I was a teenager when I heard that a pig's vein could replace a damaged human heart vessel. Fine, but I'll take a pass on that one. No foreign substances in my body.

Still, I'm currently in a situation where something else is within me that did not come with the first edition. My right knee is now a combination of plastic, cobalt and titanium instead of the original bone God gave me.

Advancements in modern medicine clearly demonstrated through a bone scan that I needed a new knee because osteoarthritis had captured my original unit.

I am the world's biggest sissy when it comes to altering my body, either by accident or planned surgery. In fact, I was a great sympathizer of Christian Science because part of me said to take what you were dealt with and don't try to exchange it with man-made alterations.

But hobbling around for the remainder of my years did not really seem right, so I began to investigate total knee replacement surgery. Pain is not my friend. I feel every affected cell in my physique when bruised, cut, sprained or unintentionally impaired in any way. Can't stand being hurt.

When you begin to consider our bodies' possible substitutions, it is utterly amazing. Hearts. Faces. Lungs. Kidneys. Legs. Arms. Eyes. Ears. Knees. Hips. Colons. Ankles. Shoulders, etc. etc. (I'm sure there are people in labs right now experimenting with substitutions for our psyches and brains.)

Cloning and stem cell technology lie in waiting for future repairs of our deteriorating bodies.

As I recover from my operation a month ago, I feel that doctors and scientists have a power to extend our lives that hasn't even surfaced yet.

My first choice for a such a medical innovation would be to encompass a surgery that would include preparation, cutting, replacing or repairing and recuperating, all while the patient recovers to his expected status and while sedated. Just wake up, put your clothes on and go home. This painful recuperating period of six weeks should be shortened, somehow.

We do thank the Lord above for Percocet. It's a narcotic, all right, but when I take it I feel no sensation of inebriation or any "high" feeling and no apparent degradation of my otherwise razor-sharp faculties. It just makes the pain in the knee go away by telling my brain to fugeddaboutit.

I have to state that my experience with FirstHealth and Pinehurst Surgical in the matter of my surgery has far exceeded my expectations and has made me appreciate what great medical assets and resources we have here in Pinehurst.

Dr. John Moore and his able sidekick, Shelley Martinez, have convinced me that there still are some old-fashioned doctor values when it comes to personal attention, care and concern for patients. If you are a patient of theirs, you can call them at night and weekends if you have a problem. They are personally accessible, which certainly isn't the case in this telephonic age where a recorded voice tries to address your issue.

Dr. Moore is a candidate for the most knee-replacement surgeries performed anywhere, doing up to eight in one day. I asked him if he ever gets bored performing this hourlong procedure, and he replied "not yet" with a twinkle in his eye. This man looks like a -corporate CEO out of his scrubs and has an optimum blend of -personality and professional skill, making it a pleasant experience to be his patient.

The whole event has been a -valuable and, in spite of the pain, a good one.

Andy Thomas lives in Pinehurst. Contact him at dahtmuth58@aol.com.