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tion we provide patients. That's their anti-anxiety pill, and I realized the more
information we can provide them, the better off they'll be.
What did you realize during the road to recovery?
I felt really good right away, but I was also worried about stiffness in the joint.
When I first returned to work, my energy dropped in the afternoons. Patients
used to tell me about what they experienced, but I couldn't fully appreciate
what they went through. Now I know, and I'm better able to inform my current
patients about what they might experience during the months after surgery.
What do you tell patients now that you've faced what they endure?
The journey of healing is really amazing. It's not a straight, linear experience.
There are quite a few ups and downs. During the good times, everything feels
great. During the down times, even I, as a surgeon, was getting worried. One of
my patients complained that her knee throbbed at night 3 weeks after surgery. I
was able to talk about what I went through. I told her, You're going to feel frus-
trated, but it'll get better.
OSM
Dr. Kirschenbaum (ikirsch@bronxleb.org) is chairman of the department of orthopaedic
surgery at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center in the Bronx, N.Y. Read more about his
experiences as a patient at mykneeyourknee.com.
