It's only taken a year, but today I finally asked, "What did you really do when you gave me my total knee replacement?" Here's a condensed version of Dr. Tad's response:
"We put a tourniquet on your thigh and cut your knee open. We take several measurements of your knee bone(s) to make sure we have the right measurement. Then we go to our replacement samples and find the perfect fit. We bend your knee up and down to make sure the new parts work. If all looks good, we go to the actual knee replacement parts that are sterilized and sealed, open the right package, put it in and make sure it works once again. Then we glue it in and sew you up."
Note: We so did not discuss what kind of saw he used when he sawed my bones off.
There were more comments and a lot of laughter in there. Then I asked, "Why was my surgery so fast?" His kind response, "Because your knee was so easy to get to. Imagine if someone were three-hundred pounds . . ." More laughter.
So I'm done. It may take another year for all the aches and pains to go away. But they are happy with my new right knee and I am satisfied. I can walk again.
My job? Don't run on it, use a thick towel when kneeling on it, and take antibiotics for all dental work and colonoscopies.
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