Built in the 1930s - All Original Parts - Some Still Work

Warren recovering in his favorite recliner.

For several years, I have seen t-shirts advertised with the above caption. I always meant to get one. I was, after all, born in 1936. But now it’s too late. I don’t still have all my original parts. Last Monday my orthopedic surgeon flattened the surfaces of my left knee, cut mortises in the new surfaces, and installed a full knee replacement joint. My weight is now borne through plastic bearings onto titanium alloy surfaces. I am already walking on the new joint (with a walker). There is some pain, but I can manage it. And for the first time in 33 years, both my legs are the same length.

My surgeon and anesthesiologist used a series of pain blockers that delayed the onset of pain for about twenty-four hours. When I initially woke up from the operation, I felt hardly any pain at all. I was able to do all the exercises ordered by my physical therapists with no problems. I was beginning to think that this operation was a snap when the pain blockers started to wear off. That got my attention in a hurry!

The second day following the surgery was definitely the worst as far as pain was concerned. One just has to tough it out! Almost continuous therapy to straighten and then flex the new joint can definitely be quite uncomfortable. So can using a walker be. I mastered that art fairly quickly; it seemed to come natural to me. However, throw rugs are booby traps of the most serious order. All our rugs are now piled in the dining room.

It appears that how fast I will be able to get “back to battery” will depend largely on me. The harder I work, the better off I’ll be.  And the sooner I’ll get back to writing on Endure the Cruel Sun, the sequel to my best-selling novel, Hold Back the Sun.  The Battle of the Coral Sea beckons.

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Warren Bell is an author of historical fiction.  He spent 29 years as a US Naval Officer, and has traveled to most of the places in the world that he writes about.  A long-time World War II-buff, his first two novels, Fall Eagle One and Hold Back the Sun are set during World War II.  His third novel, Asphalt and Blood, follows the US Navy Seabees in Vietnam.  His most recent novel, Snowflakes in July, was released on September 15, 2015.  He is currently working on a new novel, Endure the Cruel Sun, the sequel to his best-selling novel, Hold Back the Sun. For more about Warren Bell, visit his website at: wbellauthor.com or see him on twitter @wbellauthor.  

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