Care Networks

(Local View from 4'2, Lake County Press, August 22, 2025)

My definition of a care network is a group of family, friends, healthcare professionals, and others helping me during my medical needs. I am blessed to have many people of different talents and gifts to call on during my everyday life. Since my knee replacement on July 16th where my 30 year old replacement was replaced with all new hardware, I have been coordinating and planning round the clock care.

During my pre-surgery rehab I was busy prepping my body and mind for the long road ahead and the possibilities for what post-surgery could look like. My previous surgery was also at Mayo Clinic back in 2019. A six year gap in surgeries is a bit weird for this scar covered vessel as when I started my surgical journey over thirty years ago, I had to have a surgery almost every six to twelve months to keep up with my orthopedic landscape. All of these surgeries meant at least multiple nights in the hospital and a stint in an inpatient rehab.

This journey would be different. The day before surgery I had my pre-op surgical consult. My surgeon was thorough to make sure we were ready for the next day. When it was my turn to ask the questions, I went straight to the post-surgical rehab concerns. The surgeon shocked my sister and I in his answer about options for inpatient rehabs…he said, “They are all bad.” Due to understaffing and the onslaught of all the issues facing our medical world he couldn’t recommend one for me. He wanted me to go home as fast as I could.

He was not joking around. I spent ONE night in the hospital and was discharged to a hotel room  to then home the next day. I had in-home physical and occupational therapies starting the next week. Now I am starting my fifth week post-op by being transported to and from Polinsky in Duluth for out-patient PT.

My constant joke for folks is, “Practice makes perfect, careful what you practice.” I have had four previous surgeries on this knee, and three on the other. After eight knee replacements and revisions my body just knows what to do and the other limbs know how to accommodate and help out their “sibling”. This ninth knee has a very different rehab protocol of only four at home exercises for a month with ice and elevation as my friends. I was SO relieved when day thirty came as all the post-op extra medications were done and I was able to just be me with my usual plethora of medications.

These thirty days of medications ran pretty smoothly thanks to a friend helping me design a daily grid of timing and medications with masking tape and sticky notes. This helped me and the rest of my network keep on top of all the medicines. I had dear friends and family who stayed every night to make sure transfers and trips to the public bathroom in my apartment building were safe and timely. During the early nights they also were my positioning helpers and refreshers of the ice packs. Some even got to use a rolling pin on my hip! Yes, every day kitchen objects can work wonders on very tight and cranky muscles that were impacted by the two hour surgical tourniquet. My hip pain was and still is the hardest part of this surgery.

Friends and family who took turns sitting with me while I slept, needed potty stops downstairs, meals prepped, and the most important… folks to play some games with. Having opportunities to sit and play games to take the mind off the pain and life changes was gold. Also my dear friends taking care of my garden and my two sisters providing outings to see my ever growing and produce and flower producing raised beds has been a welcome part of my rehab process.

I share all of this to encourage you that care networks are all around us. We just have to ask. From my new friends from board game night at the brewery, to church family, neighbors, nurse friends, and devoted family members they all made their positive impact on my recovery. We all need each other and we all have a purpose to serve and help others no matter our age, ability, background, or politics. We are all human and we all have needs.