I’m feeling nostalgic and more a little picqued. Twelve weeks post knee replacement, I long to resume my healthy lifestyle activities to accompany the cessation of pain. Weekly I participated in water aerobics, yoga, and tai chi, activities recommended by health experts to improve and prolong one’s life.

But no more. Not until the eight-inch scar is fully healed and my knee’s adjacent tissues stretch to full limberness again.

In the interim forty minutes has been emcumbered daily by PT and/or the requisite home exercises. All of which cause pain to receive gain, despite consumption of copious amounts of Tylenol. After the rigor, twenty minutes were devoted to icing the knee area, while I gave myself the bonus of a frozen yogurt bar (a sly upside i snuck into this downer post)

Our doodle despised the walker I used for weeks, too. He was used to being king of the carpet, sprawling in semi-sleep mode anywhere, anytime he chose, but when I’d come barging into the family room, requiring him to move. Further, he moped a bit because I wasn’t up to tossing his balls and chew toys, preferring to read and read and read the dozen books preloaded on my Kindle. These were my preferred distractions from the subtle pain that plagued me 24/7.

At least the period of being unable to drive has passed. That loss of independence was tough to cope with!

The sharp, painful zaps when nerves that had been severed by the robotic saw reconnected were brief but insidious signs of progress, but disturbed my peace…

The worst of post-surgery insults occurred when rain storms brought barometric changes to which my titanium knee reacts badly, whereas the arthritic knee that was replaced did not! Can’t wait to get on a plane to resume our adventures abroad and to visit Midwestern family members – not!

A week ago, I wrote the upside of the past several months, contented with the procedure and process since: https://www.pjcolando.com/attitude-of-gratitude/ I was professing the ying and upside, but today I confess the yang and the crap..

On January 4, 2026, I return to the orthopedist and hope to be cleared to resume all components of my good health regimen, I’ve been faithful with the prescribed exercises and deserve to be free…

A Happy New Year it will be!