Here We Go Again

Here we go again.  A new right knee is on the very near horizon (next Tuesday to be precise), and it's time to reactivate the old blog.  I knew this day would come sometime which was the main reason I started this blog back in 2011.  A secondary reason was to keep friends, family, and work colleagues informed so that I didn't have to answer the same questions over and over about how I was doing. But truly, I just wanted a factual recounting of the experience. We all tend to forget important facts, manufacture supposed memories, accentuate the positive (or the negative) so that, in the end, we're not sure what really happened.  Now that I'm faced with another knee replacement, it's helpful to read through my initial experience with TKR.

Last November 2019, I finally reached the point where I knew that it was time to do something about my right knee.  It was getting harder and harder to control the pain in my right knee with over-the-counter pain medications.  How many aspirin and ibuprofen could I take in one day?  How much could I hope that everyone would wait on me to catch up with my hobbles and limps?  Off I went, therefore, to see the surgeon who performed my previous TKR, and yes, he said that I definitely was at the point where surgery was required.  After this news, we went on to enjoy Thanksgiving at home with one son and his family, a busy December, and Christmas with the other son and his family in Florida.  As time went on, my ability to walk any distance at all rapidly decreased, but despite that, it was a happy holiday season, and I'm grateful to have been able to know that relief was in the near future.

As soon as we returned home, medical adventures picked up.  On January 2, 2020, I returned to the surgeon's office, this time to spend about 30 minutes with his physician's assistant.  During that visit, we discussed various issues that I needed to prepare for and I had the chance to ask many questions.  The next week, on January 8, was the pre-op physical with a full range of blood tests (4 vials of blood!!), electrocardiogram, and a full physical.  Fortunately everything was fine and I was cleared for surgery. The next day, January 9, I had a long (45 minutes or so) interview with the orthopedic R.N. assigned to my case.  Again, we discussed everything to expect before and after surgery, discussed my medical history, and I was given the opportunity to ask questions.  January 13 Stan (yes, still using the same old pseudonym for my husband) and I went to the hospital where my surgery will be performed to attend a pre-op class.  The first half was conducted by an orthopedic R.N. who walked us through the procedure and various medical preparations we needed to make, as well as a discussion of what to expect post-operatively. The second half was conducted by a physical therapist discussing not only exercises but equipment we might need and equipment we really didn't need (forget those ice machines!). The last interaction was to talk to the hospital financial office on January 23.  Fortunately, everything has been cleared by our Medicare Advantage plan, so all I needed to was to make the hospital co-pay of $300 which I accomplished on the phone. 

All that now remains is to wait for one last call on Monday from the surgeon's office to verify everything one more time, to discuss times, when to arrive at the hospital, etc.  And then there's Tuesday--game day!  The real countdown begins.