SURGERY OFFERS LONG TERM RELIEF

A front page story in our national paper several years ago (Australian 7/2/18) on hip and knee replacements insufficiently considered the pain and suffering of those with affected joints. I endured years of agony and fixit efforts with my right knee before it was replaced and similarly with my right hip.

My knee was scraped several times, bits of shattered bone were removed and I had sinvisc (cartilage replacement gel) treatment, all to no avail. My hip was a total agony I endured for three years.

The agonising pain of these worn joints is debilitating and life limiting for those who are sufferers. Painkillers are mind dulling, habit forming and definitely not the answer. Surgery is the only real option.

I wonder at the suffering and bravery of our forebears who were afflicted in a time before surgery was available. Praise be that corrective surgery is available for it helps make life worth living again.