I had an idea. “I will go to the drugstore and get a knee brace.” It was nude color so maybe no one will notice. Well people noticed …and said, “What’s wrong with your knee?Did you hurt it?” I opened up a can of worms.
Doctor S. wanted to have a serious talk with me. “We have tried everything ….and I want to tell you that you need a knee replacement.” I said to myself, “Replace it with what? Someone else’s knee who passed away? What if this persons knee did not like to dance.”
He said, “We are going to saw….” I stopped him there. I said, “I don’t want to know how you are going to do it…but just do it. He said, “Right now I am going to pump some steroids around your knee so you won’t be in so much pain.” It really helped. But then it stopped working.
“I am going to put in the most advanced titanium knee that should never wear out.” He scheduled the surgery and before you knew it I was in the operating room. I was very nervous and I held the hand of the anesthesiologist. “Don’t worry Richard you have the best doctor to do this.”
Several hours later I was resting in my hospital room when Dr.S. came by to say hello. I told him please do not show me the scar ….and what did he do….he pulled off the sheet and shows me my Frankenstein leg. “Don’t worry this scar will get smaller.”
Some of the people who knew I was having this surgery sent me flowers. I gave them away to my nurses. “Can we take a picture with you Richard?” Well I did not look my best but I said yes because they were so nice to me.
When you have this type of surgery they get you up right away. They gave me a walker and I would tool around my floor. A few days later they released me on crutches.
My friend drove me to Slimmons and I sat there in a chair while my teachers taught class I would do the motivation at the end.
The next step was physical therapy. They gave me the name of a physical therapist and I was supposed to see her the next day . She called and told me she was moving to a different city but would suggest another physical therapist.
After the surgery, they give you OxyContin and oxycodone for the pain. They made me feel strange so I decided to stop taking them. Bad idea. When I went to B, my wonderful physical therapist, I was lying on the floor rolled up into a ball. She said, “You can t stop taking these cold turkey. So I started taking half the pills. Gosh….I felt so much better.
In her office was a Pilates machine …a mini trampoline…and a large red fit ball that I would sit on and walk with my legs forward. I went three days a week to PT. I had a fit ball at home and I would use it daily. I would climb a lot of stairs to strengthen my hamstrings and quadriceps.
I had another x ray taken and my right leg looked great. Now it is like nothing ever happened. There was no other choice but to have the knee replacement.
After having the cancer on my face….screws in my left shoulder and a right knee replacement …I felt bionic.
If something doesn’t feel right with your body please schedule a visit with your doctor.
