Yesterday it snowed 13 inches (0fficially) but there was so much drifting that we had two-foot drifts in our front yard.  I put on my brand new snow pants and a sweatshirt and went outside to shovel snow from my car and the driveway, something I’d done multiple times since moving to Colorado last summer.   I cleaned off the car and shoveled snow with my bum shoulder, and then tromped my damaged knees through the two foot snow drifts in the front yard, just to test out my new snow pants.  Then I tromped some more into the back yard to take some pictures of the snow drifts forming on the neighbors garage.  The drift was rather elegant and artistic and it deserved a photo shoot.

Usually I load up on the ibuprofen, three or four times a day, from two to four tablets, just to be able to move without pain in my knees.  This is a regimen I’ve kept up for the inflammation in my knees since before my surgery, which happened almost a year ago now.  The knees aren’t perfect, that right one still won’t let me climb stairs without a good hand-rail to hold onto, but something I’ve noticed in the last month is that I am not as regularly taking the ibuprofen.  First, it was just a dose in the morning, and a dose at bedtime.  But I haven’t taken the morning dose in three weeks or more, and only an occasional dose during the day but that is usually for a headache.  The night dose still happens, but that’s because I’m taking it to help with sleep (it’s the PM variety).

Today, as I shoveled, I could feel the pull of muscles and the strain of tendons, but finally, no more shoulder pain in the joint or around the bone.  None.  For the first time in the three years since Dr. Williams botched surgery and your repair, that shoulder finally feels like it should.  And my knees?  Despite spending most of the day outside in the snow, or sloshing through mush to go to the store or elsewhere, my knees have not complained at all.  I have not felt compelled to take my ibuprofen, not felt the knee give or feel like it wanted to give despite the fact that I was walking on uneven terrain, with snow that was like walking on sand and making my steps unsteady.  Even tonight, after another day of in and out and more snow removal, I feel fine.

I could not have said this even three months ago when we got our first big snow.  And yes, sometimes, if I am not being careful with that right knee, I’ll get that tendon twanging over that ridiculously big spur on the back of my knee, but I know how to rotate my knee enough to slip it back into place, so it stops hurting almost immediately.

I know I promised not to learn to ski until at least two years after my first surgery.  I had my doubts I’d ever be able to learn to ski with the knee the way it is.  But you know what?  I actually think I might be able to do it at some point.  Two years will be this October.  And that’s right about when the ski slopes start opening up here.  After all, I live in the one place in our country where snow is highly celebrated, and skiing is a huge part of our local economy.  I should feed that beast, right?

After all, I didn’t spend all this effort fixing my knees so I could keep sitting in a chair.

So thank you, Dr. Schwarze, for fixing my knees.  And for fixing my shoulder.  I feel great!

Sincerely,

Your Problem Patient Susabelle

This entry was posted on Saturday, February 4th, 2012 at 6:46 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.