Get out and go... while you still can! (A whiney rant)
We have been planning our dream trip for several years now. For the first time since we retired this was to be the summer we could finally get away from May first through September. We were planning on a clockwise trip in our 22' TT around the western half of the lower 48 starting with a month in Utah, on to Northern California and Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, the Dakotas etc., you get the idea. :B
Last October I had full knee replacement surgery at the Tucson VA. We were told to expect 3 months to recuperate. After 5.5 months of intensive, excruciatingly painful rehab/physical therapy I simply was not getting better. The knee remained swollen, tender, painful and most of all very warm to the touch. I suggested to my surgeon in January that it would seem that the knee was infected but he assured me there was no infection and urged me to continue PT/rehab. After another month with no improvement I implored him to consider treating the infection (that I did not have according to him), and again he examined the knee and while he agreed something was wrong he had no idea what. :h
After another month of getting jerked around I finally got him to agree to a second opinion. On April first I finally see a second surgeon. He looks at my knee, makes a very unpleasant face, lays his hand on it and says "You have a nasty infection going there". Hooray I thought, now they can give me antibiotics, the infection along with the swelling goes away and I'll be good as new in a couple of weeks. Still have time to meet our May first departure.
Then he explains that the knee has to come out and the sooner the better. Mere antibiotics won't do it and since the infection has been present for at least 3 months it will take at least that long to clear it out. It gets better... they cannot put in a new knee until the infection is gone so they will remove the first new knee, put a "spacer" in to take its place and immobilize my leg for the three months. Then they will do a second surgery to remove the spacer and put in another new knee followed by at least 3 months of rehab/PT. Bottom line, I am looking two additional surgeries with a recovery period something north of 6 more months. All the pain and misery I have been through over the last 6 months have been for absolutely nothing and have left me far worse off than I started. :M
The trip has disappeared and due to health concerns my bride has, may have been our one and only opportunity to ever go. The point being getup, get out and go. I should have found a way last year or the year before but let the little things like time and money get in the way, my bad! I should have made this trip a higher priority and foolishly may have let it slip from my grasp. Maybe next year, maybe. :S
Last October I had full knee replacement surgery at the Tucson VA. We were told to expect 3 months to recuperate. After 5.5 months of intensive, excruciatingly painful rehab/physical therapy I simply was not getting better. The knee remained swollen, tender, painful and most of all very warm to the touch. I suggested to my surgeon in January that it would seem that the knee was infected but he assured me there was no infection and urged me to continue PT/rehab. After another month with no improvement I implored him to consider treating the infection (that I did not have according to him), and again he examined the knee and while he agreed something was wrong he had no idea what. :h
After another month of getting jerked around I finally got him to agree to a second opinion. On April first I finally see a second surgeon. He looks at my knee, makes a very unpleasant face, lays his hand on it and says "You have a nasty infection going there". Hooray I thought, now they can give me antibiotics, the infection along with the swelling goes away and I'll be good as new in a couple of weeks. Still have time to meet our May first departure.
Then he explains that the knee has to come out and the sooner the better. Mere antibiotics won't do it and since the infection has been present for at least 3 months it will take at least that long to clear it out. It gets better... they cannot put in a new knee until the infection is gone so they will remove the first new knee, put a "spacer" in to take its place and immobilize my leg for the three months. Then they will do a second surgery to remove the spacer and put in another new knee followed by at least 3 months of rehab/PT. Bottom line, I am looking two additional surgeries with a recovery period something north of 6 more months. All the pain and misery I have been through over the last 6 months have been for absolutely nothing and have left me far worse off than I started. :M
The trip has disappeared and due to health concerns my bride has, may have been our one and only opportunity to ever go. The point being getup, get out and go. I should have found a way last year or the year before but let the little things like time and money get in the way, my bad! I should have made this trip a higher priority and foolishly may have let it slip from my grasp. Maybe next year, maybe. :S
