"The Useful Life of a Knee"

Dear Friends:

"The Useful Life of a Knee"

The news was not good .... Orthopaedic news is never good! "Your knee may be close to the end of its useful life," he said, "But there are options .... " Yeah, right, money and metallic body parts -- that has a ring to it, huh? "I'll think about it," I said --- that's what we usually say when we don't want to make a decision, right? And I really hate to choose between two bad options.

Trying to put his words, "useful life and options," into perspective got me to thinking about a lot more than a gimpy knee. I guess I've never considered that this concept of "useful life" would apply to me personally, seeing that most of us think that things go on as they are forever. Ignorantly, it never entered my mind that one day, after 47 years of running 8-10 miles a day, and 50-mile ultra marathons, my knee would reach the end of its "useful life." Yet it seems to have arrived.

It reminded of one of my life's loves: the 1988 Mercedes Benz 560 SL, the classic convertible with an engine that would run a tank. They don't make 'em like that any more! Many of its parts have already been replaced, and more replacements are necessary. And like me, it is no longer trustworthy for long trips or zero-60 in 4 seconds. Jeff, my car's mechanic, said, "Bud, it has issues: an oil leak, A/C, a timing chain, sun damage on the skin, rust spots, a sensor light short, and it needs a new soft top." I mused, will money solve these problems ... as in most cases - yes. Do I have enough? - that is questionable.

So, what "options" are available for my heart's love? The Blue Book indicates the car's not worth the cost to make these repairs. It has been suggested that the car, as classic as it is, should be put “out to pasture" to enjoy its last days, cruising around the island and basking in the glory of its former days. Kinda like a beautiful thoroughbred horse --- good to look at, useless to race; both near the end of useful life. With these thoughts I'm suddenly jolted back to reality: this is me too .... and perhaps some of you as well.

Looking at my own "options," I weigh the cost of replacements with the resulting "Blue Book" value of a new body. It's a scary conclusion I come to. I'd always hoped that my 560SL would be the last auto I'd have to own, but it looks like I made a miscalculation both with it and my own body. So I suppose I'll opt for the replacement parts when and where necessary just as I did with a couple of teeth in the past. But you can bet it won't be the same!

We're all in this together, you know ... the approach of the end of "useful life" for things personal. And while I don't know about you, I don't intend to go back to any more medical experts anytime soon for fear of hearing that some other parts have also lost their "useful life" and having to choose grim options for solutions. "Useful life and options" it does give one pause to reflect, doesn't it?


Bud
April 19,2007