“Why, oh why, would you have gone through a knee replacement?”
Before knee replacement surgery, my right knee would grind when I walked. As the years went on, the grinding became more painful and the distance that I could walk was shortening. So short that if I walked to the corner of my street, just about 200 ft away, I was so uncomfortable that I could barely walk back home.
My granddaughter was walking and then running. I couldn’t keep up with her and she was only 18 months old! I knew that I had to do something about this.
I tried cortisone shots, durolane shots, PRP (Platelet rich plasma), and had regular acupuncture, chiropractor, osteopathy treatments and more. Nothing was improving.
If I can’t play with my grandkids, then I want to consider having a knee replacement!
I had a vision of running after my grandchildren.
After heavy debate and research, I chose to get on the list to have knee replacement surgery. I had a vision of running after my grandchildren. I want to be able to do this.
Post-surgery, I was in more pain than I could ever have imagined! It was not supposed to be that way. The orthopedic surgeon assured me that all was okay with the prosthetic. I didn’t feel very reassured by my unexplainable, excruciating pain.
I went to a new physiotherapist who identified that my kneecap was stuck and that was what was causing the pain. It took about 4 months of working on this with suction cups and leg traction to get past this finally.
My knee still throbs.
I am writing this 10 months post-surgery. I have to use ice at times or lie on my belly when the back of the knee is particularly achy. I am still not entirely convinced that the knee replacement was the right choice for me.
When my granddaughter takes off at full speed, my only hope is to call out “Red Light” to catch her attention and she does stop! My granddaughter is now 3 and a half, I am not sure how long that will last.
My grandson, who is 18 months old now, is moving ahead of me in terms of mobility. For example, there is a step down into the family room. He used to sit on the step to go down safely. Then he progressed to holding onto the wall to step down. I watched his progression, which paralleled mine from holding onto something for support to stepping down to “free” stepping up and down a step or stairs. I am highly impressed by his skill in navigating obstacles on the ground to avoid them either or walk safely over them. I can’t say that I am moving as fluidly.
My youngest granddaughter is only 5 months old. I see how smoothly she rolls from her stomach to her back. I am getting better at this, but if you are with me in the room, you might hear this movement accompanied by a few grunts and sighs.
The bottom line is: as much as I want to keep up with my grandchildren, I can’t keep up.
The reality is that their young bodies will be able to do more than I can expect from this body filled with arthritis, calcifications, and a knee replacement that I am not fully recovered from.
The best we can do is to know our limits and move and train our bodies within a framework of safety.
I am looking forward to helping you with that and sharing some gentle movement exercises to keep you active without pain in my upcoming yoga program for grandparents in partnership with The WOMB Guelph!
Learn more and sign up for the class below:
Thank you Heather for your honesty. There are few “miracles” when it comes to healthcare. We must proactively research, make decisions that are right for us and our families and put in the hard work or getting better and staying healthy. I know how hard you have worked on your health and I truly applaud you.