What was your moment?

I had a similar situation, Mike! My right knee had always presented with bigger and more intense issues since 2007. My left wasn't nearly as troublesome.

On May 30th of this year I went to get out of bed, and when I put my weight on my legs I got this HORRIBLE pain in my left knee which felt like I had been SHOT through the back of my knee and the bullet exited out the kneecap!

I fell back onto the bed in agony!

I called to my husband who was downstairs, and he looked shocked. I told him about my knee pain, and he asked what he should do. I first needed help to the bathroom. I could put NO WEIGHT on this, my GOOD LEG of the two! Even he noticed that it wasn't my right knee that typically was the troublemaker.

The total helpless feeling REALLY got to me as I realized that I needed my husband's help to go just 10 steps to the bathroom!

He waited for me to finish and asked if I was OK. I said that I really wasn't sure!

I asked him to get me some crutches. He went right away to CVS just a mile from our house and was back in a very short while. The crutches adjusted easily, and I got up on them.

I practiced in the bathroom and bedroom and felt a bit more confident that WITH CRUTCHES, I could at least GET to the bathroom on my own.

For the next day and a half I used the crutches. Slowly I was able to put the weight of my big toe down, then a few more toes. (I only trusted my BARE FEET, no slippers or shoes).

Of COURSE it was Memorial Day Weekend and my doctor's office was CLOSED!!! I had plenty of time to have my very own Pity Party, and believe me, I went through every scenario in my head including me being in a wheelchair visiting our daughter-in-law who would be delivering our first grandchild in September AND my flash forward to NEXT September (2016) as I saw myself maneuvering a SCOOTER at our youngest son's WEDDING!!! The wheelchair thing and the scooter thing... well let's say they were NOT the way I wanted to attend two of the most exciting and memorable events that were coming up in my life!!

I had several more days to stew about everything. I am a VERY, VERY independent individual who GIVES help but rarely ASKS for help. I KNEW that it was just a matter of time that this "good" leg would get worse, and I would be left with NO GOOD LEGS.

I made my appointment on Tuesday, the day after Labor Day. Upon seeing my pitiful X-RAYS of BONE-ON-BONE with NO cartilage knees (Yes, BOTH were now BAD KNEES!) I asked my doctor if I was a candidate for arthroscopic surgery. Doc said, "Cheryl, THAT ship has sailed! In the four years since I last saw you, you have WORN OFF your bone spurs, and your cartilage on BOTH KNEES."

My choices were: 1) Total Knee Replacement or 2) do nothing and live that wheelchair life at age 64.

I asked him right there if he had an available date for my total knee replacement surgery. He asked me which knee I wanted him to do FIRST. (He only does ONE KNEE at a time.)

I chose the LEFT KNEE because THAT was the one that had gotten me back into his office in the first place.

My surgery was three weeks ago yesterday, and I am doing well! I am looking forward to completing my "KNEE JOURNEY" with Knee#2 sometime this fall or winter.

I KNOW that I will WALK into the hospital room to meet our new granddaughter in a couple months, and I will walk and stand and DANCE at our son's wedding in September 2016.

Courage came to me in the form of HORRIBLE KNEE PAIN. It didn't whisper; it SCREAMED!

I am glad I paid attention!

Wishing you your very own Ah-HA! MOMENT, Mike!!