The knee replacement from hell; taking me off the motorcycle for approximately 5 months or so, by Norman Gregory Fernandez, California Motorcycle Accident Attorney

Well for those of you who know me, and those of you who do not, I have suffered most of my entire life with a bad left knee.

I remember the day I wanted to play pop Warner football when I was 13 years old for the Chatsworth Chiefs. My father told me, “Norm, if you play tackle football you will screw up your knees.” I told him in response, “dad, I will not screw up my knees.”

California Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Norman Gregory FernandezBoy was I wrong. After playing running back for 2 years of pop Warner football, and then 2 years of high school football, I tore two ligaments off the bone in my left knee during my second year in high school. That was not only the end of my high school football career dreams, but the beginning of a lifelong suffering with a serious bad left knee.

Back in those days, 1979-1980, they did not have the technology they have today. As a matter fact, had the injury I had back then, happened even today, it would be a career ending type of injury modernly. I remember the doctors told me I may never walk normally again. I remember in surgery, they gave me a spinal which numbs the bottom part of your body, and then I was given a sedative, I was not under general anesthesia. I woke up during the surgery and observed the surgeon with one of those hand drills about to go to town on my knee. I suffered extensively from this injury.

After 6 months in a cast after the surgery, in my 11th grade year of high school, they cut the cast off. In those days there was no physical therapy, and I just winged it on my own.

The next year I managed to pass the US Air Force physical exam, and went to basic training rather than going to 12 grade in high school. In other words, I took the GED and skipped my last year of high school. On the first obstacle course in Air Force basic training, I jumped off a simulated cliff, and promptly tore my knee again.

I kept my injury in basic training hidden because I did not want to get kicked out of the Air Force and sent home. In fact, I should have never passed the Air Force physical to get into the military to begin with. The scars on my knee from my high school football injury were still pink and healing, and I had limited range of motion, but I managed to make it in and do my thing. In basic training my knee swelled up to the size of a basketball and I was in excruciating pain, but I kept it hidden. After basic training I went and saw an outside doctor who stuck a needle in my knee and drained it which was a big relief.

In the years after basic training, I managed to somehow just deal with the bad knee. I was in a combat communications squadron, and we were constantly in the field, but my knee held out.

Sometime around 1987-1988, I tore my knee doing a flying hook kick at my Tae Kwon Do studio. I ended up having a second knee surgery because of that. The doctor did the best he could, but he told me that eventually later on in life I would need a knee replacement.

Basically from the time I was 17 until now, I have suffered with the bad left knee which got so bad, that if I stood for longer than just a few minutes my knee would stiffen up and it would be hard to stand and walk, or even if I sat down for too long, it was hard to get my knee to bend to walk.

On a recent trip to Italy with my wife, the pain in my knee was so bad that I literally ended up in a wheelchair at the very end, I simply could not walk more than 20 or 30 yards at a time without having to sit and rest my knee. The pain was unbearable.

I knew it was time to get my knee replaced. I went to Sturgis this year in August 2021 knowing that I would have my knee replacement on September 3, 2021. I rode my ass off in Sturgis, but while at Sturgis I suffered with my bad knee.

I went in for my knee replacement surgery on September 3, 2021. The doctor told me that if my bones were good that they would use a titanium knee replacement system. As I sat there waiting to be called in to preop, I was thinking whether or not I should actually go through with this?

Before I had a chance to change my mind, they called me in. My wife was allowed to wait with me in preop until they came to wheel me into the operating room. When I got into the operating room there were a lot of people in there. They pumped me with drugs, and the next thing I knew I was waking up being told that it all went well, and that they gave me the Titanium knee.

I am not going to go into all the gory details when I was waking up, and the numbness from the spinal was wearing off, but I will just say this the pain was through the roof. One of the nurses was telling me that I would not feel pain for 24 hours. Hell, as soon the spinal started wearing off, I could feel the pain in the knee even while the rest of the legs were numb. They gave me pain medication.

I developed a situation where my pulse was around 135 and my blood pressure was high. I knew that was not normal and I told the nurses and my surgeon who came to see me that I was concerned. They ordered a CAT scan, and it turned out that I developed what is called a pulmonary embolism, or a blood clot that went into my lung. As I was laying there, I did not know how dangerous my condition was. If you Google it, it says that 25% of people with a pulmonary embolism in their lung die of sudden death syndrome. I do not know if the 25% figure is accurate but they immediately put me on blood thinners. As I laid in my hospital bed I had no clue how bad my condition was.

The nurses told me that I was on a dosage of blood thinners that was higher than they had ever seen anybody else have before. Frankly, the pain in my knee was so bad that I kind of ignored everything else that was going on. After a knee replacement, all everybody wants for the first couple weeks as painkillers.

I really feel bad for my wife who actually had to sit there and watch me go through what I did. If it was her in the same spot as me, it would have torn me up having to go home alone at night leaving her there in the hospital.

Suffices to say because of the pulmonary embolism, I spent 9 days in the hospital, and then went to a skilled nursing facility for an additional 2 1/2 weeks, not only for rehab, but because my house was under construction at the time and the doctors told us that I needed to be in a clean environment.

To top it off, at my postop appointment, it turned out that the surgical wound opened up because of the blood thinners, which I am supposed to take for the next 5 to 6 months to prevent another pulmonary embolism, so I have been basically been on my ass for going on 3 months now waiting for the wound to heal, and hoping to get off of the damm blood thinners.

The knee replacement has affected everything in my life including work. Luckily, I have a good staff, and even though I’m not supposed to be working for a while, I still jump in when I have to.

You may have read in my Sturgis article that I have a paint repair the needs to be done on my motorcycle, but unfortunately that will probably have to wait until I can ride again, so I can take the motorcycle to a shop. I may tow the motorcycle, we will see.

I can honestly say at this point right now that I never would have had the knee replacement had I known what was going to happen. Then again, my wife always reminds me how bad my knee was before the surgery, and she tells me that in a few months I will be happy with the results. Me being in the middle of it right now, I just want the damn thing to heal.

So, there you are, my knee replacement from hell. I have to thank my surgeon, because he was the one that discovered the pulmonary embolism and probably saved my life by ordering the CAT scan.

I thank all the medical professionals that have and are taking care of me right now. Modern medicine is something else. I was told by my surgeon that he only sees two patients a year that have the surgical wound open like what happened to me, so I guess I and one of the lucky two that has to deal with it.

As I write this article, I am very hopeful for a full in good recovery. Once the wound heals, I will be able to start physical therapy. I am looking forward to getting back in the motorcycle as soon as possible, getting back to my Wing Chun kung fu, and riding with the guys from my motorcycle club.

I know I have got a hard few months ahead but I will get through this. I have nothing better to do right now then to negotiate cases for my clients and get them great settlements when I can.

By California motorcycle accident attorney Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., November 27, 2021

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2 Comments

  1. Harvey Meyer

    CRIIZLY ADDAMS
    1 CALIFORNIA UWIN

    Hi.

    The local football fix here
    is in Hamilton forty miles
    down the road McMaster University
    go Mac go

    or the TigerCats big boys
    blood and guts CFL
    Steel town football in Hamilton
    don’t have the money
    for that one right now

    so: YouTube Mcmaster/Ottawa
    September 2019
    gives you the general idea
    go Mac go all young guys
    not corrupted by money
    and mortgages yet.
    Highlights 5 minutes.

    I can only attend these events in the pouring rain.

    Cancelled last year.

    This year Oct 31
    also in the pouring rain and
    covid protocols:
    no kids meet and greet with the players
    on the field post game,
    no touchdown fireworks
    fizzling off the nearby
    university residence rooftops.

    Halftime show is freezing rain
    and snowflakes so
    everyone under the stadium steps then
    drinking coffee jerky.

    After halftime the free Tshirt toss
    is something from
    “The Fruit Fairy Yogurt Bar”
    across the street how can a
    yogurt bar have a happy hour
    don’t know but no
    social distancing people dive
    all over it as tshirts flung into the crowd.

    Nike and Sheraton promo ads all around the stadium
    but the corporate support
    apparently
    doesn’t extend to Tshirts anyone would want to wear.

    If your mask falls off and
    into a puddle while talking
    to the police officer all okay
    all puddles filled with
    masks
    by third period and people
    yelling
    “Break the window,
    Break the windows etc etc

    Endzone goalposts closest to campus
    now even closer by forty feet
    as new office building under
    construction goes up.

    No broken windows but two
    missing footballs have gone
    through openings where
    windows have yet to be installed
    after different field goal attempts.

    McMaster University/University of Guelph
    final score 48 to 42 or similar
    most of which is about 18 field goals combined.

    For a lot of these boys this is their last football game. They will have to
    say goodbye to the comradery and
    all the rest of it, something good and true
    and you can only have it when you’re young,
    and not all guys get to have it.

    They know it, and win or loose after the
    game remain bowed in a huddle for
    almost ten minutes, I timed it.

    For these reasons at the last game coaches
    release a new cohort of players for each play
    so guys can play.

    Graduating players are honoured pregame
    by walking onto the field to “Land of Hope And Glory” playing over the stadium
    loudspeakers, one guy limping in a
    full leg cast. The crowd went quiet.

    They all seem to have
    Sociology degrees
    so I don’t know what they are supposed to
    do with them in the abyss of moneymaking that life will expect of them.

    King Edward VII went to Edward Elgar and said
    I really like the tune,
    would it be possible to
    come up with some words for it?
    There’s an American version of
    Land of Hope and Glory,
    don’t know what it is.

    Good news, bad news:

    Bad news: The US Airforce wants
    you to go back to
    Chatsworth High and complete
    Grade 12 the regular way
    no matter how much limping
    you have to do, or no AirForce pension.

    Friday Night Lights
    is a great movie but
    American dads put a lot
    of pressure on their sons
    and dont tell them everything they might have to know about football
    starting with the quarterback doesnt get
    sacked a lot and usually
    finishes his high school
    without torn anything.
    But Im not being fair
    and sorry you didnt
    get to complete High
    School football

    The good news: September 3rd
    was my birthday, though its. probably
    not much help at this point
    and I accept that.

    I am sorry you are having such a difficult time.

    I’m no sports ability person,
    going to the football games
    clears my head and makes
    me feel younger.
    The stands are full of healthy
    twenty something kick as guys
    who know their stuff
    so the McMaster Football
    program can survive without
    my support.

    I can probably get away with it
    for a few more seasons.
    I wear a hoody.
    Maybe football can come back
    into your life in some way.

    You joined the Air Force
    and fought to keep
    the comradery with a bum knee
    and succeeded in spades
    and that’s great.
    Hope that doesnt
    sound to
    patronizing

    The CFL football is a little bit bigger
    than the American one and I can
    send you a new one later if you’re
    desperate surely there must be someone to throw it too when you’re feeling better.

    In the meantime, shit buddy,
    is there no one in La La Land who
    will stand up to you:
    some two foot tall buck teeth
    thoroughbred horse jockey
    who would heap contumely
    on you and your motorcycle
    if they saw it pull up in
    the parking lot at the racetrack?

    How much stuff do you want on your
    plate? Take it off and leave it off.
    Do you have to ride in the Rose Parade four weeks from now
    or resume Kung Fu Chow Mein
    at the gym in two weeks?

    Most Canadian motorcycles stay in the garage four months all winter
    because black ice extends almost
    into the living room during
    that time.

    Perverts Row Sturgis is on no one’s bucket list; if you
    want perverts
    I’ll take pictures of the people across
    the street and email that.

    There must be thousands
    of perverts in Huntington Beach
    (don’t know) who would be willing
    to stand in a row for you for a photo op if you just put some effort into it. Seduce them with your
    legal charms.

    Do what the doctors tell you and get well soon and
    keep us up to speed.
    I’m glad you didn’t kick the bucket or else my previous obnoxious email
    would just be lying around at Biker Law Blog with no one to post it.

    PBS Blu Ray Jackie
    Robinson is a good two nights on the sofa
    with your main squeeze,
    order that. No obsessive
    behavior is the hidden lecture; the best pars in these PBS documentaries are still the opening credits
    where the various charitable trusts are acknowledged in front of
    a seatef Abraham Lincoln, and the contributions fro

    “Viewers Like You”,

    Thank you

    Happy New Year

    Go Mac Go

    Reply
  2. Harvey Meyer

    GRIZZLY ADDAMS correction

    My pigskin cellphone cover
    should have told me football games have quarters not periods cause
    here out in the bush I’m
    always in a hurry cause my
    fingers are freezing and the
    dam cellphone always lies to me about the remaining
    battery power. My knife always falls into the snow
    and by the time I find it the phones dead.

    Get well soon for your
    next beer which I assume
    is off the menu fo a while.
    Maybe a friend has a hot tub to slide into to help
    with the pain and no one
    has to sell everything
    and move to Wounded
    Knee North Dakota ha ha

    Reply

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