Two years, three months --- and no longer counting

Today, I had my two year post-op check-up. Yes, it's actually been 2 years, 3 months, and let's see --- 7 days.

The news? I don't need to go back to the surgeon until 2010. Well, the 5 year anniversary is actually 29-Sep-2009, but 3 years from today is ... January, 2010.

OK, enough word play. At the two-year-mark, my TKR is absolutely perfect, as good as it can possibly get. On the X-ray (which I could NOT get digitized to post, btw), there is no sign of osteolysis. Everything is in perfect alignment. No unusual wearing of any of the joint surfaces.

When the doc asked how I was feeling ... I told him that I was working with a trainer every other day; walking 3.5 miles on alternate days; and ... I can kneel and sit on my heels. And so then, I showed him.

I started going to the trainer in May, 2006, simply because I was not being able to restore any kind of bilateral symmetry on my own. After 30+ years of a bad knee, I continued to favor the formerly-bad-leg even after the TKR. I still shifted my weight away from the "bad side", and this was creating some serious posture-related lower back pain. My TKR leg continued to be much smaller and atrophied when compared to my non-TKR leg. I was not making progress on my own --- so I gulped hard, and started going to a trainer on a regular basis.

Eight months later, I am walking 3.5 mi easily --- outdoors, and with significant hills to climb. The calf on my TKR-leg is almost the same size as the other. The quadriceps on the TKR leg are much stronger and very well-defined, however, there are still obvious upper leg diameter and mass differences. This is no longer as striking as it was pre-op, but still exists.

I've lost NO overall body weight. There have been significant muscular shifts though --- my waist is at least 2 or 3 inches smaller, for instance.

And ... there is no need for another check-up until the five year mark.

As always, I will try to respond to your emailed questions within a few days.