TITLE: Cautiously Optimistic
AUTHOR: Eugene Wallingford
DATE: July 28, 2011  9:20 PM
DESC: 
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<IMG SRC="http://www.cs.uni.edu/~wallingf/blog-images/misc/makoplasty.jpg"
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After two bouts of bad news about my knee -- first
<A HREF="http://www.cs.uni.edu/~wallingf/blog/archives/monthly/2011-04.html#e2011-04-30T10_05_29.htm">
   the diagnosis</A>
and then
<A HREF="http://www.cs.uni.edu/~wallingf/blog/archives/monthly/2011-06.html#e2011-06-03T13_46_27.htm">
   the ineffectiveness of simpler fixes</A>
-- I have received good news, all things considered.  A week
ago Monday, I underwent a relatively new form of partial knee
replacement called
<A HREF="http://www.makosurgical.com/site/index.php/makoplasty/">
   makoplasty</A>.
The surgeon thought the operation went very well.  Good news
at last!

Now I am in a second round of recovery and rehabilitation,
with therapy much like the first round: lots of
non-weight-bearing motion to loosen the joint and to
strengthen the muscles in the joint and the rest of the leg.
There is certainly more pain than last time, but it's not so
bad.  I did have an adverse reaction to the medication
prescribed for the pain, which has been uncomfortable and
slowed my recovery, but I think I have to be happy with where
I am and cautiously optimistic about where I can be in a few
weeks and months.  While that still almost certainly still
will not include running, I should be able to return to an
active life.

An experience from the surgery reminded me that, while I may
be able to become active again, I won't be a youngster anymore.
This procedure required spending one night in the hospital, so
that they could monitor my vitals and my incision closely for
a few hours.  On the overnight shift, I had a college-aged
nurse's aide who helped me several times.  She called me,
"Honey".  Twice.  Each time, I felt twice my age, rather than
twice hers.

Still, I look forward to the progress a little hard work can
provide to feeling young again.
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