The Plan

Well, this isn't aiming to be a particularly funny entry, but if nothing else I'm just relieved to have The Plan. It seems like capital letters are appropriate, since I sure have been waiting for it.

I saw the new knee doc last week, who was amazing. Very clear, thorough, and friendly. And quite knowledgeable on the whole problem, of course. Young and cool, and optimistic that I will be able to get about 85-90% of my mojo back. The odds are favorable (but not perfect): 85-90% of people say that they are 85-90% better. So yeah, we need to be going into this with the expectations calibrated to the possible outcomes, but it's good enough for me.

Anyway, The Plan has officially designated October 1 as D-Day. The thing is, the surgeon doesn't know which of two procedures will be the most appropriate. The "easier" option (I use this word lightly, as neither choice is going to be very easy) is called the Osteoarticular Transfer System, or OATS, info here: http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/arthritis/g/oats.htm

The main reason this surgery is easier is because it's only one surgery. The other option, called an Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation (http://orthopedics.about.com/od/hipknee/a/aci.htm) is two procedures: one initial arthroscopy, then The Big One a few weeks later.

The hassle, then, is that I don't know if I'm going in on Oct. 1 for The Big One (if I have the OATS) or the small, preliminary arthroscopy (if I have the ACI). So, point being, I could be walking again by October 5 (with the big one still on the way), or I could be flat on my back in bed, high as a kite on percoset. OATS sure would be nice, since it would get the healing underway sooner. But I haven't decided which one seems preferable to me, if it turns out to be a toss-up. Depends on the size of the hole in the cartilage, it's apparently right on the border. OATS can only work if the hole is small enough.

So there we have it. The countdown to Kathryn's Bionic knee has officially begun!