The Three R's

As a young student I came to know the three R's as reading, writing and arithmetic. I was better than average at writing and math but was not a reader until much later in life. When I lived in Japan, I learned the joy of a good book. Japanese TV lacks a lot, especially when the language is very difficult to understand.

Yesterday, I received a new lesson in the three R's: Revision, Repair and Replace. On the recommendation of my orthopedic surgeon, I sought a second opinion as to why I have continued knee/hip pain and walk with a decided limp. It turns out the second opinion was really a blessing in disguise. The cause of the limp and pain is the old hip replacement and not the new knee replacement. I truly have a bionic right leg. It appears that the stem of the metal ball has come loose or was never properly seated in my femur. The surgeon said a revision was likely the next step to relieve the pain etc. Not knowing exactly what a revision was in medical terms, he explained it as repairing and or replacing the artificial right hip. The good news is the source of the problem has been found. The bad news, of course, is another surgery and more recovery time. Because I am one of a small percentage of people who generate copious quantities of scar tissue, the flexion and extension of my knee will not improve.

The surgeon said to use a cane regularly and don't aggravate the hip by walking or standing for long periods. I really didn't want to hear that news as I had already ordered door hangers for my bid for a council seat. I will have to employ some younger legs to distribute the door hangers. I had planned to personally walk to every house in Buckhannon but will not be able to do that before the election.