Blog | kirwanbernie

I WISH I’D LOOKED AFTER ME FEET”

ode to surgeons!!

My left knee finally gave up the fight After hauling me round day and night. Years of walking and lifting with care, Decades of nursing, And yes—sometimes kneeling (But only for prayer!). I hobbled along for a good few years, Doing my best to hide my tears, And the fear of letting the old knee go— But at 65, I was moving way too slow. Then along came Paul Curtin—a hero in blue— He looked at my knee and said, “We’re through.” Next thing I knew—swift as can be!— He whipped out

ode to a crutch and merry christmas !!!

Spot the crutch!! Week 11, and I think I’ve finally turned a corner… though honestly, I’m sick of hearing myself talk about my own knee. If it had its own Instagram account, I’d unfollow it. We went away on a mini-break to the Causeway Coast, and maybe the rest did me good. Of course, I didn’t actually get a break from my knee — it insisted on coming with me — but there’s something about a change of scenery that feeds the soul (and in my case, feeds everything else too, beca

Lessons From My Left Knee

I love the last verse. Some days my body feels old and weary but I still take it with me and sing !! So, following on from my last post, all my desperate Uri Geller–style psychic knee-bending attempts did absolutely nothing . Not a wiggle. Not a whisper. The knee remained stubborn, locked, and basically behaving like a concrete block. But! Good news at last. I had a manipulation under anaesthetic on Monday, which I was dreading but it was grand . Of course I was nicely sed

if Uri Geller Can Bend Spoons

I’ve just passed the six-week mark, and something very funny happened — I suddenly longed for a cigarette. Out of the blue! I swear I could even smell it. Now, I haven’t smoked since 2000, and I’ve no intention of going back to the ciggies, but it really shows what this recovery journey does to you. It’s not the cigarette you want, it’s the comfort — something familiar when everything else feels strange. And speaking of strange, my dreams have taken on a whole new level of

Knee replacement Recovery Diary – Thoughts from the Sofa Sage.

Today I'm feeling really chuffed with myself. you see I'm just home from my physio and my measurements are great. I n case you are confused let me explain. Post knee surgery measurements are everything. Today my knee flexion is 87 [90 is full movement ] and my extension is 10 degrees short of being perfect. I'm not boasting or anything but you have no idea how good that makes me feel. I definitely hit a dip awhile back and felt I was going nowhere but patience and exers

Three Weeks Post-knee Surgery obsessions, learnings, lattes.

🦵☕️ Three weeks post-knee surgery — and I’m still here! My surgeon did warn me it would be a tough road, and he was absolutely right. Looking back, I really appreciate his honesty. The dreaded pain has eased, the swelling is slowly going down, and I’m getting around pretty well on my crutches. I’ve been doing my exercises every day and trying to be the model patient. I’m using my ice pack, taking my meds and having daily showers, [don’t laugh at that one. I can see how easi