Source for title:
Well, I have actually received my walkin’ cane, having graduated from the walker today at the surgeon’s office. They removed 24 staples from my new knee, and told me that I’m also graduating to outpatient physical therapy. I seem to be meeting factory requirements.
They also showed me “before and after” X-Rays of my knees. You’ll recall that I had wondered whether I really needed the surgery. You’ll further recall that several medico types confirmed that I did. Still, the X-Rays were what one might call a convincer:
Photo by Mrs. M.
You’ll notice that there’s a considerably greater amount of clearance in the bottom pics. Turns out that clearance makes a difference — when you don’t have any (see top two images), things get all scrapey and hurty. Even though I still have post-op soreness, it’s really no worse than what I was putting up with beforehand. (Knocks wood.) So, progress.
And so I’m using a cane. Specifically, I’m using one of my mother’s old canes. I had the medics check it out. As it happens, Mom was tall, and I have short legs, so it was satisfactory. The cane is also collapsible (not the way my knee was), and makes neat noises as you snap it together. Specifically, it sounds remarkably like someone racking shells in a shotgun. And that leads to a story.
As I said, the cane was Mom’s. In fact, she had a couple of these collapsible types, which she could break down to where it would fit in a good-sized purse/bag. As I’ve also noted, before my brother’s life (and that of the rest of my family) went pear-shaped, he was a cop. So one afternoon, Mike took Mom to lunch at a restaurant that was a cop hangout. After lunch, when it was time to go, Mom got the cane out of the bag and snapped it together — clack, clack, clack — and almost everyone else in the restaurant reaches for his or her hip while scanning the room.
I don’t think anything that dramatic will happen over the next few weeks, but it’s pretty neat knowing that my cane is now a family heirloom. So here’s another comparison shot. The first one is a couple of days post-op, as I was learning to use the walker. The second is from this morning, between my doctor’s appointment and going to vote.
Here’s to progress.
Professor Mondo 