Signed Up For Living Well With Chronic Conditions
[ Friday August 4th 2023 at 10:27 am ]
I have signed up for a 6 week course. It is for individuals who live with chronic conditions and their care givers. I attended this in 2018. At the time it was useful. I hadn't made the expected recovery after my second hip was replaced. I was trying to transition from 3 years of sustained physiotherapy to into quality of life based activities while I figured out what I wanted from my health care.
I am essentially at a similar influx point now. The past 7 weeks have been very difficult. Both my knees malfunctioned in mid June within 30 hours of each other and have never recovered. My knees are now perpetually stiff and now they keep on keep seizing. Functionally I am back to where this all became critically serious in 2006 with the loss of function of my left hip. I don't have all the answers right now.
I am not concerned about the surge in pain I am experiencing. I have a pain management specialist doctor who is working with me. He is both a good listener and communicator. What is wrong with my knees is easy to see by the redness, swelling and numerous contusions. I am understood. We are playing "catch up" with the rate and pace they are deteriorating. He books appointments with me that are longer than typical because of the complex issues my knees present. But throughout this process this doctor has consistently tried and I am not able to fault him in any way.
Equally I am not feeling anxious about this. I know what it is like to be severely weak. When I was enduring the treatment for my hip joints I was very weak. My five hip surgeries set me back. Four of these came with very difficult recoveries. I required extensive help keeping myself alive. Being physically weak doesn't cause me to feel anxious.
Physically speaking my life has become very difficult because of the recent deterioration in my knees. I haven't made meaningful progress on my goals. I try to make the best out of my life. I freely admit that I am not pleased to have to endure similar physical challenges as I lived through during the demise of both my hip joints. The attempt to use bracing as an intervention of my knees has not been successful. After living in the land of creative solutions to work around my knees for several years I am not able to overcome my knees in the concept of an obstacle. My hope is that the discussion that happens during this group will bring some fresh ideas. I am unsure if this is even possible. At the end of the group I will still have a set of physical challenges. If I come out of this without further ideas I will be able to present attending this as another reason for having hip surgery.