Three Months: Stretch Goals
Why be happy with equilibrium when you can test your (knees') limits? This morning I took that longer walk I've been wanting to try. The stars aligned in an interesting way.
First, the weather was stellar: cool and clear. Next I met the pug and its owner again. The man lives in a house across the street from the one where I encountered them the other day. I surmise this because I saw him emerge from the house with his dog, walk across the street, and let the pooch relieve itself. Not really my business, but curious. In any event, he was downright friendly today with a "Good morning" and a nod. Perhaps the sight of me carrying a cane (unlike our first encounter) softened his attitude. Who knows? Carrying grudges not being my style, I waved and "Good Morning"ed right back. The pug looked friendly, too. So that was nice.
Then I ran into my sometime walking buddy who shares my love of morning coffee and she quipped, "Are you up for getting coffee?" I don't carry money on my walks, so demurred, but she said she'd spot me and I could pay her on the trip back. So coffee!
Aside from spending Sunday recovering from a busy Saturday without elevation or icing, my knees have been doing great. Even Lefty is now pain-free. At worst there's a minor little "catch" that's noticeable but not even close to pain. Walking is a joy, to be honest. So buddy and I set off for the Wawa.
I walk at a good pace now. A mile and a half takes me about 20-25 minutes. Downhill is a little harder than uphill, but the grades in this neighborhood aren't steep. The return trip, with a coffee in one hand and a cane in the other, was easy also. We went to my house, where I paid my debt, and sat on the screen porch to exchange recovery stories, neighborhood gossip, and stock tips. It was fun to do something so ordinary as walk to a neighborhood store for a cup of coffee. The knees were champs. Lefty got slightly tired at the end, but not sore. After buddy left to start her day, I started mine with... elevation and icing and watching Perry Mason on TV.
So I can walk almost 3 miles in one trip, which I wasn't sure of before. I'd done it (up to 4 miles) over the course of a day, but I'm interested in learning how far my knees will go. Maybe forever, for all I know. I'm not interested in causing myself pain, so I add distance cautiously... an extra block one week, an extra half-mile the next. I don't plan to walk across the country or anything as ambitious as that, but I'm convinced I will soon be walking my old, pre-arthritic knees route of 5 miles. Walking trips to the bank and the bakery, the post office and pharmacy, lie in my future. That was my activity goal for my surgery: to be able to walk again, through airports, to ball games, along the Ocean City boardwalk, and around new ports when we cruise. Take the grandchildren to Disney World.
Twelve weeks ago I was thrilled to walk to the bathroom or fetch my own bottle of water. Today I walked a couple of miles for a decent cup of coffee. Life is good.
United States
But if I ever do, I'll post a picture. 
- I will not follow the edict of course but do want to make some progress in the next three months to get him off my back, er knee.
