Mac & Cheese and New Knees

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knee replacement

This will be my final post for a few weeks. With the pain pills and the rehab I felt it was best to take care of one thing at a time.

On the other hand, with my mind drenched in the land of legal drugs it might create some interesting topics. Imagine Timothy Leary with his very own blog.

The possibilities would have been endless.

I will have some amazing guest bloggers filling in for me. They are talented and fun and super cool friends. I am really happy they are helping me out.

Since August I have prepared myself just in case a worst case scenario occurred. In my discussion with my surgeon she pulled no punches. She informed me there is a chance this may not work and if so my daily life would be in a wheelchair.

Since that day all kinds of emotions have danced around in this head of mine. Bummed, depressed, scared….pick your poison.

But recently I witnessed some things that turned my head in another direction.

Last week my wife and I visited the hospital where my surgery will take place. They took blood, checked my heart, poked this and that….the usual pre-op routine.

While we were there I found the cancer ward and walked through it. I took my time and watched as the young, the old and the somewhere in between passed by. I didn’t plan on this but something drew me to them.  

Some were too weak to walk while others were doing their best to get by. I made eye contact with everyone I saw and when they looked back they all smiled and said hello.

So I came home and realized it was just a knee. It wasn’t going to rob me of anything. It would not take away my imagination, my sense of humor or my inability to make macaroni and cheese.  

Trust me, you don’t want to go there.

The people I saw would have taken my bad knee over their current situation in a heartbeat. How nice it would be to give them their wish.

So off I go to rainy Portland, Oregon where a new knee awaits. I’m tempted to take my old knee and make a planter out of it. Maybe I can grow another lemon tree in it. For some reason I’m thinking bowling ball.

Now there’s a story idea.

Have a great week everyone. I’m a tad busy Friday morning so hold those calls. I’ll catch you on the rebound. Enjoy life and peace to you all.

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Published by Bryan J. Fagan

Author of the novel Dempsey's Grill. A romantic comedy that'll tug at your heart and keep you laughing. I'm also a short story writer, editor and full time dad. But not always in that order.

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23 thoughts on “Mac & Cheese and New Knees”

  4. Although I’d love to read what posts your drug-influenced brain may come up with, I think taking a break is the wiser choice. Best of luck for the surgery, and rest up 😊.

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  10. Oh Bryan, how is it that you so often make me cry. You are good, just so very good!!!! You and your new knee are going to be glorious!!!! I have a friend who got 2 new knees and she is so much better and happier and pain free now!!!!! Sending you love and healing and all that good stuff!!!!

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  11. My mum’s had both knees replaced now. Immediately following surgery she was in less pain that before it, so that’s a good sign. She told my nephews that her new bionic knee would make her run fast fast fast. They are small and were very taken by the idea, and couldn’t wait to challenge her to a race. She is not in fact any faster than before, but she walks easier, is in less pain, and has some pretty awesome scars that tell a fun story. The physio is no fun. You’ll be pedaling a bike half-way for a while. But it’s worth it. Our bodies are so remarkable! So here’s to a speedy recovery.

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  13. I’m glad that what you experience in the hospital gave you a new perspective. I think I somehow understand what you experienced because I had some close encounters with cancer and they gave me a new perspectives as well. Good luck with the surgery and recovery! Hope to read more updates soon!

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  17. We’ll be calling you Bionic Bryan after you get your new knee. I mentioned before my friend had a knee replacement in February and she is kicking herself (now that she can do that again) why she suffered for so long with cortisone shots and a cane … she is the same age as me, 62. Cheryl is back at the gym, riding an exercise bike, doing the treadmill, just right as rain. As to your trip through the cancer ward, I have a similar story. In the last three weeks, I’ve developed some type of issue with my left arm – I can’t reach behind my back or can’t reach up in a cupboard. Putting on my left coat sleeve is downright painful. I think quite frankly that it is too many hours at the computer has caused this, so a heating pad and a bag of frozen broccoli cuts have become my friends of late and hopefully it cures my ails. But, recently I was speaking to a neighbor I’d never met while the multiple linemen were up on the electric poles for our flickering lights. John introduced me to his wife … they are the same age as me. She is in her fourth year since diagnosis of dementia. She stared at the ground, would not make eye contact, started to cry for no reason – he tried to cheer her up by waving to her, like one would wave to a toddler. I walked away with the same feeling – she has literally lost her mind and he has lost his life partner and my heart just broke for this couple. It sure put things into perspective for me. Good luck with your surgery. You got that woman doctor ace!

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  21. For what it’s worth, I have many friends with new knees here in South Florida. Every single one of them is both glad they did it, and wishing they’d done it sooner. Re: the wheelchair thing. I once had correspondence with someone active in the disability community. I mentioned to him that my aunt had been confined to a wheelchair throughout her life. He gave me a very stern (but oh so necessary and eye-opening) lecture on how she was NOT confined, that the chair was a tool that she used in her daily life, just as someone else uses glasses, most of us use cars, some of us use hammers… I have since faced that as a potential need of my own, and using that mindset has made me feel much better about it. And while I hope it doesn’t come to that for you, my suggestion is to plan in advance which starship you’re going to use as your wheelchair decor theme. (I’m still undecided, but it’s fun planning.)

    Wishing you speedy healing, from the land of sun and new knees!

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