Category: Surgery & Medicine

Knee Recovery Final, and Doomscrolling, 28

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So it ended today, Thursday. My physio sessions are over after seven weeks. I achieved 119° knee bend and, with a push from the therapist, got to 120°, the magic number to which patients are directed to aspire, and which usually mark their graduation from therapy. There was no ceremony, simply goodbyes. They should have a bell for people to ring when they finish their course, like radiation departments have for cancer patients who finish their course. From now on, I am on my own: I am expected to continue to exercise three times a day until at least late … click below for more ↓

Recovering Knee and Doomscrolling, 27

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Tuesday morning, not long after I finished my morning knee exercises, I drove to Barrie for my annual visit to my urologist — and the surgeon who removed my cancer-riddled prostate, back in 2020. You can read more about my journey with prostate cancer here. I also visit my oncologist once a year, usually in the spring. Both visits involve a prior PSA blood test to check if I have any of that hormone showing. And I don’t. Haven’t had a positive PSA result since my surgery. What matters for me about today’s visit is that I drove there and … click below for more ↓

Knee Replacement Recovery, 24

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Saturday: Today, October 11, was the last day for this year’s Farmers’ Market, and it was a good last day for the market, weather-wise. I used to really enjoy going to the downtown market before my surgery, but I’ve been avoiding it because of the crowds, including kids and dogs, that always show up. Too many chances to be bumped, my cane bumped, maybe even knocked down. I’ll go back next year when it reopens and I am more stable. We never bought a lot there, but I liked to get some pickles, bread, and maybe some Indian food for … click below for more ↓

Knee Replacement Recovery, 23

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Got up to another unseasonably warm October day here: 29C, the third hot day in a row. But tomorrow it’s predicted to fall to 16! I dropped by the local bookshop today (after my session with our dental hygienist) to pick up a used copy of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall. I had read the book a few years ago and even seen the superb BBC mini-series, plus I’ve read the two sequels. I had an urge to read the books again (and maybe re-watch the series), but I remembered I had lent the first in the trilogy to a friend … click below for more ↓

Knee Replacement Surgery: Recovery, 22

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Today, I drove to a small, dead-end street near the trail where we parked, so we could walk Bella on the trail at the western edge of Harbourview Park. We came back along the boardwalk, and exited onto the trail again. We stopped on the observation platform that juts out from the boardwalk to see how much further down the water level in the harbour is. We were shocked at how low it has dropped: at least 1.5m, if not 2m below the maximum. The rocks you can see on the ground sticking out like dolmen stones used to be … click below for more ↓

Knee Replacement Recovery, 21

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Thursday: I started the day with a 20-minute pedal on the stationary bike, then the first of my three exercise sessions, and a 600 m walk — shorter than usual because we had to get to the hospital for an X-ray and my second follow-up meeting with the surgeon. I was pleased to have him tell me I’m doing well, nothing is wrong, and my progression is as expected. We were at the hospital for about one-and-a-half hours; the X-ray and meeting took perhaps 10 minutes of that. The rest of the time was waiting. Good thing we both brought … click below for more ↓

Knee Replacement Recovery, 20

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I have an old man’s legs. I was looking at my still-swollen leg where the surgery had taken place, and where the skin has been smoothed out by the swelling. It looked years younger. And then at my other leg with its bony shin, knobbly knee, and crinkly alligator skin. An old man’s leg, for sure. And soon enough, my operated leg will deflate back to that aged state. I suppose at 75 I should not be surprised to look my age, at least in the legs. And then there’s that old guy looking at me in the mirror. A … click below for more ↓

Knee Replacement Recovery, 19

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Tuesday, I went out for coffee with a neighbour, the first time I’ve been out to a cafe since before my surgery. It was nice to get out and feel like I’m getting back to normal (and to taste coffee again). There is a regenerative sense to normality when you feel not so much an invalid, but a participant in everyday things. I find it easier to get into and out of cars now, too, because I can bend my knee enough to make it almost painless. But only as a passenger. And later, we had company in the afternoon … click below for more ↓

Knee Replacement Recovery, 18

Daily life / Musings / Personal Reminiscences / Surgery & MedicineOne Comment

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Yes, I should have changed the title many posts back, but I got into a habit and simply forgot. Mea culpa, but I’ve not been at my best all the time. It may change again in future, but I’ll keep the numbering system, regardless. It hasn’t been about surgery for a long time (the actual date of the operation was August 20), and it’s been about recovery, rehab, physio, and occasionally about how the world has gone to hell in a handbasket, thanks primarily to the Dictator Trump and his malign fascist regime. Okay, it’s more about the former stuff, … click below for more ↓

Knee Surgery, 17

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Today (Wednesday) marks four weeks since my surgery. Some days it feels like it was a lot closer. Full recovery, I have been told, can take six to nine months, so I am barely limping along that path. Still, I feel I’ve accomplished some milestones so far. I need to get to 120° bend, and I’m just over 90°, so there’s a long way to go, a little bit every day. There are still days when I wonder if I made the right decision to go ahead with surgery. My scar is slowly smoothing itself out, and doesn’t quite look … click below for more ↓

Knee Surgery, 16

Daily life / Musings / Personal Reminiscences / Surgery & MedicineOne Comment

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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. And Kirk was certainly among the extremist fringe.* I also got a new book this … 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 political and social issue for me. Predatory capitalism has become the norm, and the rise … 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 Tire store next week. I’m not sure I’m quite up to shopping but the store … 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. Fortunately for my new knee, I only wiggled my hips. Kevin Spacey does a remarkable … 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 it possible for me to sleep on my side without discomfort. * Our appointment at … click below for more ↓

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