Fighting Fit - Orthotist, Biokinetist and Planet Fitness

Yep, another post on the same day - long posts can be so exhausting to read!

To follow up on the last post - I was really comfortable with my appointment with Dr Adriaan van Huyssteen so decided to cancel my appointment with Dr Spike Erasmus.  Besides being comfortable with the doctor, this would also be much easier for my support team as Panorama Hospital is closer to my home.

I also decided that I would need to get Fighting Fit.  I needed to

1. talk to others who had bilateral total knee replacements - a challenge as I did not know anyone who'd even had one TKR;
2. get more knowledge, maybe buy a book or something;
3. get fitter.

The book was the easiest of all - I love Google! If you are contemplating knee surgery get yourself Total Knee Replacement & Rehabilitation - The Knee Owner's Manual, written by orthopedic surgeon Daniel J. Brugioni, M.D. and physical therapist Jeff Falkel, Ph.D., P.T., CSCS.  This book sets out everything and answers practically all the questions you have and even those you did not realise you had!

Next, get fitter.  I decided that I would have to join a gym with a heated pool and Planet Fitness Aurora had a special on, so I joined for a year. I then went to see Simon Maskell, the biokineticist.  A really super and knowledgeable guy who makes a tough workout really enjoyable.  Planet Fitness people were sweet.  However, their pools were a problem (and still are it seems).  I hate cold water and their supposedly heated pools were usually too cold for me.  Furthermore they were constantly experiencing problems with the pool pumps.  Big plus was that the rehab pool was available from 18h00. 

In retrospect the few months in the pool with the biokineticist was one of the best things I could have done.  Besides a brilliant doctor and a very positive attitude, I reckon this is one of the biggest attributes to the apparently remarkable recovery I've had.

Talk to others?  Well the husband of the coffee shop owner we occasionally frequent has had bilateral knee surgery and his wife said he is doing really well - I still have to meet him and share notes at some time.  And a colleague had bilateral TKR  towards the middle of the year, said he was recovering well and that there was a little discomfort - he lied ... it hurts like hell in the beginning - but only for the first few weeks.

Next - Op day looms!