metalheart
member
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2012
- Messages
- 230
- Age
- 79
- Location
- East of Sacramento
- Country
- United States
- Gender
- Male
It has been awhile since I posted here, although I have checked in semi-regularlry to browse topics. My last posts were about ambivalence about the "right time" for a TKR for my particular situation and I have post-poned the surgery twice in the past four years. However, I have decided that it is time and I am scheduled for January 5th. My pre-op physcial, cardiology clearance, and x-rays are all done and I only have the dentist and pre-op with the doc to complete. The pre-op physical doc expressed some concern about my cardiac condition, although my cardiologist expressed no concern about the surgery. To satisfy the pre-op physical doc I may have to have an echo-cardiogram.
So here is how I came to this point. I have had significant pain in my right knee since 2010. It has degenerated over time to the bone-bone condition. I am an active 70 year old with 7 hill-side acres of rocks and weeds to maintain. For exercise I cycle about 6,000 miles a year with about 250k feet of climbing. Not as many miles as some my age, but it works for me. Cycling has been in important for my cardiac health: I have had two heart attacks resulting in five stents in two different arteries. I believe cycling has contributed to keeping me alive, so any threat to continuing to cycle raises my anxiety. Although I have continued to cycle these past four years, the number of days when my knees hurts has increased. And, I am compromised in other activities, but I have been willing to accept those compromises if I could continue to cycle.
My ambivalence has focused around the chance that cycling could be seriously compromised post-surgery. Although there are plenty of success stories about TKR and among those are folks -- several here --- who cycle higher mileage, there are also examples of less than successful surgery that inhibit exercise. My past evaluation was that I was willing to live with compromises in other parts of my life if I could continue to cycle.
With the "70" number looming ahead of me and some decrease in my cycling comfort and ability, I decided that now is the time: I am in good overall health, my knee pain and instability is increasing faster than I expected, and I found a surgeon who understands my needs for cycling post-surgery.
I think I am ready, although like most of you who have gone before, anxiety about the surgery itself and the recovery process seems to increase as the surgery date comes near. I have been cycling 2-4 times a week, visiting the gym for leg and upper body strength exercise, and getting the house ready for the post-op recovery.
We all seem to come to a tipping point when life circumstances, health, pain, and other factors indicate that it is time. It took me four years, visiting four different surgeons, and my spouse enduring endless hours of conversations and "ouches" as I ambulated around the house and yard. I think she is as ready as I am, maybe more so
So here is how I came to this point. I have had significant pain in my right knee since 2010. It has degenerated over time to the bone-bone condition. I am an active 70 year old with 7 hill-side acres of rocks and weeds to maintain. For exercise I cycle about 6,000 miles a year with about 250k feet of climbing. Not as many miles as some my age, but it works for me. Cycling has been in important for my cardiac health: I have had two heart attacks resulting in five stents in two different arteries. I believe cycling has contributed to keeping me alive, so any threat to continuing to cycle raises my anxiety. Although I have continued to cycle these past four years, the number of days when my knees hurts has increased. And, I am compromised in other activities, but I have been willing to accept those compromises if I could continue to cycle.
My ambivalence has focused around the chance that cycling could be seriously compromised post-surgery. Although there are plenty of success stories about TKR and among those are folks -- several here --- who cycle higher mileage, there are also examples of less than successful surgery that inhibit exercise. My past evaluation was that I was willing to live with compromises in other parts of my life if I could continue to cycle.
With the "70" number looming ahead of me and some decrease in my cycling comfort and ability, I decided that now is the time: I am in good overall health, my knee pain and instability is increasing faster than I expected, and I found a surgeon who understands my needs for cycling post-surgery.
I think I am ready, although like most of you who have gone before, anxiety about the surgery itself and the recovery process seems to increase as the surgery date comes near. I have been cycling 2-4 times a week, visiting the gym for leg and upper body strength exercise, and getting the house ready for the post-op recovery.
We all seem to come to a tipping point when life circumstances, health, pain, and other factors indicate that it is time. It took me four years, visiting four different surgeons, and my spouse enduring endless hours of conversations and "ouches" as I ambulated around the house and yard. I think she is as ready as I am, maybe more so