Knee problems run in the family, so do heart attacks...

My father has been told repeatedly told that he will have to get his knees replaced. The last appointment that he had, the doctor told him he wants to try something else first. The real reason for the knee replacements is because my dad's knee caps and the cartilage surrounding them are bad. The surrounding tendons and muscles are actually in good shape. I am guessing all the years of being a mechanic is the culprit but who really knows. I have my dad's knees. Always had weak ones including weak ankles so I am hoping that I will not be inflicted with the same condition he is in. I have been taking supplements that are supposed to help with new cartilage growth but only time will tell if it will really work.

Anyway, the doctor spoke of this new procedure where they inject some kind of gel like substance into the knee and it acts like a stronger more viable cartilage. If this works and the pain subsides and my dad can actually walk without being in pain then no surgery will be needed. I am pretty sure my dad is relieved that as of right now there will be no surgery. He wasn't looking forward to having to stay up in Tampa at a recovery center because chances are they would have done both knees at the same time.

While my dad was at the doctors, they did a complete physical and went over the test results that he had to submit to a while back. His cholesterol has dropped by a large margin. I am not sure if the doctor had him on the best cholesterol treatment or if my dad's improved diet brought his numbers down. It could have been both, and that is a good thing. The men in his family have pretty much died of heart disease and or heart attacks before they turned 60. My dad is 62, so far he is outliving the family curse. My grandfather passed away from a massive heart attack at the age of 58. He had several before this one. My dad has never had a heart attack and hopefully he never will. The cholesterol numbers were so good that he has been told to stop taking his medication and continue on his improved diet and see where he is in a few months. I think that is pretty awesome.