Debra, Many thanks for the reply and positive comments. As you can imagine I have the greatest respect for anyone who has gone through a total knee replacement! I had my rt. knee done 13 years ago (to date the toughest surgery I have ever had) and at that time I was told I was down to 20% of my cartilage in my left knee. My surgeon for the knee, Dr. Colisemo of UC Orthopedics here in Cincinnati, was theorizing after the surgery which knee would give out or need replacing first (he was telling me this as knee replacements typically have just a 20 year life span). My left knee has been a little achy over the last couple of years but it is nothing like the rt. when I was "bone on bone". As time has moved on I find myself questioning more and more. In my more youthful days when I never questioned much of anything and played just about every contact sport you can imagine it never occurred to me what the long-term effects to my body might I be causing. Now at 61 I look back at those 20 or so years and think just how "young, dumb, naïve and stupid" I was. As I have plenty of time to sit around now and ponder I find myself being much more "proactive" as you put it. As I consider myself maybe a little more than just average in intelligence, which might not have always been the case, I have a great thirst for knowledge, especially when it comes to what is going to happen to me. As far as hobbies or interests are concerned I'm afraid quilting really isn't my thing right now but in my pre-teenage years I will admit to making potholders and peddling them to relatives and around the neighborhood! LOL I haven't mentioned that I also have moderate to severe RA on top of everything else but right now Humira is holding that affliction at bay. The Humira is a double-edge sword. On one hand it arrests the progression of the RA but on the other hand it might have had an influence on my body not fighting the staph bacteria which I have succumbed! Back in February I bought into a hobby I was all set to involve myself in. Of course it has now been put on hold as I can't go walking through the woods and fields swinging a metal detector back forth and go digging up the riches it detects. Some day I will achieve that goal! I was brought up to never, ever give up! I do enjoy watching the current champion on Jeopardy ($2,500,00 and some change) and anything about Ancient Aliens or about UFO's as I am a believer (much to my wife's chagrin)! I guess I'm secretly hoping that alien technology will magically fix all the things wrong with my body that our current mankind technology can't figure out!!! Thanks for asking.