CHECK-UPS

May 26, 2020, Tuesday.

I was scheduled for knee joint replacement on April 1, 2020. By then the coronavirus had struck, Covid-19 was spreading exponentially, and all elective surgery was cancelled. My knee doc said he'd get back to me in mid-May.

A week or so into May, I developed a case of sciatica. It was quite painful for several days, but after a phone check with my primary care physician, she prescribed a medication that more-or-less alleviated the pain until the condition cleared up by itself.

The knee doc got back to me in mid-May as promised and my new knee is now scheduled for June 3. That means there are a number of required pre-op check-ups and appointments: a visit to a pysiatrist to check out the sciatica; a blood test; an MRI make sure the sciatica was not caused by a problem that the post-op physical therapist needs to be aware of; and a Covid-19 test three days before the surgery, with self-isolation from then until the day of surgery.

So this week I'm no longer staying home all the time. On the other hand, is it safe to go out? I certainly don't want to get sick and delay knee replacement again. Climbing stairs is becoming difficult. So I've learned that masks are a must and I need to pay attention to tape marks on the floor that direct one-way foot traffic and social distancing. Alternate chairs in the waiting room have been turned to the wall. The Covid-19 test will be done while I sit in my car with the window down.

I marvel at all the health-care workers who are on duty all day, every day, in potentially infectious environments. The ones I've interacted with have been helpful and cheerful. The phlebotomist, a middle-aged black man with a shaved head, was very skilled and super efficient and promised to get me "a-rockin an' a-rollin" in no time (which he did and without the usual bruise on my arm).

There was a sign on the lab wall that said threats or abuse to the staff would not be tolerated. I couldn't imagine why a patient who presumably came willingly into the lab would become abusive. Perhaps someone in severe pain and out of their mind. The health-care workers I encountered deserve all the cooperation and thanks we can give them.