UPDATE:
Some of you have asked about my knees and I have been tactfully pretending that I didn't see the posts because I didn't want to talk about it.
So here's what has been going on. I never went back to that surgeon because he wanted me to lose 25 pounds before any surgery, and I was waging a losing battle to lose weight for quite a while due to poor mobility.
However, in 2018 I decided to ignore what works for other people and cut back on calories and carbs until I found the point where I could lose weight, mobility or not. By ignoring every bit of available advice and doing it my way, I lost 53 pounds (did not want to stop at 25 pounds in the middle of my weight loss to have surgery, because I was "on a roll").
Then on May 13th I started having considerably more pain in my right knee, and for the past month I have not even been able to put weight on it even with my rollator walker. So, as reluctant/phobic as I am to have any kind of surgery, it seemed like now would be a good time for the new, lighter me to triumphantly go back and see the surgeon.
Meanwhile apparently my surgeon retired
(how dare he?
) since he was in his mid 60's. Or maybe he was hit by a truck or something. Anyway he is no longer listed by the hospital and when you call his office, the call is forwarded to a pain clinic that is archiving his records. That's OK; I had begun to distrust this surgeon in the meantime for a variety of reasons I won't get into now.
So.... I researched and came up with a different surgeon. Might as well start again with a new surgeon and maybe this one will be more inclined to get this surgery scheduled ASAP (within insurance or Medicare constraints if any). This new surgeon is well qualified too, and in his 40's!!! Let's hear it for young surgeons. Hopefully he will be less likely to retire on me, and surely his knowledge and techniques will be more up to date.
Made an appointment to see him a week from tomorrow. Guess I am starting over from square one.