Sunday, July 10, 2011

Seven Months after Surgery

Two events to report at the seven month status update. One is my first trip in an airplane since the knee replacement. And the second item is my first competitive 40 mile bike ride with my new knee. For both events, I am happy to report good news....

In late June I traveled by plane from Detroit Metro to the Chicago O'Hare aiport for a three day conference. I was anxious about the trip as I expected a long delay at security including a pat down. I arrived 2.5 hours before the flight departure. I was pleased to learn, however, that both Detroit Metro and Chicago O'Hare airports had full body scanners which made the "security check" brief and easy. At both airports I informed the security personnel that I had a knee prosthesis that would not pass the metal detectors. They responded saying that I should stand in line for the full body scanner. The line was short as many passengers were still not comfortable with the new scanners. I was asked to remove everything from my pockets including paper. I then stood on the footprint templates and raised my hands over my head during the scan. The scan took a few minutes, and then they informed me that I had passed the scan. With full body scanners moving into all US airports, I believe there will be no additional wait time at security with a knee prosthesis.

This past Saturday, July 9, I rode my bike 40 miles in an organized biking event held in Chelsea, Michigan. There were six different routes ranging from 15 miles to 100 miles. I selected the 40 mile route as I regularly work out with 15 mile bike rides. I rode the 40 miles in 2 hours and 35 minutes and only stopped twice at the refreshment sites for water and fruit. My knee survived very well. I did notice a bit of stiffness after the ride, but it abated after a few hours. Below is a picture shortly after I finished the bike ride.

As testimony to the durability of the knee prosthesis, I worked out for 35 minutes the following morning on the Precor Ellipitical machine without any problems.

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