Second thoughts?

[Laurenkate]

Ohhhhhh…...that's the other great thing about a btkr or tkr - especially if you have it done later in the year. The handicap parking permit makes life sooooo much easier around Christmas if you have to get out and shop. My daughter lives in a small town which doesn't have enough parking so being able to use the permit there has been great too. Sometimes I feel selfish using it and don't if there is only one space available (or unless i'm in a lot of pain) but it's made life a little more bearable at times too.

 

[lovetocookandsew]

I had to get a permanent handicapped placard for my car some years back as getting the temporary renewed every six months was difficult for me. My PCP knew all the struggles I'd gone through and would still be going through, and agreed I needed a permanent one. I am looking forward to the day when I can once again park at the back of a parking lot and walk the entire distance into places like Sam's and Costco, and to top it off, walk around the entire store instead of using the electric carts. That's one of my many goals-to no longer need my handicapped plates!

 

[semperfam]

Can I say that we are currently walking through this very same feeling/thought process? However, something the surgeon said really stuck out to us-he said, "No one should have to live with the daily pain, grinding, and locking if there is something that can be safely done about it." No one considers BKTR unless their other option is not viable any longer. Blessings to you as you prepare for your surgery, and we are rooting for your recovery!

 

[beachy]

@semperfam Semper Fi! We are a USMC family too! Do you have an actual date for your BTKR this month or was it already done?
Does this sound familiar? "pain is weakness leaving the body" Yeah, maybe in boot camp.

handicapped permit.....I will get one, but probably won't use it in the beginning. Christmas shopping will be mostly online and hubs can do the rest. But, OH how I will miss strolling through BJ's and Costco for awhile.

 

[semperfam]

@ beachy:
In retrospect, my husband should have retired from the military far earlier than he did (20+ years) because of the knee injuries. The pain was talking to him-and he just kept going-hahaha!

July 20th is his surgery date.

 

[beachy]

@semperfam that sounds about right. Please thank him for his service. It's been a wild ride deployment-wise for us.

 

[semperfam]

@ beachy-You, too. My husband deployed 9 months/year up until the day he retired. It is hard, hard on families.

 

[beachy]

@semperfam I have to say that when I started this post I was having a "down the rabbit hole" moment. I'm usually pretty upbeat about the forthcoming BTKR. The wonderful folks here got me back up and reinforced that it needs to be done and life will be better for it. I was scheduled in May, but decided to enjoy the summer and it was best to wait for insurance reasons. Well, I waited too long, it's getting worse. I can see the beach, but can't walk on it. Your husband is making the right decision. The knees only get worse, not better.

 

[beachy]

@lovetocookandsew I just had a vision of me driving an electric cart through Costco. With my legs up on a double wide Lounge Doctor and 2 polar ice machines....1 for each leg.

 

[lovetocookandsew]

@beachy Thanks for my laugh of the day!

 

[beachy]

You are very welcome Miss Kim!

 

[Laurenkate]

Everyone in our town drives big SUVs and the majority of them don't seem capable of parking in the middle of the space. I've needed the permit just to simply get in and out of the car sometimes because people will park so close to either the driver's or passenger sides. There have been a couple of times where I could manage to get into my seat but couldn't open the door enough to get my leg into the car. Sat in the car (almost in tears) for about 30 minutes one time because I was literally stuck and stayed that way until the woman next to me came out and moved her car.

The size of the parking spaces now are a lot like the toilets in businesses. You don't realize how small, narrow, or low to the ground these things are until trying to navigate them.

 

[lovetocookandsew]

@Laurenkate I hear that. I drive an SUV and park it in our garage. Hubby decided a while back that he wanted to park his car in the garage also. That meant that I now have to struggle to get in and out of my car as my space has been reduced by half. It drives (pun intended) me nuts, not to mention hurts getting into, but especially out of, my car. And sometimes he is careless with where he parks his car, moving it too close to my area, so it's even harder to get in and out. I've had to park in the driveway more than once, or go get him and have him re-park. We have tennis ball markers, so he knows exactly where he needs to park, but doesn't pay attention sometimes. He has been stubborn on this point due to the weather outside and he says I am still able to get in and out of my car. He's generally good about these things but has been a pain about this issue for some reason.

 

[beachy]

@Laurenkate never thought about that....how close SUVs park to other cars. Another good reason for handicapped tag!

 

[SusieShoes]

It's true pivoting on your leg(s) to get out of a car can be difficult, if not impossible, at first. Very tight spaces will not be something you want to get into. For a few months whenever Mr. Shoes and I went to downtown Philadelphia for the theater, the parking lot we use has super tight spots (gotta love big city multi-level parking) so he would let me out by an exit and go park in a spot on that floor. Then when it was time to leave he would get the car and fetch me on the way back down. Not as easy to do if driving yourself, though.

 

[beachy]

@SusieShoes that's pretty much what we've been doing for several months. It gets old. For hubs sake it would be nice to park close enough to an entrance. He's been really great about fetching the car. And not just the car. I might start calling him "Go Fetch".