Everybody Has a Story: Replacement parts for humans the new normal

Got a story to tell? We’d like to hear it — and so would your neighbors.

We need submissions to the “Everybody Has a Story” feature — where you get to tell your own story in your own words.

We’ve had cross-country treks and strolls with the grandkids. We’ve had amazing coincidences and quiet observations. We’ve had battles with big fires and big fish. We’ve had humor, and we’ve had tragedy. We’ve had recent happenings, as well as fond memories of the good (and awful) old days. Now, we’re hungry for more.

A couple quick tips: If you’re writing about a special holiday — Mother’s Day, May 13 this year, is always big — get the story to us well ahead of time. The week before is too late.

Please make sure your story is a story — not a huge family history or a list of places you’ve traveled. (We get too many of these; they’re difficult to do well).

Send us your stories — as long as they’re true, original and no longer than 1,000 words. Relevant photos, especially digital ones, are welcome, too.

Questions? Call Scott Hewitt, 360-735-4525. Got a story? Send it to neighbors@columbian or to Everybody Has a Story, P.O. Box 180, Vancouver, WA 98666.

There’s a wonderful store just outside of Greensboro, N.C. called Replacements Ltd. It carries pieces of most china, stoneware, and flatware patterns, so that you can replace the sugar bowl that was a victim of a spontaneous indoor football game, or that teacup that Aunt Sarah dropped when you casually mentioned the twins your cousin (her daughter) was expecting, because, honestly, you thought she knew.

That kind of replacement, however, is not what this is about. Rather, I’m talking about body part and joint replacements, which, it seems, every one of us of a certain age has had — or will have someday.

For many years, my dad, who inherited a tendency toward arthritis in the knees and who put his daughters through college by working in a factory with unforgiving concrete floors, suffered terribly from knee pain. Then, around 30 years ago, he had one of the knees replaced in what was then a relatively new type of surgery. A year later, he had the other one replaced, and he went from being a grumpy, sedentary old man to a cheerful guy who found new interests and adventures wherever he went. When I would go to visit him, I never really knew where I’d find him. Once he was on the roof, and another time he was up a tree in the pecan orchard, bolting together a split limb.

Hip replacements have also entered the medical lexicon, as well as shoulder replacements. I haven’t heard anything about elbow or wrist replacements, but I’m sure someone is working on them.

A couple in our neighborhood used to try to take walks in the summer, both limping along wearing knee braces. “We looked like we were in training for a three-legged race,” they commented. Today, thanks to replacements, both are hiking and swimming. They are heading off to the American Southwest for a long RV vacation next month.

A rescue story recently featured on the Weather Channel was about a fisherman who fell into a frigid river. As he later stated, because he’d had a shoulder replacement, a hip replacement, and a knee replacement, he knew he would not be able to pull himself out of the water. Fortunately, someone heard his distress cry, called 911, and then held onto the man until the rescue squad appeared. Years ago, that man would not have fallen in the river because he would have been at home sitting in a wheelchair or at least been vegetating in a recliner. His replacements mean he can enjoy his favorite activities again, even if it also brings the danger of the occasional tumble off the pier.

In November, my husband had a reverse shoulder replacement — that’s a type of surgery that didn’t even exist 10 years ago. No, they don’t put the right shoulder where the left one used to be. A reverse shoulder replacement is used when there are no rotator cuff muscles left and other muscles must be trained to do their work. The replacement switches the traditional ball-and-socket arrangement by creating a socket at the end of the arm bone, which used to be the ball, and a ball in the shoulder, which used to hold the socket. It’s early yet, but so far, it’s making a big difference in his ability to do everyday activities. This is our first replacement.

Being my father’s daughter, however, I am starting to suffer from some knee pain. Right now, I’m doing physical therapy to try to cure the problem, but there’s a shadow of a knee replacement lurking when I try to peer into my future. In the meantime, I’m doing my knee exercises in an effort to hold off that day.

This morning, my husband and I found ourselves lying side by side on our bed, he doing his shoulder exercises and me doing my leg lifts. Who says older couples don’t spend time in bed together?

Everybody Has A Story welcomes nonfiction contributions, 1,000 words maximum, and relevant photographs. E-mail is the best way to send materials so we don’t have to retype your words or borrow original photos. Send to: neighbors@columbian.com or P.O. Box 180, Vancouver WA 98666. Call Scott Hewitt, 360-735-4525, with questions.