The appointed time is at hand; I get new knees (Bilateral Knee Replacement) and the promise of straight legs and a new gait. I can hardly wait but at the same time I dread the unknown of what I have to go through to get there.
I talked to one lady who is my age and lives in Powhatan. She had the very same procedure with the same doctor within the last six months. She has gotten along very well and was a great encourager. I have also talked to numerous others and I feel like I kind of understand what to expect. Everyone I have talked to has done very well and are so glad they had it done.
It is quite the ordeal to get ready: pre-op physical therapy, doctor appointments, preadmissions testing, class on procedure, CT scan, EKG, paperwork to fill out, release forms to sign, and pre-surgery cleansing routine. My post-operative care is lined up and a walker and cane have been borrowed. The house is cleaned, flower beds are weeded, the laundry done and my duffel bag is packed. A thousand last minute instructions about everything I could think of have been given. You would think I was going away on a long vacation and they can’t do it without me!!!
I am very grateful to my many friends, family and church family for their expressions and promises of care and prayers.
So now, ready or not, here I go. It is now time to git’er done!
Other blog posts about my knee replacement surgery:
What we do affects others, often in ways we have no idea. This hit home really hard late Monday afternoon when I got a call from my surgeon’s office saying my Wednesday knee replacement surgery needed to be rescheduled. I like to think I can be understanding and flexible but sometimes you find out it is hardier than you think. It would have been easier to take if the doctor was sick or an emergency in the family. But no, this was a mistake between the surgery and clinical scheduling offices. I had caught wind that this might be the case a week ago, but was assured by the scheduler that my surgery was on. Now I have to accept the fact that someone made a mistake and it affected me.
It was a big deal for me to get ready and everything scheduled for this surgery. I am a busy, active, working person. After surgery I need a caregiver for a week, time off from work, and employees to cover for me and a hundred other details to attend to and delegate.
Before surgery you have lab work that has to be done within the month prior to surgery. I only had a week to spare or all the labs would have to be redone. Seven days before surgery you have to go off all your vitamins and meds. Three days before, you start a cleansing route with surgical scrubs. The bed linens have to be washed twice in the three day process and I can only put on all clean clothes each day and night. All of this was already in process.
On Sunday my knees became swollen, tight and very painful. I was having difficulty doing steps and walking. It suddenly dawned on me that it was probably because I had been off the anti-inflammatory medicine in preparation for surgery. Now I have to start all over on this process and more surgical scrub has to be sent to me.
My caregiver (daughter) is a business manager for two dental offices. Between work, home, church and teenage kids it is a big deal for her to take off and come help me for a week. Her family is willingly making big sacrifices for me to have help. Now all her plans have to be changed which affects two business and numerous persons.
Gene had a root canal scheduled on my new surgery date. That had to be changed. Feed delivery schedules were altered to help with me being out of the store. The list goes on and on.
We worked through it and all is well. There was even some positive in the midst of it that works out for the better. Sometimes we forget so it is a good reminder that our mistakes or decisions can have far reaching implications, complications and inconveniences for other people. It is like a line of dominoes; when one falls, the whole line crashes. I also know that sometimes things are delayed for unseen reasons and it is for our good or protection. I may never know what or if God had a reason it needed to be delayed. I have prayed over this surgery and the surgeon and am trusting God to be the ultimate healer and know that His timing is perfect.
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
I am a country gal who enjoys writing, gardening, baking and my family. My husband and I own a retail feed store and it keeps us active and busy. We love living in the country and on our beef farm. We retail natural, Angus, dry-aged beef in our store and a local "natural" store.
My writings, called "From A Grandma's Perspective" are mostly inspired from our five delightful grandchildren. These along with "Life Perspective" can read on our web page at www.hffinc.com under the "Who We Are" tab.
By the way, I love hearing from people who read my blog!!!
