Two New Knees

No photos today as I have been at the hospital most of the day and so didn't get much crochet done. I did, of course, take some crochet with me but as I was hopping about between departments most of the time I didn't get a lot done.

I had gone prepared for a fight about my knees as last time I was deemed too fat for a new knee. I took a taxi there as I was afraid of being late. My knees were painful and I was feeling a bit cross due to my being awake all night in pain. I need not have worried about being late as the clinic was already running an hour behind when I got there about 10-15am.

To cut a long story short I had more X rays and both of my knees are basically buggered. I knew something was wrong when the big cheese specialist came in and shook my hand. He said something inside my right knee has shunted and needs to be operated on soon. The arthroscopy hadn't worked. I think that I told him words to that effect shortly after the last operation but was told to go away and exercise and all would be well! The left knee will be done as soon as the right knee heals.I had a bit of a laugh in the X ray dept when they asked me to stand on one leg with the other one raised bent behind me. I said Hey I gave up the ballet as a teenager. If I could raise my legs up there then I wouldn't need new knees! We had another giggle in the cardio dept. I am naughty I know but I don't tell them beforehand that I have arrhythmia. I like to watch their faces as they watch the beats. I kinda like the odd rhythm that I was born with. It has a funky beat when I am linked up to a heart monitor!

The specialist never mentioned my weight except to say that I should try my hardest to lose some so that my recovery will be better as the less weight on it as it heals the better. I had all of my pre op tests done whilst I was at the hospital and am on the waiting list. The wait is around 3 months at the moment. I have been wearing my hospital nighties so I will need to get a couple more. I have some but they are sleeveless and it might still be cold if I go in hospital around April/May. Maybe this time I will get to wear the bed jacket that I made and didn't wear after my spinal surgery as the week that I was in it was a heatwave.

I have an appointment to see my GP on Tuesday as my eczema on my lower calves and ankles was really bad today and the specialist commented on it and said that I needed to get some help with it before it becomes infected.

I am hoping that this news will lift my spirits as I have been a bit depressed of late. Prone to floods of tears for hardly any reason. I think that my situation was just getting me down and so hopefully now that I have something to look forward to (well as much as one can say look forward to an operation). I just feel that at last I will be moving forward and this time next year I will be prancing about with two artificial knees. Corps de Ballet here I come - well maybe that is stretching it a bit!

Baby It's Cold Outside

Don't worry - the weather has not suddenly turned Arctic in Manchester. The blog title is the name of these two baby jackets. Baby It's Cold Outside is a free download by Julie Holetz available through Crochet Me and you can find it by clicking on my blog title or through Ravelry.

The blue jacket was made from a part ball of James C Bretts Marble Chunky and the pink one from some wool that Sylvia gave to me for the crochet bed cape I made from the Naked Calendar fund raffle. I think it is either a very thick double knit or a fine aran. The jackets are made all in one piece as you can see from the bottom photo so there is little stitching up (just the way I like it!)

I went to the hospital yesterday and I made the pink jacket in the waiting room whilst I waited. First they altered the waiting time to 1hr then 1 hr 10 followed by 1hr 30 and finally 2 hrs. I actually waited 2hrs 40 mins in the waiting room and a further 10 mins in the cubicle. There was no water fountain or any newspapers so I felt like the entertainment there as I knew a lot of people were watching me. One old lady said you will have that finished before you get to see the specialist. I said "Have it finished, I should have brought another ball"

When I finally saw the specialist I didn't say at first that I had been seeing the osteopath I thought I would let him have his say first. It was a different guy again (I never see the same person twice) and he looked at my knee scan results and said there is nothing more that we can do for the knee as it is now. It is so badly degraded with arthritis that the only option is a new knee. Well considering what I have been through since March I am not in a rush to do anything hasty. I then told him that I was seeing an osteopath who was working wonders and told him exactly what I thought of the hospital physio dept. He has given me an appointment for 6 months so that I can make up my mind what I want to happen next. I have always thought of a new knee as the last resort and if I can manage a while longer without having the operation then I will. I am very hopeful that with a few more osteopath sessions my knee will be much better. He has got me walking (albeit still in some pain) and the knee feels better with each day that passes.

I have not made any progress on the 4ply baby cardigan and I don't take knitting to the waiting rooms as they are always crowded and I need more elbow space to knit than I do to crochet.

I am off to do some food shopping now and for once I am not dreading the walk to Tesco. I still have to take my 4 wheeler trolley, of course, as my back will never be up to carrying a week's shopping.