Category: Surgery & Medicine

Knee Surgery, 16

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I spent far too much time doomscrolling the past few days over the reactions to the assassination of the American, racist hatemonger, Charlie Kirk. It was impossible to escape, since the news and the comments flooded social media. Given the political climate in the USA, coupled with their love of guns and gun violence, as well as the inflammatory, pro-violence rhetoric spewing continually from the far right, his shooting didn’t surprise me. The far-right have always turned on their own for not being extreme enough. … click below for more ↓

Knee Surgery, 15

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Recovery sometimes gives me time to read and think. There are times when I have to stay in one place: when I’m doing several of the thrice-daily exercises and when I’m icing the knee. During that time I sometimes watch YouTube videos, but when possible, I prefer to read. And of late, I’ve been reading a remarkable book about income inequality called Limitarianism: The Case Against Extreme Wealth by philosopher and economist Ingrid Robeyns.* The growing inequality of income and wealth has long been a … click below for more ↓

Knee Surgery, 14

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Not a day of setbacks, but no big milestones like yesterday (Friday), either. I managed two walks outdoors with Susan and Bella, but both shorter and slower than yesterday’s walk: two individual walks of one block each (about 600m circumference). After yesterday, I was a little too sore and stiff to go further. But still, it’s better to be outdoors than inside. Being able to get outside was a real accomplishment. Distance and speed will come later. Might try a trip to the local Canadian … click below for more ↓

Knee Surgery, 13

Daily life / Personal Reminiscences / Surgery & MedicineOne Comment

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More milestones! Thursday, I enjoyed my first glass of red wine in almost three weeks, 15 days after surgery. Small, about 5-6 ounces (150-175 ml). It was delightful; a return to our normal, daily life. I sipped it slowly, savouring it, while re-watching Beyond the Sea, a biopic about Bobby Darin. Great film with a good cast and almost Bollywood-like in its dance/song skits. I started watching while I was doing some of my new exercises and the music made me want to dance along. … click below for more ↓

Knee Surgery, 12

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Well, the staples are removed and my leg no longer looks like, as per Young Frankenstein, a zipper. It was a quick, and quite painless process, and the incision looked good and clean. The bandage is gone and in its place are numerous “steri-strips” that will last another five days. The knee is still very swollen, and I can’t expect the leg to lose all of the swelling for several months. All I really want right now is for it to diminish enough to make … click below for more ↓

Knee Surgery, 11

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Seventy-two degrees, up from 58 when I first started physio last week, That’s how far my operated knee can bend when I’m doing my exercises. It’s still got a long way to go to reach the one hundred-plus milestone, but it’s an improvement. Small achievements are how it’s done. I can also lift my left foot higher, too, and use a five-inch aerobic stepper for one of the exercises, and an eight-inch step for another. Don’t get me wrong: these are baby steps, still. And … click below for more ↓

Knee Surgery, 10

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Back when the surgeon offered me an unexpected date in August instead of the expected December to February, I thought to myself it would be better to get it done in summer when I could still get outside and enjoy the weather. Back then, the temperatures were mid-20s to low 30s and looked like the rest of the summer would be as hot. Seems the weather has since gone from August to October and those lazy, hazy days of summer are a memory. At least, … click below for more ↓

Knee Surgery, 9

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Well, I have a whole new set of exercises, most of which come with a pain factor increase, but nothing that seems to make any great leap forward in either mobility or pain (fortunately for the latter). Yet. But, of course, it’s still very early days. It’s difficult to be patient or optimistic when every little thing is still a struggle. I’m sure Susan’s patience wears thin during the day when I have to ask for things to be brought, picked up, removed, moved further, … click below for more ↓

Knee Surgery: 8

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On this blog, I’ve been counting the days since surgery from the day of the operation. That makes surgery day Day 1 in my count. And the first day I wrote about it as Day 2 (the day after surgery). But a friend argued that most people think of the first day as the 24 hours since surgery, and my perhaps eccentric counting was misleading, so I am changing the heading to show just the number of posts, without a day. When I refer to … click below for more ↓

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