Thanks so much for all your good wishes. I really appreciate your thoughtfulness. And yes, thank goodness this is fixable.
Barb: I am so happy to hear that surgery worked out so well for both your 'guys'. It really helps to hear of that surgery was successful with both options.
I saw the 'shoulder guy' today and got the results of my MRI. I do have some tearing, not of the rotator cuff, but of the muscles surrounding it. Not sure exactly what that means but it doesn't mean surgery for now. I will be starting physical therapy next week and hope that helps with my pain.
I talked to the PA of the 'knee guy' about having single vs bilateral surgery done. If I have one done at a time, I am concerned about causing more damage to the other leg as I heal. She said I would probably be okay, but it is possible to cause more damage if I wait too long to get the second one done. She also told me that my deformity (I am extremely knock kneed now) is so severe that if I have only one leg done it will be noticably longer than the other leg and this could make it hard to walk on that leg while the other one heals. (I have actually lost almost two inches in height the last few years and will get some of that back when my knees are fixed.
) By having both legs done, I am worried about being able to support my weight with my upper body because of my shoulder pain. Looks like either way I am faced with potential problems. The PA recommended that I wait until I have had physical therapy to see if my upper body strength improves and make my decision in a month. I am okay with that and have my first appointment on Monday. It looks like I have a little time to make my decision.
I want to thank everyone again for the support and well wishes. It means so much to me.