Four weeks after surgery, I met with my surgeon for a final check-up. I have not seen him since immediately before the surgery. It felt like a "final exam" of sorts, and, typical of me, I went with great anxiety. My fears were relieved, however, when Dr. Chiang gave me a positive response. We looked at my x-rays taken the day of the exam, and he was very pleased with his work. I had to admit, the pictures revealed a clear picture of two perfectly positioned prostheses, one secured into the femur (thigh) bone and one secured into the tibia (bottom) bone. While we all rejoiced in this surgical work of art, I was told that the hard work has just begun. We -- rather I--am only part way there. I must work to bend the knee equivalent to the bending of the right knee. He said I am fighting a war against the knee's natural propensity to form scar tissue, and I cannot let that happen. I will never had full extension of the knee or full bend if that tissue is allowed to form scar tissue inside.
The doctor said that I should feel much better between weeks four and six, and pain will continue to reduce as I strengthen the leg and force the knee to bend. Since I am not on blood-thinner anymore, I can use an anti-inflammatory drug such as Aleve or Advil for pain. The narcotics should finally be a thing of the past -- yippee!! If I am faithful to push myself, to stretch and bend, at the end of two more months I will be as good as new.
At this point, he has released me from all limited activity. I can drive a car, play golf (as if I could play golf), walk, hike, swim, do stairs and bike. The only thing I cannot do is sustained running, like a marathon (as if I could do a marathon). Someday I will be able to bend enough to weed the garden, but Dave still has to do that right now......
I am greatly relieved by the "final exam." I saw it with my own eyes. Psychologically, I know that I cannot hurt anything inside the knee at this point and that my final out-come is finally up to me and my determination. I am humbled and grateful -- and sore.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Three weeks and counting --
Three-plus weeks post-surgery. Sometimes I really feel discouraged, and other times I feel like I am really making progress. It has been very difficult to manage the pain with prescription narcotics (which I wanted to eliminate ASAP) and with OTC pain meds like Tylenol. Still on a blood-thinner (which will be done the end of this week), I cannot take anything that contains aspirin. So the meds are tricky. Sometimes I cannot sleep at night, and I just can't get comfortable. The fact that this has been a very bad week for seasonal allergies has not helped....
All whining aside, the physical therapist says I am where I should be in terms of the bending and straightening of the knee. That is good news. I try to use my recumbent bike daily, and I can now push all the way around both frontwards and backwards. Sounds like a small event, but it is progress. I am told that my surgeon likes bikes and that he will increase the time I use it. My left leg was quite weak after so many years of favoring it, that it will take some time to build up the quad muscle and the whole limb to balance out the strength of the right leg.
I was on my feet a lot on Sunday, hosting a Father's Day barbecue at our house. It was a fun day, but perhaps over-used the knee. Then yesterday I decided to go up and down our stairs a zillion times (to do laundry) and that was probably a bit much. The therapist recommended more biking and less walking to keep the swelling, and the pain, down.
A week from today I will see the surgeon for a final check-up, and it feels like a master's degree comprehensive exam. I am already fretting. I must bend and straighten to his liking, walk straight and stand balanced. So, back to the bike.......
All whining aside, the physical therapist says I am where I should be in terms of the bending and straightening of the knee. That is good news. I try to use my recumbent bike daily, and I can now push all the way around both frontwards and backwards. Sounds like a small event, but it is progress. I am told that my surgeon likes bikes and that he will increase the time I use it. My left leg was quite weak after so many years of favoring it, that it will take some time to build up the quad muscle and the whole limb to balance out the strength of the right leg.
I was on my feet a lot on Sunday, hosting a Father's Day barbecue at our house. It was a fun day, but perhaps over-used the knee. Then yesterday I decided to go up and down our stairs a zillion times (to do laundry) and that was probably a bit much. The therapist recommended more biking and less walking to keep the swelling, and the pain, down.
A week from today I will see the surgeon for a final check-up, and it feels like a master's degree comprehensive exam. I am already fretting. I must bend and straighten to his liking, walk straight and stand balanced. So, back to the bike.......
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Growing into Me
During my slow hours of recovery, I had a chance to read John Ortberg's book, "the me I want to be" (Zondervan, 2010). I have read all of Ortberg's books, and he always hits a home-run in my game of life. Each one has significantly impacted my spiritual and my professional life. This time, it was the timing that as perfect. It was exactly the right book at the right time. Major joint replacement surgery is a parenthetical pause in my "normal" life, my hurried schedule and my "ho-hum" routine. It has given me the opportunity to deeply examine my life, past, present and future. I soaked up Ortberg's book like a sponge, and found his purpose and presentation convicting and convincing.
Orberg is not for from my age, and I understand his thinking: "I do not know how many years of life are before me. I cannot wait anymore to be the [person] God wants me to be. There is a me I want to be." He writes about discovering the "flow" of God's Spirit in our lives, living and thinking in that flow. He touches on all the "flow blockers" that can be present: lack of surrender, temptations, "trying harder," our work, our relationships, difficult people, and the adversities life throws at us.
His book has inspired me to sift through all the "stuff" of my life and get rid of whatever blocks the flow of God's work in my day-to-day existence -- and that's a lot of "stuff." I have accumulated too much "stuff" over the years, from material possessions to emotional baggage and spiritual "duties." I confess that I am the quintessential shopper: I love clothes, shoes, accessories, cosmetics, and all the "girlie" things that are so pervasive in our society. Shopping was a stress reliever and an enjoyable hobby. Occasionally I found it necessary to clean out bulging closets and drawers, to make room for more "stuff," of course.
Now I am really "cleaning house," giving mounds to charity, throwing away and simplifying my physical existence. Simplicity is the key word. Every drawer, every closet and every storage box -- simplify, pare down, eliminate duplicates, try to get by on 39 pairs of black shoes......If I haven't used it in five years, I do not need it now. I think you get the picture.
Yet Orbterg has pushed me one step further. It is time to experience a new beginning in all aspects of my life. This is not just a physical cleaning project. Like the act of cleaning up and clearing out material things, it is time to do the same in my spiritual and emotional life as well. I am really looking at the real me, and trying to specifically identify anything in my life that makes me the me that I do NOT want to be. This may include (but is not limited to) self-centered desires, nagging temptations, lack of confidence in God's ability to mold me (shouldn't I do this myself?), and a real avoidance of pain and confrontation.
I have a new knee. With a lot of work and therapy and tenacity, it will be better than the old one. Why not apply this kind of perseverance to the rest of my life? I have a big God, and, thanks to him, I have a new life. It will be better than the old one.
Orberg is not for from my age, and I understand his thinking: "I do not know how many years of life are before me. I cannot wait anymore to be the [person] God wants me to be. There is a me I want to be." He writes about discovering the "flow" of God's Spirit in our lives, living and thinking in that flow. He touches on all the "flow blockers" that can be present: lack of surrender, temptations, "trying harder," our work, our relationships, difficult people, and the adversities life throws at us.
His book has inspired me to sift through all the "stuff" of my life and get rid of whatever blocks the flow of God's work in my day-to-day existence -- and that's a lot of "stuff." I have accumulated too much "stuff" over the years, from material possessions to emotional baggage and spiritual "duties." I confess that I am the quintessential shopper: I love clothes, shoes, accessories, cosmetics, and all the "girlie" things that are so pervasive in our society. Shopping was a stress reliever and an enjoyable hobby. Occasionally I found it necessary to clean out bulging closets and drawers, to make room for more "stuff," of course.
Now I am really "cleaning house," giving mounds to charity, throwing away and simplifying my physical existence. Simplicity is the key word. Every drawer, every closet and every storage box -- simplify, pare down, eliminate duplicates, try to get by on 39 pairs of black shoes......If I haven't used it in five years, I do not need it now. I think you get the picture.
Yet Orbterg has pushed me one step further. It is time to experience a new beginning in all aspects of my life. This is not just a physical cleaning project. Like the act of cleaning up and clearing out material things, it is time to do the same in my spiritual and emotional life as well. I am really looking at the real me, and trying to specifically identify anything in my life that makes me the me that I do NOT want to be. This may include (but is not limited to) self-centered desires, nagging temptations, lack of confidence in God's ability to mold me (shouldn't I do this myself?), and a real avoidance of pain and confrontation.
I have a new knee. With a lot of work and therapy and tenacity, it will be better than the old one. Why not apply this kind of perseverance to the rest of my life? I have a big God, and, thanks to him, I have a new life. It will be better than the old one.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Two-weeks Post-Surgery
Just over two weeks have passed since surgery. In some ways the time seems like forever, and yet in other ways it seems like the blink of an eye. I think I am on schedule for where I need to be at this point, but who really knows for sure? I am walking without a walker, with a cane waiting in the wings just in case. But I am slow and uneven. I sleep pretty well, but still take the pain pills before bed at night. Because of all the pills (including a blood-thinner), I continue to watch what I eat and drink. I can read and write, but it is just so uncomfortable to sit in a chair for any length of time and I keep thinking about the exercises I should be doing....
My physical therapist discovered that my entire left side is lower than the right side of my body -- from my shoulders, through my hips and down the leg. Thus, you could say I am a little "crooked." My spine and posture are okay, but all the muscles on my left side are weaker. Certainly this is a reflection of decades of favoring my left knee. I did not even carry anything in my left hand if I didn't have to. My knee was so weak that it through off my whole balance, and the right side has been compensating. So I really am trying to walk straighter and smoother and less rigid. It is easy to fall back into that habit of favoring the left side to reduce pain.
They say the first two weeks are the most difficult (whoever "they" are), so I am past that point. It has not been easy, and I look forward to just getting better and better....
My physical therapist discovered that my entire left side is lower than the right side of my body -- from my shoulders, through my hips and down the leg. Thus, you could say I am a little "crooked." My spine and posture are okay, but all the muscles on my left side are weaker. Certainly this is a reflection of decades of favoring my left knee. I did not even carry anything in my left hand if I didn't have to. My knee was so weak that it through off my whole balance, and the right side has been compensating. So I really am trying to walk straighter and smoother and less rigid. It is easy to fall back into that habit of favoring the left side to reduce pain.
They say the first two weeks are the most difficult (whoever "they" are), so I am past that point. It has not been easy, and I look forward to just getting better and better....
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Home Again.
Home from the hospital yesterday. The titanium knee is in place and functioning as well as can be expected. It is very good to be home. What a way to spend a Memorial Day weekend! I do not miss the tubes and shots and early morning pain pills. Kudos to the surgeon and surgical team for a job well done. The nurses and staff were just wonderful to me; the hospital was superb. Not exactly the Ritz-Carlton , but a great place to stay if you have to be there....
The pain is bearable if I take the pain pills correctly. It took a while to find tolerable pain pills for me since most of them make me sick to my stomach. The trick is to stay on schedule with the pills, and keep remembering that the more I hurt now, the sooner I will not hurt at all.
Certainly the worst is over, and the gradual healing has begun. That's kind of like all of life. Just when you think there can be no greater pain, there is. Just when you think you can take no more pain, you can. And, it's not all about me. Somehow, life goes on very well all around me in spite of my physical, emotional or spiritual pain.
Therefore, before I forget, I would like to thank my thoughtful friends, my caring family, and my patient husband (the caretaker), for all their care and concern. What a comfort to know that even at my worst, I am still loved.
Praise the Lord and pass the pain pills.
The pain is bearable if I take the pain pills correctly. It took a while to find tolerable pain pills for me since most of them make me sick to my stomach. The trick is to stay on schedule with the pills, and keep remembering that the more I hurt now, the sooner I will not hurt at all.
Certainly the worst is over, and the gradual healing has begun. That's kind of like all of life. Just when you think there can be no greater pain, there is. Just when you think you can take no more pain, you can. And, it's not all about me. Somehow, life goes on very well all around me in spite of my physical, emotional or spiritual pain.
Therefore, before I forget, I would like to thank my thoughtful friends, my caring family, and my patient husband (the caretaker), for all their care and concern. What a comfort to know that even at my worst, I am still loved.
Praise the Lord and pass the pain pills.
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