Time's Up!

I have been going through physical pain and mental turmoil ever since I fell last September. In that fall, my bad left knee bent to a degree that it had not experienced for many decades. Inflammation has set in and the bone-on-bone joint is now unstable. This knee has been tormenting me for quite some time, beginning with an encounter with a semi-tractor trailer rig at the tender age of 28, an event which broke both of my legs. Ouch. Knee surgery followed the next year, after I healed and learned how to walk again. Fast forward to about 8 years later, and I fell on unsecured metal grating at a power plant. Ouch again. More surgery gave me relief. But I always knew that it was a temporary fix.

You see, this left knee of mine has been living on borrowed time. And the time is finally up, thanks to its rapid decline from last year’s slip. I have successfully postponed knee replacement surgery for 20 years. During the intervening years, I was able to endure a physically demanding job as an environmental auditor at power plant facilities. I traveled with my sweet husband on countless trips, including three heli-hiking trips in the wilderness of the Canadian Rockies. I got physically fit for several years and enjoyed wearing clothes in single digits. And, I have done my share of landscaping and yard work for 17 years here at our large homestead. It is a wonder that I was able to do all of that!

I was hoping that I could postpone surgery until after the homestead was sold, and we got settled into a rental home or the villa home that we plan to build. However, sale of the homestead has taken too long. The first cortisone shot worked, but the second one did not. I am at the point now that my quality of life is greatly compromised, and I run the risk of falling and injuring myself further. Time is up.

I will begin medical preparation work in a couple of weeks and have surgery in late June. There are two things that I wish at this point. My first wish is that we don’t get into complications on selling the homestead. Once I go down this path, I will not be able to endure a move for a while. Physical therapy and recuperation will take top priority. My second wish is that I don’t have any complications from the surgery. Yes, I know that this is a common procedure, and everyone tells me stories of how their 70 and 80 year-old relatives do just fine. I appreciate the reassurances, but I don’t take complete comfort from those stories. They do hysterectomies every day too, but I still managed to get permanent phrenic nerve paralysis from that procedure several years ago. Complications can happen. I am wishing for better luck this time.

So, your kind thoughts and prayers are appreciated in the days ahead. Thank you, my blogging friends!