CREEPING ARTHRITIS (Poem)

Sometimes sitting in a padded
kitchen chair with arms,
I am symptom free,
No pain,
No discomfort.

I could sit there for ever, but
a chore needs doing.
So I get up knowing
That it won’t be the same
When I return.

There was a big spine operation
of the lumbar in 2004,
Shave the back of the spine
Remove disks,
Add titanium rods

It wasn’t a perfect recovery
after all the pain.
I lived for the time
For another Percocet
Giving some relief.

But I cheated the wheel chair
even could play tennis.
Went on tours of Italy, Greece and Turkey
The Canadian and American West.
The wheel chair just smiled.

In a few years, lumbar symptoms
returned and increased.
“What you need is a spine replacement,”
the neurosurgeon said. “But
“We don’t have them.”

Shots in the spine began to
relieve the pain
“Where is L2," the surgeon asked?
Feel something in your leg?”
“Burning sensation,” I replied.

“Good.  I guess I got it right.”
the surgeon said.
“Worst spine I have ever seen”
The surgical nurse said.
“Could get disability.”

Something called neurostimulation,
giving a buzz,
Might block the pain signals
From the lumbar
To the brain.

In 2011 pain in the right leg started,
gave up tennis.
Deterioration happened weekly.
“You need a hip replacement,”
The hip and knee specialist said.

Recovery is fast compared to
a knee replacement
But don’t kid yourself.
Progress is terribly slow
And takes lots of months.

Inpatient therapy, then
home therapy,
Then outpatient therapy,
But I cheated the wheelchair.
The wheelchair just smiles.