A Life Update

[Cecily Walker]

Some of you have followed my various health complaints over the last year or so, and I'm thankful for your friendship and support. I wanted to let you know that I finally have a date for knee replacement surgery. I'll be going in on July 7, 2015. I'll be in the hospital for at least 3 days, and definitely off the bike for several months. Getting back on my bike is my biggest motivation, so if you ever hear me complain about how hard physiotherapy and rehab are, point me in the direction of my Betty Foy and tell me to stick with it.

I hope you're all riding well and joyfully!

Cheers,
Cecily

[Deacon Patrick]

You're gonna let 'um cap you? Brave lass! I hope you get out of that joint soon, without getting too disjointed. Can't you patella I've had one too many knee surgeries? It's a bad tendon-cy. Grin.

With abandon,

Patrick

[Cecily Walker]

You're a hoot. :-)

[Deacon Patrick]

More like a cautionary tale, but thanks!

With abandon,

Patrick

[Shoji Takahashi]

Here's to a quick recovery, Cecily.

All the best, shoji

[Robert F. Harrison]

I haven't had a knee done but I did have a hip replaced last year and getting on the bike again made all the work of rehab TOTALLY WORTH IT!!! Give it your best and you'll be riding before you know it.

Aloha,

Bob

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Robert Harrison

Honolulu, HI
rfhar...@gmail.com
statrix.com

Wu Name: Tha Eurythmic King of Nowhere

[Ron Mc]

I was really worried about my mom when she went this way, because I wasn't sure how tough she would be - know of several people who didn't tough out the rehab and ended up in follow up surgeries.  Two things my mom did that worked great - went from the hospital to an in-patient rehab center for a week, and had a drop-by therapist visit her house.  Of course she had good insurance that covered it.  She is doing Great.  

[Tim]

Cecile, maybe your insurance would pay to have Patrick at the hospital with you. Surely the desire to escape his puns would shorten your stay, saving them money😂 Patrik, you know I'm kidding. You're an inspiration to many on this list. I've mentioned my double knee replacement in 2010. The rehab was not fun, that's for sure, but it was completely worth it. Any time you're feeling low, please reach out. You can get through it. I feel sooooooo good now. I r ide lots and lots and my knees feel great. Good luck, Cecily, and Godspeed!

[hsmitham]

Yes a quick recovery! Keep your eye on the prize, riding your lovely Betty. 

~Hugh

[Clayton]

Cecily, I hope all goes great!  Work hard at rehab! Please keeps us informed on your progress. My orthopedist keeps telling me I need a new knee too. I have been putting it off. I had a ex-marine friend get both his knees done at once. He really regretted that decision, but he now rides motorcycles and bikes off road. 

Claytonious Q 

[Steve Palincsar]

On 06/04/2015 11:13 AM, 'Clayton' via RBW Owners Bunch wrote:

Cecily, I hope all goes great!  Work hard at rehab! Please keeps us informed on your progress. My orthopedist keeps telling me I need a new knee too. I have been putting it off.

"Need" as in, you are now at the point where there's nothing further that can be done to alleviate your pain?  Or "need" as in at some point in the future, when remedies such as Orthovisc injections, braces, etc., lose their effectiveness?    And "putting off" -- does that mean you're waiting to get it done in December so rehab and off-the-bike downtime will happen in the off-season (that was my strategy and pretty much it was effective) or ... ?

[Michael Hechmer]

Cecily,  I'm not sure if this is good or bad news.  As a registered card-carrying-coward I hate the idea of people making holes in my body and usually cross my legs whenever the topic comes up.  On the other hand being in a lot of pain sucks too and the hope for relief is a great motivator.  I'll keep you, your surgeon and your PT in my prayers.

You are a blessing,

Michael

On Wednesday, June 3, 2015 at 9:51:16 PM UTC-4, Cecily Walker wrote:

[dougP]

Cecily:

Best of luck on the procedure.  Several friends have had knees done & they've all come out great.  Pushing thru the re-hab seems to be the key.  Keep us posted on your progress.

dougP

On Wednesday, June 3, 2015 at 6:51:16 PM UTC-7, Cecily Walker wrote:

[Ron Mc]

based on my mom's results, I'd say its a very good thing.  

[Cecily Walker]

I'll eventually need to get the other done as well. I can't even imagine doing both at once, though. *shudder*

I hear that as long as I keep up with rehab and have patience, in about 6-8 months I'll wonder why I hadn't done it sooner. If you can get it done before you lose independence (like I have), I'd say go ahead and get it done now. Canada's socialized health system pretty much dictated that I had to wait until I could barely walk/stand before I got the surgery. Hopefully you won't get to that place. 

If Orthovisc/Synvisc injections are helping, I'd say do those for as long as you can, if money permits. They helped me for a long time, until nothing else could be done.

Good luck, Clayton!

[Cecily Walker]

Oh, Michael, I am TERRIFIED. The dreams I've been having as I get closer and closer to the surgery date have been ever so vivid.   People have asked me what I'm going to do after the surgery, and to be honest, everything after July 7 is a total blank. I can't even think that far ahead. 

One day at a time, or so I've heard. :)

[Bill Gibson]

Courage! Cycling is the best for the knees, so long as you balance strengths, and seek moderation. We know more now about how to keep our imperfect bodies going than ever before, so be confident and enjoy the fruit of a pinnacle of civilized life. Tailwinds!

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Bill Gibson
Tempe, Arizona, USA

[Brian Campbell]

Cecily. best of luck and hopes for a speedy recovery. FWIW, my father had both knees done at the same time and he was able to recover pretty quickly. That was about 7-8 years ago and he has had no issues since. Having to do the surgery twice, would drive me to do as much as I could in one shot.  FWIW, my father was told that his strengthening work outs, prior to surgey, helped in his recovery.  

[Kenneth Cote]

I've got rotator cuff surgery due about the same time. Guarantee is it won't be worse. May not be better. Hopefully I can ride 

 after a short bit of pain.

[Hugh Smitham]

Ken,

What are your shoulder symptoms?

Cheers,

~Hugh

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” ― Albert Einstein

http://velocipedemusings.blogspot.com/

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[Pondero]

Cecily, best wishes for a transforming procedure and a quick recovery. Hopefully, you'll keep checking in here to cheer us on, and more importantly, to keep stoked for the good times ahead. Thanks for your encouraging participation in this group.

Chris Johnson
Sanger, Texas

[Cecily Walker]

Best of luck, Kenneth!

[Cecily Walker]

If all goes well, I expect to check in roughly 4-7 days after surgery.

[clayton bailey]

I talked to my orthopedist about regenerating cartilage research. I had been holding out hoping that new cartilage regeneration was just a year or three away from becoming reality. He smiled and said that my knee would never make it that far. I've had three knee surgeries on my left knee and got cadaver parts in it. I have done a few five shot rounds of Synvisc (the cheaper brand that my insurance paid for) stuff and just finished up my last shot of five.  I have had twelve surgeries and am really sick of going through the whole process, pre-surgical stress, post surgical pain, painful rehab, getting back in shape etc.. It is all I have been doing for more than a decade and absolutely dread having another. I am putting off a knee replacement until I can't walk (Wait, I am almost at that point now....ummmmm). As long as I can pedal circles, I will pedal until smoke comes out of my knee or I lie on the side of the road, crying. I can still ride well enough for happiness.  I am extremely curious on how Cecily and others that have had knee replacements, think about how their knees work, tolerance on the bike and so forth. I have lots of research to do, but I have an orthopedic surgeon that is currently doing my knee shots. He was an orthopedist at Vail for years, and also the head orthopedist for the Browns and some other NFL team... He KNOWS knees. I know longer just 'trust' physicians.. but this guy...

[Steve Palincsar]

On 06/08/2015 07:45 PM, 'clayton bailey' via RBW Owners Bunch wrote:
> I am extremely curious on how Cecily and others that have had knee
> replacements, think about how their knees work, tolerance on the bike
> and so forth.

I had a partial knee replacement. My knee works better now than it ever
had since 1962.

[Tim]

I was 49 when I had my double knee replacement. I would have preferred to wait until I was older but I couldnt. I had them both done at the same time. I have been overjoyed with the results.i set off on a cross country ride 1 1/2 years after surgery. I ride brevets and am planning on riding PBP this year. I have more flexibility than I had for 15-20 years before the surgery. I know they will probably not last the rest of my life (at least I hope like heck to outlive them) and I fully expect to need them replaced in 15-20 years. And I will. My quality of life is much, much better today than before. I wiould recommend not putting it off.

[clayton bailey]

Thanks Steve, that is good to hear.

Clayton B.

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[clayton bailey]

I am grateful for the feedback.

On Monday, June 8, 2015 8:41 PM, 'Tim' via RBW Owners Bunch <rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

I was 49 when I had my double knee replacement. I would have preferred to wait until I was older but I couldnt. I had them both done at the same time. I have been overjoyed with the results.i set off on a cross country ride 1 1/2 years after surgery. I ride brevets and am planning on riding PBP this year. I have more flexibility than I had for 15-20 years before the surgery. I know they will probably not last the rest of my life (at least I hope like heck to outlive them) and I fully expect to need them replaced in 15-20 years. And I will. My quality of life is much, much better today than before. I wiould recommend not putting it off.

[Patrick Moore]

Thank God that I've been blessed with sturdy and injury free knees for 60 years, but I did recently start taking glucosamine hydrochloride in some sulfur compound (big bottle from Costco) because my brother says it helps his runners' knees and ankle joints. 

I think I've experienced less of an annoying pain in my left shoulder, and my neck seems less stiff when riding in the hooks.

Now, I may well be imagining all this; but this is what I think I've experienced.

FWIW, since glucosamine is recommended for cartilage and knees.

Patrick "maybe it's all imaginary and I'm talking to myself" Moore, imagining himself on the bike in very pleasant late spring ABQ, NM.

[Cecily Walker]

I'm basically at the "can't walk" stage. The damage to my knee caused by osteoarthritis was accelerated by rheumatoid arthritis over the last few years, and these days I can't stand for more than 5 minutes at a time, and can only walk a couple of blocks. I've gone through shots, rehab, and various other treatments, but it was losing my ability to ride my bike that really pushed me over the edge.  This surgery's a last ditch effort for me, and I'd be fooling myself if I said recovery wasn't going to be the hardest thing I've ever done. I'm just hoping it'll all be worth it when I'm able to happily ride/walk/stand/dance again. 

 

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[Cecily Walker]

Anyhoo, thanks for being tolerant of the off topic post, moderator-types. I appreciate it.