EllingFamily:TogetherWeThrive

I hesitate to write because words cannot express the pain associated with this experience. I choose to write because I want to alleviate fears to those who may have a similar experience.

In 2004, life was just getting good. I had come back to work at my alma mater in a great office of about 30 people. Austin had just recovered from testicular cancer and we were changing our lifestyles in many ways for the better. The stress of Austin's illness was slowly wearing away and we had selected two (what we thought were) lifelong physical activities we both enjoyed: walking on the Iowa State campus and disc golfing.

***Please do not attempt to self-diagnose from my story. My symptoms are indigenous to me my unique set of genes.***

My right knee replacement was November 7, 2007. My second knee replacement was February 27, 2008. Although my "issues" had officially been occurring since 2000, I had come to a point where I needed to make a decision. I am a 32-year old writing about my experiences a year after my knee replacement.

In 2004, life was just getting good. I had come back to work at my alma mater in a great office of about 30 people. Austin had just recovered from testicular cancer and we were changing our lifestyles in many ways for the better.

I would like to be clear, my doctor did not want to perform replacements on someone so young. I'm sure others in his profession thought he was doing a disservice for me, but I disagree. Doctors do not want to perform knee replacements on young individuals (young could mean 60 yrs of age) because replacements do not last indefinitely. In my case it isn't the prosthetic that will fail, but my bones will slowly loosen away from the prosthetic. And honestly, I did not want to go through the surgery this early in my life either. But I did want to get my life back.