Post-surgery Dori recalls sitting next to Dow Constantine at Paramount Theatre

Just a little while after waking up from his knee replacement surgery, Dori Monson called into his own show as a guest.

The talk show host who is minus one knee but now part titanium, sounded chipper amidst the background of EKG monitor beeps.

“I’m fine, I’m not groggy — I’m absolutely fine,” Dori told Todd Herman, who is hosting the show in Dori’s absence. “My wife just got here and said you were doing a fantastic job with the show, so I’m doing great with everything.”

When he first woke up from surgery, Dori said the pain was a “10 out of 10,” but at the time of the phone call, he was down to a 4.

Dori: An ode to my (soon-to-be-replaced) knee

But despite the heavy medications being used to bring down his pain, Dori insisted he felt completely clear-headed after the surgery.

“I’m sharp as attack … attack … a tack,” he said.

Dori is very thankful for every single listener who has taken the time to write their well-wishes to him.

“I got some emails from listeners that were as meaningful as any I’ve ever gotten,” Dori said.

His respect has gone up for people who live with chronic pain — as well as his appreciation for the wonders of modern medicine.

“It is a miracle that we live in times like this,” he said. “I feel so blessed.”

Sadly, Dori was not allowed to keep the knee as a treat for Buddy.

An ice-cold meeting

Dori was not too drugged to perfectly recall every moment of his adventure at the Paramount Theatre this past weekend, when he went to go see the stage version of Disney’s “Frozen” with his family and coworkers.

“I was about to go in [to my seat] first, and my wife grabbed me and said, ‘Do you see who would be sitting next to you? That’s Dow Constantine and his family,'” Dori recollected. “And so my wife literally pulled me back so she and one of our daughters could go in first and be my buffer. As I said in my tweet, the stage wasn’t the only place that was ‘Frozen.'”

After the musical, Dori followed closely behind Dow to see if he could confirm for himself what so many listeners and King County Sheriff’s Office employees had reported.

“I had my camera ready because I’m sure that you and I and all of our listeners paid for a sheriff’s deputy to sit in a car for a couple of hours so Dow and his family could go to a play,” Dori said.

Sure enough, Dori saw the vehicle, but out of respect for Dow’s wife and daughter, decided not to photograph the family getting into the car.

However, Dow Constantine is welcome to stop by the hospital and pay Dori a visit.

“I would welcome him. In all seriousness, I would love to sit down with the guy and have an hour-long interview and just talk about all the craziness,” Dori said.

Listen to the Dori Monson Show weekday afternoons from 12-3 p.m. on KIRO Radio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.