Background:
- February 2006 Right knee replaced.
- Two more surgeries on my right knee because of “infection”. I go once a month to get an IViG Infusion…I have to do this forever.
- September 2006 another surgery to do a skin graft and “Flap” on my knee.
- October 2006 had to remove my hardware on my right knee. Basically I don’t have a knee. Two days after my surgery, I got a minor Stroke. I’m 42.
My speech/typing is getting better…much better than 6 months ago! I still have a few problems but there getting better.
I saw the doctor(s) March 28, 2007. Plastic surgery said I was finally “healed” and I don’t have to see him again…yeah! My Orthopedic surgeon (Knee) doesn’t want to try installing a new knee again. I still have a bad immune system and he thinks it will do it again…I agree.
Right now, my right leg has fused together…it just did since October, so I can’t bend it. Also since then, my left leg won’t straighten out. The doctor did some x-rays to see what he can do, if anything. I need to find out if I can put any weight on it at all. Should be getting a phone call this or next week about that. Right now I’m in a wheelchair.
Right now it doesn’t look like I’ll be hiking/backpacking like I used to. Most of the time, I’m okay with that…it could be worse, but other times…well you can imagine it. My wife Stacy has been my rock…I couldn’t do it without her. She jokes…”For better or worse; and you better not get any worse”. My two kids (9 & 6) now know that I’m not going to die soon (they were concerned) and that I will probably not walk like I used to, but we can do things together.
Now I can start to move on with my life. I’m planning on camping still; just it’s going to be a bit different. I’m still into photography. I can’t go to those remote places, but there are places that I can go to. We just bought a “new” van a few weeks ago. I can get into the van now so I can start going places again, in fact I went to church for the first time in almost 2 years last weekend. Went to the San Luis NWR on the way home from the doctors and took a few photos. Planning on going to Yosemite soon!
That’s about it for now. Thanks for listening…
-Mike