Accommodating a new body part

I don't always repost them, but I get a kick out of my daily Facebook memories.
Consider, for instance, this post from a year ago today:
"Left Knee and I have an understanding: I take it swimming, and it supports me without pain. Unless it decides to have a meltdown."
Well, Left Knee -- part of it, anyway -- is now medical waste, and has been replaced by bones of steel and cartilage of plastic.
That happened almost four months ago. Here's what's changed as a result:

• I carry my crutches in my car, but rarely need them. However, my doctors have authorized an accommodation, in the event of long periods of on-the-job standing and walking. I may use the crutches, and if I need to rest and elevate my legs, I should do so.
• A month and six days after my surgery, I was back in the water. At first, it was for short periods -- say, 15 to 20 minutes of gentle movement in the warm-water pool. Now, I'm back to my pre-surgery routine, in which an hour in the water is about right for me. 
• Returning to lap-swimming was a slow process. At first, I limited myself to eight lengths with the kickboard -- and I could barely do it. Now, I can do 40 lengths in a session.
• There's a story I didn't tell in the newspaper, because it was about me -- but on my first weekend back at work, part of my coverage of the Portage Police Department's annual Bike Rodeo entailed trying out an unclaimed bicycle that the officer said looked like a good fit for me. The knee said, "No way." So, at my next physical therapy session -- my final one with Dan M.  -- I asked him to put me on the upright stationary bike and show me how high the seat should be for proper pedaling. He did. Now I do both the recumbent and upright stationary bikes in the gym. But I have yet to try again on a real bike, even though the nice Portage police officer insisted I take a free bike helmet.
• On that same weekend, I covered a familiar event, the annual Bulldog Stomp charity run in Pardeeville. This was May 5, two months to the day after my surgery, and the running around hurt at times, as did all the crouching I did in search of a decent photo angle. If I needed to sit for a while, I sat. But two more months have gone by since the Stomp, and I'm doing fine on covering events (such as the recent Moo-Day Brunch) that require a lot of walking around.
• During a physical therapy session in late April -- in the early morning, and neither I nor the therapist are morning persons -- I thought I'd finish my therapy and then get something to eat. No go. My new, more active body requires sustenance to function, and I was out of gas halfway through the 30-minute session. The water that Dan S. ran to fetch for me helped, but he admonished me, correctly, to eat before our next session, even though it also would be early. Now I don't skip breakfast, ever. 

On the whole, I'm doing really well, post surgery. The scar is pretty hideous, and it itches sometimes.
But while I'm not up to a marathon or triathlon, and likely never will be, I am living mostly pain-free, functioning on my job, staying active and feeling better than I have in a long time.
And last Thursday, I got yet another laugh from Dan S., who often makes me laugh.
I'd come in for a swim, and he was on the pool deck working with another patient. I was wearing my bikini. On seeing me for the first time in a two-piece swimsuit, Dan said, "Wow! You're moving well!" That's my therapist -- seeing what he's trained to see.