New Knee

 My mother is an overachiever.

Nearly a decade ago she underwent a double knee replacement. Apparently the experience left such an impression that she decided it was worthy of a repeat. Before the procedure, the surgeon was transparent about her uncertain plan. She laid out the scenarios but was not able to declare one path as obvious. As the hours ticked by with her in the operating room, my sister and I both knew that the easiest of those paths were dissolving. 

My mom was in the operating room for more than four hours. By the time we met for our post-surgery conference, we anticipated the surgeon's words. Although she tried to fix the implant, it was eroded and beyond repair. She ended up removing the initial implant and replacing the entire device. My heart dropped with the news. I was hoping for an easier recovery, but it seems like that was not in the cards.

We were able to see her after she was settled into her room. She was exhausted and in a lot of pain. I am going to head over in a few hours to visit but I am not expecting her to be animated. After a four hour surgery and a new knee, it is going to take awhile before she feels like herself again.