If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that most of my posts from the spring and summer of 2012 were about remodeling New House, as well as the process of living daily in 2 houses. This summer I am focused on something very different - total knee replacement. My surgery will be on Tuesday, June 11, so for now, I'm going to give some background info.
I first started having knee problems in about 2004 or 2005. One knee totally went out on me (I don't remember which one went first), but for several days, I couldn't put any weight on it, and it hurt A LOT. After a few days of staying off of it and icing it, I finally went to my family doc. She ordered X-rays, and determined that I had severe arthritis in it. I took meds and went to Physical Therapy (PT) for awhile, and got over that initial "acute" period, but it continued to give me problems.
At some point after that, the other knee did the same thing. (I want to say it was a year or 2 later, but I'm not sure.) After that I went to an orthopedic doc about them both. He told me that my knees were deteriorating, and eventually they would get to the point where knee replacement would make sense. At that point, I was about 46, and he told me to come back when I turned 60, and we'd discuss surgery.
I continued to live my life, but as the months went on, I found my knee situation started interfering with life. No longer could I go for long hikes in the woods with Hubs, and golf became more of a challenge. I tried different medications - some worked better than others. I also got cortisone shots on occasion. Those worked to varying degrees as well. I also found that I was no longer able to keep up with my work as my school's theatre director the way I wanted to.
By 2009, my orthopedic doc was telling me that I was ready for total knee replacement. He said it was basically up to me - when I felt I couldn't take it anymore, then it was time. We started planning for the summer of 2010 and actually set a date for the week after school was out - June 14. I did all the pre-surgery prep stuff which included having an MRI and pre-op testing. However, on Friday, June 11, my mother was diagnosed with a brain tumor. It was probably a Glioblastoma Multiforme, which is the most aggressive form of brain tumor. Her oncologist predicted she would only live about 6-8 weeks without treatment. So, I cancelled my surgery to stay with her.
After my mother passed away on July 25, 2010, we had her house and all its contents to deal with. We spent August, Sept and part of October dealing with her possessions, and getting the house ready for sale. The house didn't sell until Dec. 2011. During all of that time, I continued to walk on my bad knees. I took Vicodin for the pain, and just tried to be on my feet as little as possible.
Interestingly enough, throughout 2010, 2011 and 2012, I got along ok. Yes, there were times I had to take it easy, and I couldn't hike, but I was able to do my water aerobics classes and do the things I needed to do for daily life. I considered my knee situation to be stable. I went back to my Ortho in the fall of 2012, and I asked him if it was conceivable that I could to on for years like this. He said it was possible, but there would come a point when my knees would not continue to carry me. Then I started thinking about insurance coverage and retirement...
In December of 2012, the decision was made for me when my right knee went out on me again. I was at Water Aerobics, getting dressed in the locker room after class, and all of a sudden I couldn't put any weight on my right leg. I don't think I actually "did" anything. I was just standing in the changing room taking my swimming suit off as I had done a million times over the last few years. Ice didn't really help much. I stayed home from school for 3 days, and when I want back, I had to use a walker and sit through my classes. My Ortho gave me meds and a cortisone shot - which helped. However, that's when I knew it was time for surgery. The "acute" phase this time lasted through December and into January. I started using the electric carts at the grocery store. I also stopped going to Water Aerobics. I realized that incidents like this were going to continue to happen without warning. Once this incident was passed I started making plans for surgery on June 11, 2013.
So, the adventure begins...
Stay tuned!
:) Amy
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