My Left Knee (Replacement)

Getting my knee replaced is a huge event in my life. I've never been hospitalized for surgery before. My only overnight stays in the hospital came with the birth of each of my children (3 days with #1, 2 days with #2, and 1 day with #3). I had day surgery (arthroscopic) on the same knee in 1989, and I had my gall bladder out in 2001, also day surgery. It's so easy these days; they do laparoscopic surgery, so the biggest scar I have is in my belly button.

Getting a new knee is a big deal. I feel as if I have to run a gauntlet of tests just to be accepted into the New Knee Program. Last night I overcame the first hurdle: I donated a unit of my blood to be used during my surgery, if needed. (I asked if it could be donated to somebody else if I didn't use it, but they said no.) I've given blood before, so it was no big deal. They had the Red Sox game on; it had started early because of the Celtics-Lakers game at 9. While I was watching, there was a brawl. It's a long and kind of typical Tampa Bay vs. Boston story; they're always hitting us with pitches, and we're always retaliating. And this year, Tampa Bay is fighting with Boston for first place in the American League East, so there's even more tension. (Maybe it's because when the Red Sox play at Tampa Bay, there are more Red Sox fans than Rays fans in the stadium! All those retired New Englanders...) Anyway, two nights ago there was an incident involving Coco Crisp (don't you love his name?) and his attempts to steal second. I don't want to go into lengthy detail; read about it here if you're interested; they tell the story much better than I do. So last night, when the Rays pitcher James Shields hit Coco, he charged the mound. The dugouts emptied, and Coco found himself on the bottom of a huge pig-pile. Three players were ejected - Coco himself, not surprisingly, Shields, and Jonny Gomes, a Rays player who had taken an active part in the brawl. They showed it over and over, of course. Everybody in the blood donor center was talking about it - the staff and the donors. This is New England - everybody's a Red Sox fan. (Actually I think one guy might have been a Yankees fan, but he didn't make a big deal out of it because - hehe - this is New England...)

So, there is a unit of my blood waiting for my surgery.

I have already had a couple of required tests - a chest X-ray and a urinalysis. I need to have an EKG. This is all routine stuff.

Over the next two weeks I have three surgery-related appointments. The first one's with the hospital, and I don't know what will happen there. The second one's with my primary care provider; she needs to clear me for surgery. Another major hurdle. What if I don't qualify? Although I can't think of why I wouldn't... The third one's with my surgeon. I'll talk about them if there's anything worth telling.