Ponderous thoughts I was pondering (Part 1) ...

Ponderous thoughts I was pondering while squirming in my seat and waiting for the orthopedic surgeon's office to call me back:

** Hi, folks. Sorry about the length between posts, but these have been difficult times within the Farinella household.

The meniscus is the white padding below the kneecap.

As you are probably aware, I've had lots of issues with an injured left knee. Along with that, I've had swelling up and down the entire lower leg, ankle and foot that sent me to the hospital Friday night. Ultrasounds revealed no blood clots, so I was diagnosed with a skin infection and sent home with a seven-day antibiotics regimen, of which I have just begun the fifth day. There has been some progress, but I still have swelling, especially in the foot and ankle area, and the pain is significant -- and is not reduced by common household pain-relievers.

I had a virtual appointment with my primary care physician on Tuesday and he referred me to a very accomplished orthopedic surgeon, whose office I called just about an hour later. They said they'd get back to me, and that's where we stand as this is being typed.

I'm told that the repair of the knee should not be a massive replacement. The meniscus tissue beneath the kneecap and between the two sections of my leg is a mess, and will basically be cleaned up. Had arthroscopic surgery been widely available in 1972, this could have been done then and I wouldn't be having these issues now.

The biggest problem, as someone that lives alone, is being able to function at severely reduced mobility. It is certainly making me appreciate the plight of those that have mobility issues every day of their lives, and I promise you, I am not trying to minimize their problems by talking about my own. Indeed, I'm fortunate that I can still get around -- driving, walking very slowly (my leg actually feels better when it is moving) -- although there's not really much of a point in moving around when there's still a pandemic afoot and I'm probably better off to be riding this out where I am.

Pain, however, does impede the creative juices involved in writing. I can't get comfortable in a seat, and thus I start writing, and stop, start again, rinse and repeat. You get the idea. I have thoughts I want to share about things that have nothing to do with pain, but that's exactly what is creating the impediment to completing those thoughts.

I may just go into the backyard and sit in the sun for a while, telephones at my side and a frosty can of Bitburger beer in a koozie. Yeah, Bitburger. It's what Magneto was drinking in "X-Men: First Class." Look it up.

I will add more thoughts to this later, I promise.