The Saga of the Knee...

Most people who undergo knee surgery typically have to due to a sports injury. Tennis. Hockey. Football. Track. You get the idea.

I am not most people.

Let me tell you the story...

One fine (100+degree hot) summer day in Texas, oh, about eighteen years ago, I was mowing my backyard. I have a decent-sized yard by subdivision standards, and I was almost done with the last section.

I was sweaty, tired, and ready to be done with this particular job.

I barreled down one of the last strips of grass with my trusty mower and all of a sudden, a swarm of yellow jackets rose from the ground and went after me.

If I wrote about this in a book, no one would believe it was true. I'm glad no one was around to grab footage of my reaction.

(Multiply this dude/dudette by many, many yellow jackets)

I twisted to run away from the swarming evil creatures, who apparently had a nest in the ground and I'd harshed their zen and they had thoughts about that, and I felt something give (read: tear) in my knee. After staggering to the house and treating the stings, I decided to give the knee some time to heal.

It didn't need time, it needed surgery. Torn meniscus. Surgery #1. My surgeon informed me that the meniscus would most likely tear again, I'd eventually get arthritis in the joint, and would probably need a knee replacement in the future.

Two surgeries later, a diagnosis of arthritis in the joint, two bone spurs that look like devil horns on either side of the knee, and bone damage due to a lack of cartilage, and I'm having left knee replacement surgery on October 23rd.

I'm dreading the surgery and its PT aftermath, but it will be nice to be able to go up and down a set of stairs without looking like a toddler (hold the rail, bring one foot down on the step, then bring down the next one. Repeat as necessary for each step in the staircase.)

The only good thing to come out of all of this is that my husband and son now mow the grass.

I hope they don't expect me and my new knee to pick up the job again...the yellow stripey things are waiting for me.