The 25th September 2013 marks the one year anniversary of an operation that sparked physical hope and freedom. A total knee replacement was both incredibly daunting and incredibly exciting! The daunting feelings probably speak for themselves. It is major surgery!
I’ve been through more surgical procedures than I can remember, but each presents unique challenges. The total knee replacement was ‘exciting’ as I had reached the point where anything had to be better than the pain and quality of life that I was facing.
As most know, having an active 3-4 year old and a newborn is physically demanding at the best of times. I’d reached a point where I could barely walk around the house; some days barely able to walk from the bed to the chair. I was no longer going to the shops or parks unless we took the wheelchair. Any outing took its toll one way or the other. The backyard was out of the question and I was getting concerned that my boys would miss out on having their mum go out and about with them (even just a bit!). Nights were difficult and pain sometimes felt like more than I could bare. Although it was still a big decision, when the time came to have my left knee replaced, it was welcomed and tackled with gusto. We planned ahead: my husband stopped work, my parents came to stay with us and we gathered a group of friends for support.
On the morning of the surgery, I said good bye to my family to take up a hospital bed again. Having many complications, and being a bit of a risk I received the ‘honour’ of being first on the list. Getting all the anesthetic needles for a spinal took a painstaking 45 minutes. I had just told them that I had had enough of being prodded and to knock me out when the line in my back finally went in. I was very relieved, though I still had significant bruising weeks later! After that, all I could do (and needed to do) was lay there and let the surgeons do their thing. I was awake through the procedure and was quite intrigued by the noises and amount of prodding that takes place. It is certainly a brutal operation!
Once I was back in the ward and the anesthetic wore off, the pain was intense! I tried to avoid major pain killers, but failed. I soon learned that I wasn’t going to manage a good recovery without some analgesia! That said, I knew that it had been a success as soon as the physio’s got me to stand on my feet. Whilst incredibly difficult to move, I could tell that my knee was far stronger than I’ve ever remembered; it was just a matter of time and effort to get to the point where I could use it!
The first 2 weeks were the hardest, with the next few months being a slog of rehabilitation. One of the hardest parts of the recovery was having my 4 month old crying in the cot. I could get to him and pick him up, but not be able to walk anywhere with him. I think my first steps while holding him after the surgery was closer to Christmas. As I look back on it I can see that there were some significant emotional challenges to the journey, not just physical.
Good days came, bad days went. My 4 month old provided me with some much needed inspiration and I was determined to recover as strongly and as quickly as I possibly could! There were challenges along the way, but by the grace of God I became stronger each day.
Just a few months after the surgery I started to walk a little further than I had for years. My mobility has drastically improved, though let down by the other knee and several joints. I can do things that I haven’t done for years and will welcome a replacement of the right knee if or when the time comes. I think I waited too long for the left! If I had the time again, I would do have it done sooner! Don’t get me wrong – the surgery was brutal and the recovery process was full of challenges, painful and grueling; but the benefit has far outweighed the cost.
A big thank you to my friends and family who helped me through this last year. It would have been much harder without you!
forloveandliberty.wordpress.com 