Knee Replacement: 16 Months Later

Yes, I can finally say that I have moments where I forget there is a titanium joint down there. People told me this day would come. I didn't believe them. I couldn't conceive of a day when I wasn't mentioning my knee replacement—with pride, I might add—to someone. Now? I think it's safe to say I'm basically over the excitement of the joint replacement journey. I'm past the point of being fascinated by the whole thing. I am not, however, past the point of being thankful. With the knee replacement, I breathed a sigh of relief. The horrendous pain was gone. The fears about my future were gone. Both were replaced by a metallic joint and what some would consider an ugly scar that should remain hidden from view. All I can say about the latter is I earned that scar (as well as the others from previous knee operations), I'm proud of that scar and I will never cover it up. Frankly, I'm not vain enough to worry about how that knee looks to other people. I think my admittedly gnarly-looking knee just adds character to my already admittedly quirky sense of style. Oh, who am I fooling? I have no serious sense of style. I just have a sense of the person I want to be. That person does not pretend to be perfect. I don't pretend to be anything.

So, yeah, the knee is great. There is pain, but it isn't worth discussing. I'm not hampered by the knee at all. At least, I don't think I am. When I do hesitate because of the knee, it's the result of my brain making me stop and assess. I usually turn the volume down on that little voice. I'm not trying to hear anything that makes me tentative. My life is probably half over now. I've got things to do, places to go and people to see. I refuse to be held back by irrational fears about a joint that's better than its been in decades. When I was at Cottons last week in overhead waves on a surf mat, I didn't think about my knee at all. Not once. It was after that session that I realized my knee and I have turned a corner. We are one.