My thoughts on my knee appointment

Well this has been a very tricky issue and has completly divided our house up.  As I value my parents opinion (and they will be the ones taking care of me if I have surgery) this has made things difficult.

My Dad:
Thinks I am crazy to even consider surgery again.  As soon as the fellow mentioned surgery and then had to leave the room, dad says to me 'Your not going to go through all of that again are you?', this was before I had even said anything as to what I wanted to do.  He was asking the doctor's what else could be done and the fellow suggested bracing and physio but when the OS came in and looked at the trackin she said that we could try bracing and physio while we waited but made it sound like she doubted it would help.  She and I also discussed how long term bracing is not a solution and is made even more trickier with the EDS.  Dad figures whats the point in having a surgery that may only last 2 years when 6 months of that is recovery?  Well the last one lasted a little over 8 years and recover was about 2 months.  Dad asked for a script for a knee brace and took me right into the brace shop there before we left.  I tried on the two that were suggested and the first one hurt like crazy!  When I said this he got all down looking like I told him we were going to have to chop off one of his arms!  The second one didn't hurt as much so I agreed to try it.  He paid for it while I was getting changed and has been at me to wear it all the time.  Well it also hurts quite a bit and also moves around which is why my old OS figured braces would never do me any good.  Physio hasn't been discussed but I am sure it will come up just before my rheumy appointment.

My Mom:
She is a little more on my side and sees my point of view.  She doesnt want me to have surgery but who really wants to have surgery?  She actually listens to my point of view and agrees that even if I get a few years out of surgery that is a good thing.  However she keeps asking once this surgery is done and fails is there anything else that can be done?  Should I wait until it is absolutly necessary to have this surgery done?  Well I try telling her that the longer the knee is tracking improperly the more damage that is being done, which means the more that will have to be fixed at that later date.  She more understands why I would choose this route, but doesnt like it and would be happy to put it off until my knee gets worse.  At this point I can walk around the house fine, doing the two step method up the stairs but need my crutch or to grip the cart if we go out at all and am still needing pain meds daily and pillows to prop my leg up with.  So it's not like its better, its just that I can get around the house okay and she doesnt notice the pills I take so she thinks its getting better.

K:
He just want's his nini to get better so I can play with him and take him to movies. (I love this kid!)

Me:
This is the tricky one.  I don't want to go into surgery again but I also dont want to live with a messed up knee.  I think what my parents forget about is that I am only 29 years old, to just 'suck it up and live with it' is going to take a lot of years if I live a normal life (knock on wood).  If I was my parents age then no I probably wouldn't go through with it as it's a pretty invasive and risky procedure.  I want my knee to feel better and right now that is the goal.  Because of the bad right knee, my left ankle, and both hips are feeling more pain, also my wrist and shoulder are painful when I use the crutch.  I don't want to sacrifice all those joints just becasue I don't want surgery.  The brace is painful to use, physio has never done me any good and has only made me worse, plus the last time I went to physio for an assesment they said that I had perfect strength and not to push it because having muscles that are too strong is just as bad as having weak muscles (which mom confirmed with her physiotherapist last week and it was also a point in one of the lectures in baltimore).  If Dr F (my old amazing OS) was doing it or suggesting it I would have no problem in going through it.  I dont know my new OS, have never met him. I don't even know if he is going to want to do the sugery!  I just know that the OS I saw there did the one tracking test, ordered a pile of xrays then said she wanted this other test run and that there was one surgery that could be done and that she was sending me to another OS in that clinic.  So all this worrying could be for nothing at all.