Here is something that I do not beleive that anybody has mentioned. When we ask, "Will my new knees be good enough?" we have to admit that presently, we have reached the end of the line with what God gave us---our knee, or knees, whether the case may be, is not only not doing what they are intended to do, they are actually causing us mental and physical pain. In short, we have decided ultimately that it is time to take the calculated risk or risks and move on in a different direction with entirely different knees. We are out of options
Will they be as good as our "birth" knees---no, not really close at all when our "birth" knees were in their prime. However, having lived so long in pain and in frustration of not being able to come close to enjoy our lives, they will, most likely, be more---much more---than "good enough."
My ROM is a tich under 130---not what it was when I was younger and had healthy knees, but with what I want to do now, and with how I am feeling now, they are much much better than what I had on November 7th, 2007, the day before I had my BTKR.
This is a terrible analogy, I know but years ago I took a grad class on chemical dependency. When does a chemically dependent person finally decide to make the necessary change? When they hit rock bottom. I believe that for many of us, the same thing is true with our knees. We hit rock bottom and were possibly depressed and in pain---not only physically, but also mentally---with the way our lives were heading.
We finally admitted that something had to be done; that something was some type of total joint replacement---albeit knee or hip. Drastic---darn right; but from where we were standing and where we were heading, that "drastic" gave us some hope, and so we took the "leap of faith" and here we are.
Will they be "good enough"? If you have been where many of us have been, in the depths of despair, they are not just "good enough"; they are spectacular.
Bluntly, when I was at that time of my life, faced with what was going on with me physically and mentally, I really didn't care if they were going to be "good enough." I simply did know that , given the amount of pain that i was in and the serious limitations put on my activity, they would be a heck of a lot better than what I had. Hey---I was told that I could sleep at night without pain; I could be pretty active with very few limitations; I could be happy again with who I am. Considering that I was at the bottom of the well, so to speak, and these new knees were going to help me climb out. What did I have to lose?
Do you still have options? Have you hit the bottom of the well?
Tim C.
United Kingdom
