Although there's not much new to report from my visit to my orthopedic surgeon yesterday, it did seem worthwhile to record a small bit of information, just so I'll remember this in the future if/when I need to have another knee replacement for my other knee. But let's hope that's WAY in the future!
Usually it would be customary to have a six-month checkup, but for a couple of good reasons, my checkup occurred at the 5-month mark yesterday. My surgeon is taking several weeks off beginning Friday, so that was one reason to go ahead and schedule my appointment, but the compelling reason was that he had suggested during my August appointment that I come back right before Christmas to get a cortisone shot in my right knee so that I'd be ready for travel, company, and a lot standing on my feet. I sort of do that everyday anyway at the elementary school where I teach, but it sounded like a good rationale for getting a cortisone shot, so who was I to argue?
As has been the case with all the medical experiences surrounding my TKR surgery, my checkup was a very positive experience. I am having no problems whatsoever with my knee. It is perfectly straight, I can bend it quite a lot, have no problems going up or down stairs, and, most significantly for me, there is no more swelling at all. For a while this fall,I thought my knee would be at least slightly swollen the rest of my life, but it gradually subsided and now it is gone completely. Wonderful!
After determining that there were no issues with my left (operated) knee, my orthopedist turned his attention to my right knee. We looked at the x-ray of my right knee and the term "severe arthritis" was again used to describe its condition; however, my doctor said, there was no bone loss yet, so in his opinion, there was no compelling reason to consider surgery anytime soon. I wholeheartedly concurred with that recommendation! While my TKR experience has been 100% positive, I can't say that the first few weeks after surgery were any fun at all. If it's not necessary, then I'd never want to go through that again. Now, being pragmatic, I realize that I might very well have to have TKR on my other knee someday, but no time soon, please! So, once we determined that, I got my cortisone shot, made an appointment for my one-year checkup for next July, and I went back to work.
Before signing off, I must tell you about the cortisone shot. It takes about 12 hours before it takes effect, so it was last night, after getting home from my school's book fair,that I suddenly noticed that my right knee didn't hurt when I climbed the front steps. Great! I had a nice, albeit short, evening at home with Stan, then climbed the stairs (with no pain) to go take a shower and get ready for bed. I was feeling better and better. By 10:00 p.m., I was ready to go out on the town! I felt wonderful! Although I did manage to fall asleep eventually, I slept only two hours and then wham! I was AWAKE! Really, really awake. Have you ever felt like running around but instead had to lie perfectly still? It's an annoying experience! My brain was buzzing, I tossed, I turned, I looked at the clock, I got up and looked out the window (nothing happening out there), I picked up my cell phone and checked email and Facebook (nothing happening there either). This went on until 3:50 at which time I finally decided that nothing would be gained by tossing and turning another hour and a half, so I got up, came downstairs, and have been puttering ever since. Why, I even made a pan of my famous (infamous???) bacon bows. They'll come in handy next week when the family arrives for Christmas. I've read, I've blogged, I've had a cooked breakfast (something I never ordinarily do), and I'm ready for the school day to begin! I have the feeling that about 11:00 a.m. or 2:00 p.m., or sometime in between, I will suddenly fall forward on my desk fast asleep! Let's just hope I can stay semi-alert until the end of the school day.
Advice? Not much, but there is one thing to remember. If you are going to get a cortisone shot, get it on a Friday when it won't matter if you stay up all night. And plan to have something to do to use up all that energy. If only Stan hadn't been asleep, I might have vacuumed.....well, probably not, but I would have thought about it!
Good bye again for a while. Hope your holidays are happy, safe travels, and take care of your knees!
