At first I was terrified at the thought of replacing any original body parts especially something as important as a knee. I had, after all, made it this far with the nearly complete ‘original set’ my Mom gave me short of only some minor dental adjustments. Little did I know, I would soon be joining the New Parts club.
Increasingly sharp pain in my left knee all-day and all-night made future surgery a rapidly approaching no-brainer. On the proverbial pain scale of 0 to 10, there were already way too many 10’s. So the date was set: November 30, 2023. Full left knee replacement.
Prior to surgery in his Chestertown, Maryland office Dr. Lohr handed me the latest model—the “Zimmer Biomet Cruciate Retaining” implant. He and his Elkton, Maryland Surgery team would skillfully install one of these beauties in an out-patient surgery operation. As I held the actual knee part in my hands, it felt like a well-machined titanium toy with a moving part and no obvious purpose. Prior to the big go-ahead decision we exhausted a regimen of cortisone injections, arthroscopic surgery, and some squishy injectable liquid that brought only fleeting relief. So that’s all there was to it: a new left knee was now a necessity.
Before we arrived in Chestertown, we were happily ensconced on the beautifully stark Laramie River Ranch in the dramatically wide-open river valley of the same name in north central Colorado. Susan and I had made the decision to leave these rural ranchlands of the great western U.S. that we loved (for now) and head to the beautifully rural eastern shore of Kent County, Maryland for one more chapter. Here, we signed on to help a dynamic family with the transformation of their newly acquired Chesapeake Bay estate from wedding venue to an upscale country house hotel.
We closed our post office box in Jelm, Wyoming and dropped the key at the Laramie Post Office. On a snowy day at -6F degrees we began our drive to Chestertown, Maryland in a 26’ U-Haul truck and trailer before heading trough Colorado’s eastern rangelands and then driving on through Kansas.
The buildup to the new left knee project was filled with lots of unnecessary anxiety. What if this goes wrong? What if this the end of a career (of all things)? What if I can’t walk anymore? What if??? I was a basket case as I faced my first surgical treatment, and in the end I had no reason to be one.
The new left knee project was a great experience thanks to Dr. Lohr, his talented team, the Upper Bay Surgery Center in Elkton, and the Centers for Advanced Orthopedics and Sports Medicine team back in Chestertown. I (and likely legions of other folks) are especially grateful to the dedicated, caring, and skilled team of physical therapists at the Centers. Thanks to them for quickly making my new left knee my strongest knee.
Fast forward to 2025, Susan and I were finishing a project in Warren, Vermont and although we loved the Mad River Valley and even had thoughts of retiring in that area we made the decision to return to the Chestertown area. I was now beginning to feel the familiar ramp-up of pain now in my right knee.
There were other compelling reasons we chose to return to Chestertown. Among these I include (in no particular order) horse care, healthcare, housing availability, and affordability of housing. This meant that Susan’s beautiful saddle rescue horse, Roxy, would return to Kent Equestrian Center and our three spirited puppies: Mr. Fluffy, Joey, and Gypsy would make yet another new home here in Kent, County this time in Worton, Maryland.
In reaching out to his office, we learned that Dr. Lohr made the decision to retire from surgery and was now recommending his colleague Dr. Cumiskey here in town for my right knee replacement. He would be installing the Microport Orthopedic Medial Pivot. It is a different “knee” but so far I am unable to perceive any difference between the two. Suffice it to say this has been an equally smooth transition, an uneventful day surgical procedure and a successful physical therapy regimen just as the previous one. I am grateful to everyone involved.
Today, almost a week after my right knee replacement I wistfully tried reaching for my smart purple “HurryCane” gathering dust in the corner. Susan bought it for me last time. It was obviously way too early to move from walker to cane and I quickly retreated to the comfort of my sturdy Made -in-China “Guardian” brand aluminum walker, Model G40Z. It’s a less-flashy tubular aluminum deal with the two rubber wheels in front and the two rubber cane feet in the back. It will be another week or so before I can reach for the cane. All things in time.
Now as a two time frequent-flyer of knee replacement surgery here is the wisdom I can impart to another whose knees may be fading: 1. You will be in pain for two weeks after the surgery. 2. Then you will make some progress but you will be in pain and discomfort for another four weeks. 3. Physical therapy is a painful necessity so it their way. 4. You will likely need pain meds but try to wean yourself from them as soon as possible. 5. I have nothing but gratitude for everyone who helped me—including the Nursing team in Elkton and even our neighbor, Kay, who was pressed into service to help Susan and me surmount the three steps up into our home.
If you are blessed by the tremendous support from your family such that I have received by my wife Susan, then you are very well-loved indeed. Susan has really carried the heavy load for me during my recovery (two times now!) so I can lie around in bed and try to stave off the pain. These days, I am counting all of our blessings, looking forward to taking walks again in our new neighborhood, with and without my HurryCane, and to enjoying our beautifully rural eastern shore.
© Brooks Bradbury / BrooksLooks 2025
Brooks Bradbury 