When I checked into my Facebook page this morning I found a reminder of two posts I had done a while back. The first was posted five years ago when I had just emerged from surgery for my second knee replacement, having had my first knee replacement three years prior to that. Ironically, the second post was from exactly two years later and was about my grandkids and me downhill skiing. This should serve as inspiration to anyone in or nearing the process of this type of surgery, the message being don’t wait so long that you give up something you love because your knees are telling you no.

For me, these posts are a reminder of what lies ahead and that once again I will have to put in the work to regain activities that are currently being withheld. Back in May, thanks to my impatience, I suffered a severe injury to my shoulder. Though I have been doing PT for the injury, I was recently told that I will not progress much further without a shoulder replacement. It was good to be reminded by these two old posts that recovery is doable if I stick to the PT. There will again be days of discomfort, but also days of progress if I am willing to stick to the plan. I admire the PT doctors who provide the plan, the patience, and the hope. As an aside, in one of my recent visits, my PT doctor asked if I had any questions. I said I did and asked, ” Will I be able to ski?” Her reply was to ask me when I planned on doing that. As I told her December or early January, she said, “You overestimate me. If you had a cast on your arm and you were wearing a sling, would you go skiing?” My reply was, “You underestimate me.” As we both shared a laugh, I admitted that I might have tried her patience.

My surgery will take place in February and I do have hope. Some of that hope comes from the surgeon who convinced me of the need, my PT doctor who promises to give me the plan and encouragement to work my way back, my wife who will once again become my support and healing presence, and a little bit of myself as I will grit my teeth and get to work of healing.

All of these replacements could leave me feeling broken and vulnerable, but I choose to look at them from the aspect of a finely tuned sports car. Even it needs a few new parts along the way.