Three weeks ago today, I was on an operating table getting my knee replaced.
A couple of people have written to ask me what this thing costs. Answer: Beats me. So far, the hospital has rung up a bill of $167,804.48 and there's still quite way to go. Insurance has already paid for or agreed to pay for all but about $2,000.00 of that. I suspect both numbers will climb…and of course, the final "total cost" will not be what an uninsured person would actually have to pay. Then again, an uninsured person might not have been able to have it done or could have been wiped out by the actual pricetag.
How am I doing? Much better than I thought I'd be doing after three weeks. I have largely stopped my pain medications. My foot hurts a bit. My thigh doesn't hurt so much as it's numb here and there. My knee hurts for a while when I get up after sleeping or sitting for too long but that goes away and thereafter, the only pains occur when I move it too much in certain ways that I can usually avoid. I'm guessing that in two weeks, all of this will be minor and in two weeks after that, it'll be forgotten. Just when I'll start driving again, I'm not sure.
People keep asking me, "Are you glad you did it?" as if I had a real choice. Yeah, I'm glad I did it before the old knee got a lot worse. The surgery was inevitable and better now than then. Thanks to all of you who sent well wishes for the well wishes.