Taday isa good day

[Dave Hawksford]

pray for our buddy's the path of the storm.
It's a TBT picture day. So what's ya got ? My wedding day Jan.16th 82
My best man Larry. We had 3' of snow outside the church and icicles handing from the roof to the ground.

 

[Dave Hoskins]

Today IS a good day! Gonna leave in a bit to get the steroid shots in my knees. Finally. Things are opening back up at the VA. So, the pain in the knees should be reduced starting tomorrow. Wheee!!! And, Friday the 4th of September will be the shot in my lower back!!! Yahoo!!!

 

[Charles Lent]

Steroid shots are magic, for a while. When they stopped working for me I had them giving me 1/2 the dose, twice as often, so I managed to extend the results a bit better. Then the inevitable came, they finally agreed to replace both knees, but not both at once. I had one done in Oct. 2007 and the other in Oct. 2008. If you get both done at once, you literally "Don't have a leg to stand on" and will be in rehab for quite a while.

I wrecked both of my knees in 1978 while fighting a fire. I went through a floor and landed on my knees on the concrete floor the next level (11') down. It drove my left knee cap out through the flesh. 38 sutures and no cartilage any more in either knee. Then, they nearly drowned me when coming to rescue me.

I lived in daily pain until the replacement surgery, getting cortisone shots whenever they would give them to me. The knee replacement surgery was rough, but I can now do almost everything that I could do before, and in nearly no pain at all, up until a week ago. I had to go back and get more cortisone for the right knee. It began giving me trouble again whenever I stood and walked on it.

A day after starting the cortisone pills (can't do injections in metal knees) I had no pain at all again, but all that cortisone over the years has made me about 100 lbs heavier than I was back in 1978, and it's been nearly impossible to loose it without complete starvation. I'm down to 229 from 251 this time last year, but going lower is likely going to require me to stop eating completely. Getting older figures into all this too. Take care of those knees and only do the cortisone when you absolutely have to. Yes, it's magic, but with side effects.

Charley

 

[Dave Hoskins]

I've had good luck with the shots for now. But, the doctor agreed it is time to talk to an orthopod about replacing the right knee. And, soon. It is bad. I've been putting it off and now it is time to get it done. Right knee for now. I imagine the back is next with 4 discs poking out. One thing, one step at a time.

 

[Dave Hawksford]

Steroid shots are magic, for a while. When they stopped working for me I had them giving me 1/2 the dose, twice as often, so I managed to extend the results a bit better. Then the inevitable came, they finally agreed to replace both knees, but not both at once. I had one done in Oct. 2007 and the other in Oct. 2008. If you get both done at once, you literally "Don't have a leg to stand on" and will be in rehab for quite a while.

I wrecked both of my knees in 1978 while fighting a fire. I went through a floor and landed on my knees on the concrete floor the next level (11') down. It drove my left knee cap out through the flesh. 38 sutures and no cartilage any more in either knee. Then, they nearly drowned me when coming to rescue me.

I lived in daily pain until the replacement surgery, getting cortisone shots whenever they would give them to me. The knee replacement surgery was rough, but I can now do almost everything that I could do before, and in nearly no pain at all, up until a week ago. I had to go back and get more cortisone for the right knee. It began giving me trouble again whenever I stood and walked on it.

A day after starting the cortisone pills (can't do injections in metal knees) I had no pain at all again, but all that cortisone over the years has made me about 100 lbs heavier than I was back in 1978, and it's been nearly impossible to loose it without complete starvation. I'm down to 229 from 251 this time last year, but going lower is likely going to require me to stop eating completely. Getting older figures into all this too. Take care of those knees and only do the cortisone when you absolutely have to. Yes, it's magic, but with side effects.

Charley

Charley, I have the same problem, I dropped from 240 to 209 was my lowest. Back up to 217. I haven't had any steroids in 5 years. My knees do fell better after a long ride on the HD. I think the little bit of vibration makes them feel better. But the biggest thing that stopped the pain was stop eating anything with peanuts. Found out I had a slight allergy a couple months ago and it effected my joints.

 

[Dave Hawksford]

I've had good luck with the shots for now. But, the doctor agreed it is time to talk to an orthopod about replacing the right knee. And, soon. It is bad. I've been putting it off and now it is time to get it done. Right knee for now. I imagine the back is next with 4 discs poking out. One thing, one step at a time.

Dave look into cupping after surgery to get the blood clots out. I had great recovery after a broken collar bone.

 

[Bob Gibson]

Same here, I get the shots every 3 or so months in both knees. I was supposed to kave my right knee replaced last February but the Covid stopped that from happening. I'll just live with the shots until there is a vaccine for the Covid.

 

[Chuck Ellis]

Boy, I thank the powers that be that I have very few aches and pains... after 3 or 4 hours before the lathe, my back gives me fits, but usually a couple of Aleve and some time in my chair checks that.... my knees and hips are in good shape for a guy my age... biggest problem I have is when I drive my left hand goes to sleep/gets so numb that I have trouble feeling the steering wheel.... I drive almost exclusively with my left hand at the 10 o'clock position....
if I drop it to about 7 o'clock the numbness will fade away and I can go back to the more comfortable 10 o'clock position for a few miles....

 

[Dave Hoskins]

Good for you, Chuck! I've been dealing with the knees and my back and neck for years. Have two neck fusions and one in the back, with lots more on the way but probably next year or late this year. We will see. Yeah, my lathe time is getting shorter with the back problems. I also have to rip logs down at times as well. I schedule one day for log cutting and nothing else, as that does take it's toll. All of this is the price one pays for almost 300 jumps from planes and choppers years ago as well as other injuries. I was told by a neurosurgeon years ago that as far as the neck was concerned, I had a "crummy neck" since I was probably a kid. So, there is that and when things happens one must do thus and so. Like suffer!

 

[Chuck Ellis]

Good for you, Chuck! I've been dealing with the knees and my back and neck for years. Have two neck fusions and one in the back, with lots more on the way but probably next year or late this year. We will see. Yeah, my lathe time is getting shorter with the back problems. I also have to rip logs down at times as well. I schedule one day for log cutting and nothing else, as that does take it's toll. All of this is the price one pays for almost 300 jumps from planes and choppers years ago as well as other injuries. I was told by a neurosurgeon years ago that as far as the neck was concerned, I had a "crummy neck" since I was probably a kid. So, there is that and when things happens one must do thus and so. Like suffer!

I forgot about my neck.... when I first get up in the morning it sounds just like the Rice Krispie Elves, Snap, Crackle and Pop.... usually last an hour or so before I don't hear or feel it any more. All you marines that kept jumping out of perfectly good airplanes... I chose to be more wussie and went with the Navy where I had water to land in if I had to jump, a warm bed every night and mostly hot foot at dinner.... The beans for breakfast kinda threw me at first... being a share cropper kid, we ate lots of beans, but usually at dinner and supper, not for breakfast.
What back issue I have probably stems back to my freshman year in High School in Ennis, TX... we were learning to do some tumbling in gym class and playing around on the school grounds.... I was the catcher that tumbler was supposed to roll over my back and I would kinda use my knees to flip him back to his feet.... we had a senior who thought it would be fun to go a little higher, double up and drop in my back with his full weight... it drove me to my knees. Didn't really hurt at the time, but after about 65 years.... mostly the lathe work gives me pains up between the shoulders, but working the chain saw sees my lower back get a little sore.... Like you, I reserve one day for cutting logs, then rest a day before I go any further. I usually only last about 4 hours on the chain saw.... I can do about the same on the lathe, then need to give it up for the day.

 

[David Johnson]

I've been blessed with a good healthy body. Don't have major issues other than old age creeping up on me. What I used to all day long now it lasts 30 to 45 minutes then a good healthy rest. Get irritated at myself cause I know I should do better. Oh well no rush if it gets done ok if not tomorrow will do. Wife says what's on your list today? Finish up my list from yesterday.
David

 

[Dave Hoskins]

Well, Chuck. Not all of the planes and helicopters were perfectly good shortly after we jumped out of them. Some were becoming not so good as we were jumping. But, in Nam when we would jump in efforts to rescue downed Navy, Air Force and Marine pilots and air crews, they never complained about us jumping. Sure cut down the time to get to them. Even helped rescue a Navy Seal once from a salt water croc! He discovered it was not a log to sit on.

 

[Chuck Ellis]

Not disparaging the marines one bit... they deserve all the credit they get and then some.... just funing you about the jumps... not something I would want to do.... and never wanted to jump of the ship either... we ran in some deep water and I was a non-swim in boot camp.... never did learn to swim much.
My mother always told me to stay away from that water until I learn to swim. ??????

 

[Charles Lent]

You guys are making me feel better. I guess I'm not the only one who was very hard on my body in my younger years, because I'm sure paying for it in pain now. But the best way out of here is to slide sideways into the grave, body fully used up, and yelling "man what a ride". I'm doing my best to get there as slow as possible and with as little waste as possible. I don't like to waste anything.

Charley

 

[Dave Hoskins]

Back when I was a young man I used to do the 2 mile swims at summer camp. The 1 mile wasn't enough. Even certified as a lifeguard for a while. Good thing, too that I could swim like that. When it came to doing that floating technique they would teach you at boot camp, I always sank like a rock. No buoyancy at all. I'd close my eyes, relax like they said, and the next thing I knew my feet were touching the bottom of the training pool. hmmmmph. Oh, well.

 

[Chuck Ellis]

That's the one thing I did learn... floating on my back.... the instructors told us that swimmers often couldn't do the back float because they wanted move and not just relax... and being 133 lbs soaking wet at 6'1: probably helped... displaced more water than I weighed.
We had a young black fellow that was in my swim class (another company but several were assigned same swim class)... he was doing a hitch in the navy after completing an enlistment in the army.... he was a half a head or more shorter than me, almost as skinny as me and he wouldn't float either... he did everything the instructors told him to do, even went so far as to puff out his cheeks... he would sink straight down.... think he wound up getting discharged because he couldn't learn to swim... I at least passed the minimum requirements.

 

[Rennie Heuer]

Another rock here. Can't float.

As for the aches and pains of aging I've been mostly fortunate. I can do most hings that I could do when I was younger but only half as much for half as long.

 

[Dave Hawksford]

I got my Polar Bear badge when I was 11. Can't remember what month but it was cold. Never had a problem swimming. I've had to lay on my back when I got tried on a couple long swims at lakes yesrs ago.