Thursday, July 4, 2013

News, stress, trauma, and a bad knee

Well, the first week that school was out for the summer... I continued taking my visiting friend from England around the area... got too busy to post photos.  We had some great meals and we both left for the airport a few days ago.   We didn't do some of the things that I had wanted to do-- because of my knee- but, my friend did manage to spend all of her money and had some great food/meals.   I even got bread from the local bakery a couple of times.   *I did take photos for blog entries.

I had an injured knee... and even though I am not a doctor nor do I play one on TV... I knew it warranted a visit to a knee surgeon simply because... I was having such difficulty and pain walking - especially stairs.

I couldn't do as much traveling with my friend while she was here and I would have liked... but, I figured it was because I had 're-torn' my knee from last year.

Saw the surgeon, got a MRI and saw the surgeon again and he gave me the news a couple of days ago.

It is way worse than a torn ligament... my knee is so bad that it couldn't be repaired in the normal manner-- I am going to have a complete knee replacement on Monday!  Shocked was my reaction!

Eleven years ago, I tore the ligaments in this same knee... helping someone move.  I felt it tear as I was going down the stairs carrying a heavy box and I shifted the weight on one knee as they yelled for me to stop on the stairs as they were carrying down some heavy furniture.   So, I did stop at the landing about mid-way down-- shifted the weight of the box on my hip and I felt the tear.   A few months later, I got that knee repaired with surgery for the torn ligaments.

Everything was fine... until last year... when I had the same feeling in my knee from again... carrying heavy stuff up/down stairs.   Saw the surgeon and had knee surgery to repair the torn knee ligaments.

Flash forward (or back) to October 2012... and my unexpected move from Germany to Italy ... for my lung health... since, I constantly had pneumonia in the 7 month long winters of Germany... and again... I injured my knee while carrying heavy boxes up/down the stairs.   Actually, the knee wasn't completely well from the summer surgery and I had flown back to Germany the 15th day after surgery and started teaching only 4 weeks after surgery... walking/standing all day as an art teacher to 700 children per week.

So, the knee really never did heal from last summer's surgery.

So, I'll be out of commission starting Monday... July 8 as I have total knee replacement surgery.   I do have some knitting with me and a couple of library books to read.   I also have a book;  that I need to read for my final college class that I have to take for my renewal accreditation.   I will also be very busy doing PT for my knee surgery recovery.   As far as I know... I won't have a computer to use but... I will post when I can.

Wish me well and my knee well too.