Pay it forward…

June 5, 2013 by lauramacky 2 Comments

Today I went out shopping at Nordstrom for some new workout apparel.  First, let me say that it feels sooo good to be able to go shopping again!  I couldn’t even dream of walking into a department store before my replacement, especially since I couldn’t even get to the front door from the car.  That mode of saving money is not something I recommend!  😛

As I was browsing, I struck up a conversation with a woman there who was probably around 50 years old or so.   Our conversation started out about athletic clothing and then somehow we ended up talking about knee replacements.  Evidently she also has terrible knees and needs both of them replaced.  She said she can barely stand for her job there and started telling me how worried and afraid she was of the operation.  The fear in her eyes showed, and I really wanted to help by reassuring her that it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made and how much it changed my life.

We talked about how long it took me to achieve certain milestones like when I first walked and when I could finally drive.  I told her that if *I* can do it, anybody can, because I was pretty nervous about having it prior to making the decision to actually go forward with it.  I also shared with her my thoughts about physical therapy and how important it is to find a good PT!  She asked me what surgeon I had, so I shared his name with her since she lives in the same city as I do.

Another question she asked about was having a double knee replacement.  I gave her my own personal view of it which is that I never would’ve chosen it for myself and neither did my doctor recommend it for me mainly because I had so many other issues going on.  I really think that if someone is healthy in every other way and the knees are the ONLY issue then perhaps it could be the right thing to do.

As we said our good-bye’s, I saw a bit of relief wash over her face and it made me feel good that I might’ve made her decision just a tiny bit easier.  I hope I did!