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