Ouch! Ouch! ………………..darn

As we pass through the decades of life it seems certain parts of the body don’t age gracefully. Often it’s the image in the mirror that is not so becoming in the morning, then mid-day, then always. Others notice a little less mobility accompanied by the necessity to do some stretching/testing upon becoming vertical when arising from a nap or overnight sleep. We all endure this process and pass it off as inevitable – even though the discomfort is not welcome.

Since I played and enjoyed a lot of physical sports as I “grew up”, football. basketball, baseball, mountain hiking and fishing, etc., it’s easy to attribute some of the “aches” as the result of those fun times - and there are no regrets due to the memories that I still occasionally revisit during quite moments.

Several years ago I noticed that occasionally my knees would stiffen up, and become painful for short periods of time. Passing it off as the “rite-of-aging” (is there such as thing?) I continued to press on. Over the past year it became reality so during my annual “tune-up” in Seattle this past summer, Dolores insisted that I talk about the soreness with my Doctor. He ex-rayed one knee and confirmed that the knee was wearing out and the solution was total replacement or lots of pain-killers. At that time I all at once met several persons who have been through the procedure with great results – including my brother-in-law several years ago. I heard of one doctor who specializes in the hip/knee replacements who was conducting public seminars on what’s involved. Dolores finally “dragged” me to a presentation. My reaction – you only need to know that my mind-set was not ready. However, as time has gone by, and the cheap cane has become required, I’ve decided to get it done when we return to Seattle at the end of the season. I even got the State of WA to issue a temporary handicap parking permit, which by the way works in Mexico.

But, to the story I wanted to tell – a friend recently suggested I look into some temp relief by investigating getting cortisone shots in each knee. She assured me this has been wonderful for her. I’m certain we’ve all heard about the “joy” of getting the same shots in the shoulder for bursitis OUCH! Dolores called Pamela Thompson for a recommendation and we had the appointment set…dammmm. We arrived, had a consultation including ex-rays of both knees and confirmed that the shots, though temporary (2-3 months) would provide positive results. He also confirmed that both knees wouldn’t bring much in a garage sale or on the open market – meaning fun this coming summer – then I got the first shot. Each shot had to be scheduled a week apart due to the amount of cortisone that could be placed in the body at one time. The shot was given, with Dolores cowering in the corner with her hands over the eyes. The relief was immediate and by the time the next shot was given the initial knee was 60 percent pain-free. With the second shot, opposite knee, I was walking like a rejuvenated 70 year old with about an 85 percent improvement.

Elated I drove the car back to Old Town and we decided to have dinner out. I left Dolores off to secure a seat in the restaurant while I went looking for a parking space. Seeing a “handicap” space a couple blocks away I pulled in and hung my handicap permit. A local policeman standing on the corner watched me park and start walking away. He immediately whistled me to return and challenged my parking in the handicap spot. I pointed out my permit; however, he said he had watched me walk away and I showed no evidence of being physically bothered and wondered if the permit was mine. After some discussion I agreed to park someplace else – actually finding a spot some 50 feet away from the restaurant.

Dolores almost fell on the ground when I explained why it took me so much time to appear. I guess walking without a cane and a pronounced limp can also have its drawbacks… Go figure!