Gentlemen and INSIDIOUS:

Well I’ve done it now, I’ve taken my first major step toward being a bionic man. And a semi-painful step it was. It happened yesterday, I did my second physical therapy session today, and it’s going to be hard and slow going. But I have it on good report from numerous people that I will be pretty happy with it.

I like my doctor a lot, the vibe is very good, man. And we have a thing in common. The office he was at when I first encountered him was a block up the street from a now defunct coffeehouse that had an excellent open mic. Somehow I mentioned that I was a regular there and he told me he had just started learning the guitar. I am an old hand at that stuff, I used to teach group classes through Seattle’s Experimental College.

I am really optimistic for my knee, my health was pretty good going into this, for 70 years old I am a tough guy. I have numerous first-hand reports from people who have been really happy with their new knees. Word is they will last 15 to 20 years which might be longer than I will last. Luckily for me, my left one was significantly stronger than the right, I would hate to do both at the same time. My doctor says he never does that anyway, too much risk of complication. A good friend did both at once, but his were in horrible shape, and his outcome is very good.

I’m not sure what make and model my knee joint is, I suspect there are competing technologies. I will learn of that soon no doubt, I didn’t inquire going in because I figured it would be too much to navigate. I have good faith in my doctor, and that’s an important ingredient.

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Te futueo et caballum tuum

1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

The pain for gain replacement.

Knee replacements seem in general to work out well. Better this way from the amount of discomfort involved.

Hear they are no walk in the park initially. So to speak. During the immediate aftermath.

Hope it's a speedy recovery!

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I'd rather argue against a hundred idiots, than have one agree with me. — Winston Churchill

Well dang ! Who Knew? No wonder you get so cranky


Congrats on the parts upgrade.

I like mine. I think if your knees are good enough you can do a half at a time. Outpatient,

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

A buddy of mine got them both done at once, but both of his were pretty bad. My doctor said he does not do them both at once ever. Too great a risk of complication. Apparently the chances of blood clotting goes up when you do both at once. Plus, oh my God, you’d need to have a full-time nurse for a month or so. It’s a challenge just having one leg this badly impaired.

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Te futueo et caballum tuum

1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

I didn’t opt for the supercharger. Too expensive, and my chassis probably couldn’t handle it anyway.

But yeah, it was getting time. Just two days before surgery I had one of those episodes where you almost fall over the pain is so bad. Wasn’t a regular occurrence, but I was often limping by the end of the day.

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Te futueo et caballum tuum

1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

Thanks! I’m going to be diligent with the physical therapy.

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Te futueo et caballum tuum

1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

My wife had both knees done at the same time. She walked out the next day. They won't discharge from the hospital until you can climb a small set of stairs. She did pretty well with it. She just got home yesterday from having a total shoulder replacement and she is very uncomfortable.

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Tony H
W111 280SE 3.5 Coupe
Manual transmission

Past cars:
Porsche 914 2.0
'64 Jaguar XKE Roadster
'57 Oval Window VW
'71 Toyota Hilux Pickup Truck-Dad bought new
'73 Toyota Celica GT

I’ve heard aftermarket can be better than OEM in cases like this…best wishes for a speedy recovery .

HAH!

I hope that’s the case. I’ll tell you what though, I am reliving some of my greatest moments on the B-ball court. I didn’t really realize just how blessed I was. My OEM was not half bad. I remember when I was about 23 I had maybe my best year. I would dominate games all the time, I got pretty cocky about it. But I also recall around age 40 I started taking the game up again and had some great games. I recall the many, many days that I never had a second thought about going to the gym. Good Lord, I wish I could have some of those days back.

But hey, no crying in basketball.

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Te futueo et caballum tuum

1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

Here’s to getting back on the court soon!

Whoa, she sounds like one tough lady. I had rotator cuff surgery in 2016. I thought I had a mild muscle pull in my shoulder and it pissed me off. I had to do something heavy one day and oh my God the pulling and tearing that I felt inside, I never want to experience that again. I am really conscious now of pain that seems like tendon pain. It’s not the same thing as muscle pain.

I was very lucky, I somehow managed to get a spot on the dance card of Dr. Kenneth Akizuki, the team physician for the San Francisco Giants. I liked him the minute I saw him, just a great vibe, really strong and confident guy. He showed me something in the MRI and said if we don’t fix that within the next 30 days a couple of years from now I’d be dreaming about a full shoulder replacement. At the time my reading had it that it was the riskiest of the joint replacements in terms of failure.

I was researching the issue and ran across some web articles by an old friend/physician, Dr. Frederick Matsen III. Speaking of B-ball, in ‘77 while playing in a pick-up game at the University of Washington rec center I broke my left fib and tib, snapped like dry branches. Made a hell of a noise, I think I did it with my own muscles or rather the momentum that my muscles provided. I was running full speed up court and planted and went up hard for a rebound. I heard the snapping noise while in the air. Somehow I knew something was up, I landed on my right leg, tumbled down to my butt, reached down and lifted my leg up just below the knee. I had a new joint midway down my shin. Shocking stuff, no question what had happened, I was just lucky the bones didn’t pierce the flesh.

Turns out I was really fortunate that this happened maybe a mile from the UW Hospital where Dr. Matsen was one of the heads of the orthopedic department. He said that with sensors they could measure the pressure in my leg and that it presented a statistical likelihood of 20% of either losing the foot or the death of a muscle or two which would result in permanent limp.

It’s called compartment syndrome, fascia encloses various muscle groups and is less flexible than the muscles themselves. It’s why throughout millennia bad leg breaks often result in amputation. The swelling cuts off circulation and gangrene sets in. Years later I read about a promising lady basketball player with a similar break who lost her foot because they hadn’t caught compartment syndrome in time.

He was needing a subject for a training video and I agreed to it. A year later on a special occasion (long story) he let me see the video. Just a great guy. Around ‘97 I drove cab in San Francisco briefly. Once I had some orthopedic surgeons in the cab who were in town for a convention, I told them my story and they said he was a world expert on compartment syndrome.

I go on with this long story because turns out he moved up to shoulder surgery and is still doing full shoulder replacement. Not sure, but I would guess he is at least 80 to 85, his website says he does 200 operations a year.

Long story short, highly recommended.

*ETA* I discovered he’s 78 years old.

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Te futueo et caballum tuum

1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

just be sure to get the right ones !!!

At eighty years old I almost want to suggest to the young jogger that goes by the house early every morning. Weather permitting for years now.

She should check if the jogging wears joints excessively. Younger ladies will talk to me easily. Perhaps at eighty I do not look like a serial killer.

We have this frequent timing issue. I go down to get the mail or am just leaving the driveway. It is amazing to me we seem to meet more times than coincidence would indicate as possible Yet that is all it is.

We guys never really change though. She looks in great condition for horizontal jogging. I suspect without knowing that all her parts are still original as well.