Too funny! Loved your candor!

I agree that as you get older, things don't work so well, people we love die or move or are also not well enough to visit it is...DEPRESSING. As you said - DUH. I think for most of those things, if you were NOT somewhat blue or depressed, at least for a time, you would need to have your actual sanity questioned! Seeing the glass half full (for example, "I wish I didn't have to have this stupid surgery but thank God I have good doctors") seems like the best you can do going in to something that you aren't exactly looking forward to, don't know for sure a head of time what the outcome will be and knowing you will probably have a significant amount of pain with (at least at first) is doing really well.

Interesting article. I had two total knee replacements, both in 2011, 5 months apart at ages 65 & 66. Although those were fairly difficult, I'm very happy I had them done. The hardest part was taking care of my frail 66 year old husband with advanced dementia (young onset) at the same time. Honestly, it made the TKR's seem easy in comparison, especially in retrospect. I told myself that getting up and taking care of him was actually good therapy for my knees. Two years afterwards, I am thrilled with the outcome of the TKRs and can only say "go for it".

My mom said something interesting to me years ago: "If you keep your heart healthy, they'll replace your parts." She was right -- at 85 they agreed to replace her hip. She's still hummin' and kickin'. It's a fact. Doctors have known for years what the risk factors are and won't touch you for elective surgery if they think they'll lose a patient. No study necessary.