Altar Call - Opelika-Auburn News
Walter Albritton
April 30, 2000
Two weeks before Easter my wife surrendered her left knee to the surgeon's
knife in the operating room at East Alabama Medical Center. So for the past three weeks
we have had a rather interesting time together.
We were both surprised that it was she who agreed to this surgery first
rather than me. My knees have been begging me for help for five years, but I have
procrastinated. To be honest, I had heard that the recovery therapy was very painful and I am Mr. Chicken when
it comes to pain. I decided I would get me a walking stick or just hop on down the bunny trail
of life like good old Walter Brennan did for years. I figured if I waited long enough they would
come up with a pill that would cure my knees without surgery.
But when my wife began to have so much pain that she could hardly walk, she
decided that surgery would be better than spending the rest of her life in a
wheelchair. Since this surgery is becoming rather popular, I want to share a few things we have learned since
April 10.
First, it is absolutely true that the recovery therapy is extremely
painful. More painful, my wife tells me, than she ever imagined. For the first week or so, we both
wondered if she had made a mistake to have the surgery. A few friends who had a knee replaced told
us that they had very little pain. Our doctor's response: "They had a bad case of amnesia."
Second, the East Alabama Medical Center is a first class operation. Our experience with
every single employee was most positive. We were treated with gentleness, caring, and respect.
The professionalism of the EAMC staff was admirable in every respect
Third, the work of the surgeon, Dr. Jim Whatley, and his staff was excellent. Jim is a good
friend but it was his reputation as an orthopedic surgeon that prompted us to choose him for this
delicate surgery. We could not have been more pleased. Jim not only checked on my wife each
day she was in the hospital, but the morning after her first night back home, he called to see how
she had rested during the night.
Fourth, the pain of the first week does not last forever! After two weeks my wife began to
experience very little pain, except in response to therapy. This was welcome relief.
Fifth, physical therapists are both "mean" and wonderful. My wife was both honest and
teasing when she spoke of her therapists as "mean." We discovered that they are wonderful
people whose work requires that they hurt their patients in order to accomplish their work. So it
is necessary to grit your teeth and bear up under the pain of therapy that your new knee will work
well in the future. Not easy, but quite necessary. We had a lot of fun kidding these very skilled
technicians of their trade. Their work, it seems, is as important as that of the surgeon.
Sixth, recovery appears to be directly related to the painful therapy. The lesson, then, is
simple: Endure the pain if you want to quickly regain the use of your leg.
Now in her third week following surgery, my wife is walking gingerly but nicely even without using
the walker. She turned down my offer of a cane. "Save it for yourself," she said; "you'll need it when you get your
knees replaced."
Seventh, friends are a great treasure! While Dean was in the hospital for 10 days, one of
my neighbors insisted on bringing me supper every night. What a guy! Since Dean came home
from the hospital, many of the women of our church have brought delicious food to share with us.
How they knew I was such a terrible cook I will never know. But obviously they have been
determined to save Dean from my cooking, and they have succeeded gloriously!
So what do we think about knee replacement surgery? So far, so good. As her recovery
continues, it appears my wife made the right decision. Mr. Chicken is doing a lot of thinking. He
may have to change his mind. Hopping down the bunny trail like Walter Brennan may not be the
best option after all. We'll see.... Keep the scalpel sharp, Jim, I'm pondering.