Getting old

My long awaited knee surgery at the VA on Thursday has had mixed results.  I am up and walking without a crutch two days later, which is a good thing.  But the doctors had been operating under the assumption that I had a torn meniscus, which is a fixable condition.  Instead, they found significant arthritis in my knee.

So instead of a fixable condition, I am now facing along term medical issue that will be with me the rest of my life.  Considering I just had my 38th birthday 2 weeks ago, I can't help but feel that I have passed out of that magical group known as 'young' and straight into the well known group called 'old'. 

From now on, I will have to pay attention to things I took for granted before, such as cholesterol, high blood pressure, dentures and something called erectile dysfunction.  I always preferred to think of that last category as a Jeff Dunham bit-a kickstand joke.

More immediately, I am left to wonder what the Army will do with me.  I have been semi-useful over the last year, trying to help wherever I can.  But there is only so much a staff sergeant with a bum knee can do in an infantry unit.  So will the Army medically retire me, due to arthritis?  Or will they let me serve my last two years (out of 20) in some useful capacity, maybe training young soldiers.  I guess time will tell.