Life is a marathon not a sprint

Change of plans...

 

 

No, I'm not going to start running again. I really wish. When I went to my doctor Wednesday to have my stitches out, I wanted him to tell me, "you know what, this really isn't all that bad.  Just run and stop and rest if it hurts."

 

He did take the stitches out, but he also spent a LOT of time talking to me about what to do next...what surgery to pick to "restore" my knee.

 

My options were: the meniscus transplant, or the partial knee replacement.

After surgery, I found out that the osteoarthritis is much worse than the imaging showed, and my previously repaired ACL is deficient and needs replacing as well.  This makes me a risky complicated meniscus transplant candidate.  The partial knee with ACL repair was the other option.

 

Honestly the meniscus transplant scared the shit out of me.  It's a gnarly (my friend Courtney's word), long surgery, with an extremely challenging recovery.  The partial knee, is a quick surgery and painful initial recovery, but I would be back to functioning decently very quickly if all went well.

 

So there was my decision. A no-brainer right?

 

Not so much apparently.  Dr. Z knew that I was leaning towards the prosthetic knee and he understood why, but he spent a lot of time Wednesday talking to me about the things I was not considering.  Talking to me about the inherent complications of artificial joints that carry just as many potential complications, and do not necessarily perform as well in young people based on the activity level and bone structure. He told me he understood the need and desire for a faster easier recovery, but assured me that it was not necessarily the best option for my long term function.  If I can get even 5 years out of a meniscus transplant (he's hoping 8-10), I will be a much more suitable candidate for a knee replacement, and the technology will likely have advanced even more by then to improve longevity of the prosthetic joint. 

So he sent me off to decide and said he would support whichever decision I made and operate accordingly.

 

I mentioned that the recovery from the meniscus transplant is horrendous right?  How do I decide something like that?  I called my dad who is signed up for his second artificial hip surgery this fall, and who is a scientist/critical thinker type and asked for his help.  I also called my OT friend who also has an artificial hip and knows PTs and other Ortho people, and asked for her advice.

 

 

 

 

And then I thought about the fact that I was afraid of the hard recovery work, and how unlike me that is.  I thought about my running and how I intentionally sought challenges that felt overwhelming simply to prove that once I said I was going to do something, I finished it.  I ran ultra-marathons not because they sounded easy and comfortable, but because I knew how bad-ass I would feel once I got myself, not only to the start, but across the finish.  If I can complete a Half-Ironman, I can face a complicated difficult surgery and tell myself that I will get through it and be better for it in the end.  I will learn lessons, and cry, and have to mentally talk myself through parts...but when I walk pain free 9 months later, knowing that I did what was medically advised, I will feel pretty damn bad-ass.

 

SO, surgery is scheduled for 11/2/17.  I will likely have to stay overnight one night, and will be non-weight bearing for 6 WEEKS!!!  Crutches for 6 WEEKS!!!

 

Yuck

 

But I will have forearms that will make Popeye jealous!

 

Total recovery is about 9 months, the first 3 months will suck pretty bad.  I am planning to make lots of meals to freeze in the meantime, find someone to clean the house for about 6 months, stock up on a million books to read, and get my left quads, glutes, hip muscles in the best shape possible leading up to it.

 

So that's the plan...I feel good about my decision and appreciate those who helped me make it.  I really appreciate Dr. Z and his PA Lisa who have spent an insane amount of time with me over email, in person, and by phone talking this over.  I am also delighted to know that based on my alignment x-rays taken Wednesday, I am in "perfect alignment" meaning that there will be no need to re-contour my bones during the surgery to ensure equal distribution of force across the transplanted meniscus.  It also means that being a runner did not cause this...my previous surgeries and injuries ultimately did.

 

 

That is all, thank you for reading and caring!