When I was a boy and would spend most of the summers at my grandparent’s home I noticed that grandma’s hand and fingers didn’t look like mine.  They were very much deformed and crooked with knots.  When I was old enough to understand, I found out that she had arthritis, Rheumatoid arthritis.  They tell us that a majority of folks will have arthritis in some form if we live long enough.  It is a painful condition that cripples young and old alike.

 

 I hadn’t given much thought to any arthritis since I never hurt unless I bumped into something.  Basically, I was always healthy and had no particular illnesses other than the common cold.  When I was fifty two I began to have symptoms that made me go to see my family doctor.  One morning when I woke up, I couldn’t straighten my left leg.  I forced it open to the normal walking position.  This concerned me and I made the appointment to see the doctor.

 

After x-rays were taken, he told me that I had osteoarthritis in the knee and to take aspirin or any over the counter painkiller that I could tolerate for the discomfort and inflammation.  Within a few weeks the right knee did about the same thing and I was back to see the doctor again, only my second visit in over twenty-five years.  Again the diagnosis was osteoarthritis in the right knee with the same recommendations.

 

Over the next few month the pain became excruciating and I made an appointment with an orthopedic doctor.  After examining me he recommended physical therapy.  He concluded my quadriceps was weak and I would need the therapy to gain strength and mobility in both my knees.  He gave me the prescription for the therapy and soon I was in the clinic doing several exercises and stretches designed to strengthen my quads.

 I went to therapy three times a week for about six weeks and each time I went came away with more pain than I had before I went.  I complained to the surgeon and he put me on Viox with no noticeable effect, then Celebrex, and the same result.  While I was taking these medications I was also trying glucosamine and chondrotin to no avail.  Finally, my doctor did an MRI and it was determined the meniscus in both my knees were torn and he scheduled me for arthroscopic surgery, he would repair both knees at the same time.

 

The surgery was scheduled and performed and I went home the same day.  I only thought that I had experienced pain but following the arthroscopic procedure, the pain was almost unbearable especially the first night.  The doctor had written me a prescription for a narcotic painkiller but I was terrified of taking this type of medication.  I took only half the recommended dose before going to bed for the evening.  After laying in bed in severe pain and unable to get comfortable enough to fall asleep my wife told me that I should go ahead and take the other half of my prescription. I was in so much pain that I was in tears and followed the wisdom of her advice. Pretty soon the medication took hold and I went to sleep caressed in the arms of my wife smothered by her sweet tender butterfly kisses.  I didn’t take but one more dose of that medication and the rest stayed in the medicine cabinet until I was well enough to flush it down the commode.

 

After recovering from the arthroscopic surgery, the doctor sent me back into physical therapy.  This time a new approach was taken but he was adamant, my quads were still weak and I must force myself to do the exercises.  My knees still hurt and by now only a couple of months after my surgery I began to hear crunchy crackling noises in my knees when I walked.  You could easily hear me walking into a room and reminded one of stepping on bubble wrap, you know the material used in packaging breakable merchandise and the pain was excruciating.  I avoided stairs if I could and I just hated to get up or sit down because each time I did my knees would hurt so badly.  Sometimes I would be lying in bed on my back with my legs stretched completely out. As sleep would begin to take over and my body would begin to relax from the stress of pain, the knees would be released from the position of being bound and suddenly drop to their normal position.  When this happened it was like someone hit me with a sledge hammer.

I was used to getting up in the early morning, showering, and having breakfast all in a twenty to thirty minute span; since my knees had started giving trouble my time doubled.  Just walking became a dreaded chore.  I called my doctor and told him that I had to have some relief.  When I went in for the appointment, he told me that he had done all that he could do with my knees and that he would schedule me an appointment with the surgeon in the practice that did knee replacements.  I had suspected this for sometime and was somewhat relieved at his suggestion.

 

The surgeon counseled me that although I was relatively young for a total knee replacement the expected outcome would eliminate my pain.  Since both my knees were equally afflicted I decided to have both mine replaced at the same time.  This was a decision that I have not regretted.

 

My surgeon sent me to physical therapy again but this time it was to build my upper body strength and prepare for the recovery of the knee replacements.  Six weeks of pre-rehab is what they call it and it was tough.  I looked forward to the day I could have my surgery, the pain was that intense.  I might add here that being in constant pain is a depressing situation and I had become very depressed and almost out of patience.  Total knee replacements surgery is not without risk.  My doctors were careful to explain this side of the surgery as well as the benefits.   

 

On February 28, 2003 I entered the orthopedic ward of the hospital on Sunday evening for indoctrination into joint camp.  At the hospital, this was a fairly new program with a hall devoted strictly to joint replacements.  They said we weren’t really sick and they didn’t treat us as though we were sick.  This didn’t mean they skimped on our care because they didn’t.  We got our blood pressure and vitals taken regularly and even more immediately following our return to our rooms from the surgery.

 

Within two hours after coming up from my joint replacements, the staff had me standing beside my bed and walking a few steps.  Being able to stand and walk after just having both your legs almost cut in two is really a morale and confidence booster.  With the nerve blocks that they give you, there was absolutely no pain.

 

I began to get a little woozy and thought I was going to faint and the staff quickly got me back into my bed.  Another doctor had just come into the room and had begun to examine my hands, feet and other joints that weren’t wrapped up.  He introduced himself as a Rheumatologist and told me he had been asked to come in as a consulting physician because it was suspected that I had rheumatoid arthritis.  Further examination and blood work confirmed the diagnosis.

 

For the next four days the people who had joint replacement surgery were treated like kings and queens.  We went to therapy twice a day, our progress was written on a board recording our daily gains in mobility measured in degrees of motion in bending and straitening our legs and we were able to encourage those having difficulty who were not making as much progress as others; we were given shampoos, and on Thursday a special celebration banquet of steak and coconut shrimp was provided.

 

I had told my surgeon if I felt good on banquet night I would have my son Gary to come to the hospital and after the banquet we would pick and grin for the event.  He was a novice guitar player and said he might like to join us.  As it turned out I did feel fine, and my wife brought Gary and an old guitar and mandolin and we had a knee hopping jamboree at Joint Camp.  My wife’s brother was there visiting me and we sang a couple of our favorite hymns.  The folks in joint camp, their spouses and the hospital staff all said they had enjoyed the songs and music as well.  On Friday we graduated by getting into a simulated car and stepping up one step.

 

After going home, we each were to get a walker, preferably one with wheels and a set of therapeutic exercises that would make our recovery complete.  Most of us had the help of a visiting physical therapist who would come to our homes and help us with other exercises and monitor our progress.  Another nurse would come to our homes and monitor our coumadin levels for the next three weeks.  With knee and hip replacement comes a higher risk of deep knee thrombosis and the coumadin a blood thinner decreases that risk.

 

After three weeks even with my staples still in, was able to walk up and down the stairs of my home and my range of motion were in acceptable levels that I could bend my knees well and straiten my leg to the zero degree mark.  I had pushed myself and my recovery had amazed the therapist who had come to my home to help me.  After going to some therapy to add strength I was released to go back to work, only having been out for about four months.

 

Achy bones is the name my wife gave to me when we were jokingly trying to come up with a name for our little music group and I guess it was an appropriate name at the time.  Since then, my rheumatologist has been treating me with new drugs and shots and my rheumatoid arthritis is now considered in remission.

 

As I said, I do not regret having my knee replacements.  Today there are new implants that give more mobility and there is even the talk of someday the body itself will be able to repair itself by growing new cartilage.  New advancements are continuously being developed but for now total joint replacement is an effective and popular option.