LESSON #62 – KNEE DEEP

The trouble with knees is that they can just plain hurt and eventually, if you are hard on the little darlings, wear out.  Not good.

Overuse from running, playing tennis like a maniac, being over optimal weight and having blasted arthritis just do your knees in. Oh my!

Like so many others I went under the knife. To say I almost canceled this wonderful experience is quite an understatement. In fact….in hospital an hour prior…I considered walking out. But, hey, in my sexy hospital gown with a nurse setting up to put me in a relaxed state…I said to myself….”Hey, me, I’m here so why not?”

Why not??? Ouch. Double ouch. I am here to say to those contemplating this ordeal….good luck!

I describe my experience in one word…it’s A BITCH! From beginning to end (which is not in sight) it has been a nightmare. I can give birth to children all day long, mind you, but this? Not fun.

I religiously did my pre-op exercises and did my post op exercises twice a day and welcomed my physical therapist to my home with open arms (well not really….my bad). Outside PT went well and I graduated with flying colors. Yay me!

So here I am and long story short...I am five-month post-op and I have a great deal of swelling inside the old knee and I still have pangs of pain occur so I am definitely having a pity party for the most part. Doesn’t feel anywhere close to ‘normal’. But, hey, my doc said the knee will take 6-12 months to bounce back…but who’s counting? I am a bit disappointed with my body not bouncing back as expected.

I was hoping I could report good news but, alas, not yet. I have learned that I am not patient with my own healing process and I don’t like to pamper myself except when I am watching a good movie and eating ice cream.

I’ll report back in a few months hopefully with good news. Until then I would LOVE to hear about your experiences with knee replacements….please???? I need you to commiserate.  I would like to know that my experiences are much like yours and that I am not alone!  How long did it take for you to be ‘normal’?

The Facts:

• Half the patients now receiving knee replacements are younger than 65 years of age, and most of them are in the workforce.
• By 2030, total knee replacement surgeries are projected to grow 673% to 3.5 million procedures per year¹
• Nearly 1/2 of American adults develop knee osteoarthritis in at least one knee in their lifetime²
• More than 90% of people who have knee replacement surgery experience a dramatic reduction of knee pain³
    (* August 21 issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery)

Thanks for reading!

Leigh