July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.

Internet provides little relief (2/28/05)

As I See It

By By Diana Dolecki-

My mother is having her knee replaced tomorrow. As usual when anything is wrong with her I am in a blind panic. Even though hundreds of thousands of knee replacements have been performed and the surgery is considered to be relatively minor and very safe it’s different when its my mother.

In an effort to set my mind at ease I turned to the internet and typed in “knee replacement.” Imagine my surprise when up popped a listing, “Knee Replacement on eBay. Find knee replacement items at low prices.” What is this? Do-it-yourself surgery? Cut-rate body parts? Do we really want to search for a bargain when my mother’s mobility is at risk? So much for calming my fears. At least I didn’t find a listing for “seconds” or a “scratch and dent” sale.

I can see the advertisement now, “Replacement knee. Low mileage. Only used by a little old lady on Sundays. Comes with complementary crocheted shawl.” I don’t think so!

I clicked on an entry and was somewhat relieved to find out that most of the offerings were for textbooks and instruction manuals. Instruction manuals? I certainly hope that these books are not written by the same people who do the assembly directions for children’s toys. Thankfully I did not find an edition of “Replacement Knees for Dummies” with a yellow and black cover.

Further investigation revealed that knee replacement really is a matter of inserting tab A into slot B, except that first slot B has to be created with the use of a bone saw and tab A is a manufactured in a factory. I learned that replacement knees were expected to last anywhere from 10 to 25 years and that few people have complications from surgery.

I know people who have had knee surgery and they all say it is a wonderful thing. My father-in-law had both his hips replaced and said the pain he previously felt was greatly reduced. Those artificial hips lasted until he died a few years ago. I only hope that my mother finds relief from her pain in the same way and that her new knee will enable her to walk without her crutch.

Any surgery carries risks and my imagination runs wild with thoughts of what can go wrong. I worry that the doctor will be plagued by nightmares the night before and will fall asleep during the surgery. I worry that someone will bump his arm at a critical moment and disaster will result. I don’t worry that they will operate on the wrong knee as both her knees are arthritic. I do worry that my mother will awaken during the procedure. I worry that it won’t work. I am afraid that she may die.

I am at the see-saw stage of my life where my child is grown but still depends on me for guidance and my mother is independent but she also relies on me to help her make the right decisions regarding her care. It is a balancing act and I often feel as if I am falling. I frequently believe I am failing both of them. I want to gather each of them to me and protect them from the trials and tribulations of life. Instead, I stand apart and reassure them with words that sound more confident than I feel.

I hope I am doing the right thing by telling my mother that she will feel much better after it is over. She is going to a hospital that she trusts. They took good care of her when she went for her mastectomy and her heart stent. I can only have faith that they will give her the same excellent care and consideration this time.

I will be there in the hospital with her to watch and worry along with my brother and his wife. Once it is over we will all be relieved and Mom can begin the difficult path to recovery. Once again she will prove that she is far stronger than any of us thinks she is and I will have no more reason to look up medical procedures on the Internet.[[In-content Ad]]
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