ask me if you have any questions. In the meantime, if I were you, I'd make soup and other meals and freeze them. If I were the one having the surgery, the only thing I'd get to eat from Jimmy is dippy eggs or maybe something smoked in the smoker, but he can't do sides and doesn't know how to season anything.
I know my knee isn't as bad as Greg's was. I was really shocked when the surgeon said I was bone on bone. I thought it was an old injury I sustained 15 years ago.
I will definitely keep Tylenol on hand. I normally don't take it, but I will for this. Greg complained an awful lot in the early days so I know it won't be pleasant.
While I probably won't get home cooked meals, Greg will spoil me with restaurant food, so there's that. Either way, I won't be hobbling around to make food. That's all I know.
Thanks, hon. I'll email you if I come across anything I don't understand.
I'm not getting notifications of your blogs now - so I may be occasionally be a little slow to reading them - even with two good knees.
It's not the pain so much, it's having such limited mobility. I'm used to darting from one chore to the next.
Greg was mobile within a month. That's a long down period during gardening season. :)
I think Greg's was general anesthetic. If you've ever seen video of knee surgery, it's a brutal procedure. They really have to knock you out.