By: Keith Kappes
Columnist
Carter County Times
As I hopefully enter the last phase of my recovery from total knee replacement surgery six weeks ago, I keep reflecting on the fact that I had absolutely no idea what to expect when I agreed to the procedure a year earlier.
Despite being a reasonably intelligent 80-year-old man with three college degrees and a 60-year career as a professional communicator, I never imagined that I would find that amazing surgery to be such a painful, demoralizing experience for which I was mentally unprepared.
Dozens of good folks told me beforehand of the wonderful outcomes they had with a mechanical knee free of osteoarthritis and the ordeal of excruciating, bone-on-bone pain with each step.
As I reflect today on those conversations, I am convinced that no one lied to me about their new knees. But it is so obvious to me now that I just didn’t ask any of them the right questions.
Be assured that I have had great medical care with a gifted surgical team, a kind, attentive hospital staff and wonderful physical therapy support. And I feel my family is starting to forgive me for not being as physically strong or as mentally tough as I once might have been.
At first, I was tempted to try to put the blame for my medical anguish on the absence of my incredible wife, Janet, who died early last summer after years of battling her own medical problems. For 51 years, I had depended on her to keep me grounded and always carefully consider major decisions and their potential ramifications.
I know she wanted me to have my knee repaired but we were focused on trying to deal with her injuries and illnesses. I also was distracted by a series of disagreements with our health insurance company, so I pushed my knee problem aside.
Honestly, I am embarrassed by my own naiveté throughout this experience. And I keep asking myself this simple question:
Why would an overweight octogenarian who takes 12 pills a day for various age-related maladies and who needs a machine to help him sleep ever imagine he had the stamina and pain tolerance to undergo knee replacement without a whimper?
(Contact Keith at keithkappes@gmail.com)
