I had an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon the other day, and now I have a date for the replacement of my right knee: January 3. That’s not long from now. I am as nervous as one might expect with a major surgery coming up. I am also excited about what comes after the recovery.
I have been suffering with osteoarthritis for years at this point, and I knew over a year ago that surgery was the only option I had left. Unfortunately, I had to lose weight first. Fortunately, I had a roux-en-y gastric bypass last spring and that hurdle has been cleared.
My time has come. I hope that between this surgery and the PT that follows, I will be able to perhaps put off the replacement of my left knee. My end game is to be able to hike again and maybe even take up cycling or other athletic pursuits for the first time.
I was always the slowest and the last picked in gym class. I have never felt like I had the kind of body awareness or control that other people seem to come by naturally. On top of that, I had hyperflexible joints in childhood that actually caused a number of injuries. In retrospect, perhaps it really wasn’t so surprising that I developed disabling arthritis at a relatively young age. I ended up rejecting athleticism for academics, the side of school I was much better at. I developed a mindset that the two things were somehow exclusive, despite very obvious evidence to the contrary.
Now in my 50s, I realize that the fitness and health people were onto something. This body is my only presence in the physical world. While I do believe in a soul (or something like it), I also realize that for this lifetime, this body is me. I fully intend to do whatever it takes to get it into better shape and keep it that way for as long as I can.
If the new healthy eating and exercise regimens stick, and especially if I start hiking and camping again, that should also help my mental health. There’s only positive to reap from trying my best.
I know I am pinning a lot of hope on this surgery. I know I am taking a leap of faith. I also know that my current quality of life is not that great because of the pain and mobility issues I face every single day. If this helps, it is worth it. If it doesn’t, then what’s a little more suffering at this point?
I got a lot of pushback from family members when I said I was going to have bariatric surgery, but I did it anyway. I have no regrets, even with all the adjustments I have had to make to when and how I eat. For this surgery, I have everyone’s support. I was surprised that I didn’t get more pushback about putting off starting a job in favor of getting this surgery done. I’m just glad everyone is positive on this one.
The Mia Experiment 