Getting old is rough

[Greg58]

We burn wood also, probably no where near what you do, I’ve still got wood from two years ago that I need to use this winter. I’m not saying global warming is a thing but we don’t use as much wood as we did 10 years ago. I’ve got a couple of trees picked out to cut this year, I’ll wait till a good cool Saturday to start.

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

We Don't burn as much wood as we did. The woodstove in the house we bought in 2006 was a wood hog. Never burned less than three cords per season.
Replaced the hog with a Canadian Drolet high efficiency woodstove. Never burn more than two cords now, and the Winters here in Southern WI are getting progressively warmer. Our safe ice season for ice fishing is down to little over a month.

Tom

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

I got the wood shed as full as I wanted Tuesday, so I got in touch with Eddie who plows my 300ft driveway.
He got about two of those totes worth of wood loaded.
Claims he will plow five times NC in trade. Now I gotta come up with another exercise routine per Doc's orders. This all started two weeks ago when they think I have some blockage in a heart artery. My LDL is double normal. Then again my HDL is almost off the scale high. It was thought one negated the other.
Nope, that was the old science. I am screwed by the New Science. So I backed off on my drinking as they dose me with a Statin drug now.

Tom

 

[Tony01]

Two old guys very close to me went into the hospital around the same time in the past few weeks. My dad was there briefly and an old machinist boss of mine is still there. He will be ok but must alter his lifestyle in some ways going forward. I go to hang with him every day. The tolerance we hope to work with is Vance 2028 +8/-0.

 

[Tony01]

Yeah my old boss isn’t getting out anytime soon. I just hope his family keeps the business running and not lose the two major customers that are their bread and butter.

One of my therapies had me re-organizing and learning to return to regular life. One concept was the Spoon Theory, which per Wikipedia: “Spoon theory is a metaphor describing the amount of physical or mental energy that a person has available for daily activities and tasks, and how it can become limited.”

I realized getting old or in a bad wreck and recovering is just starting the day with less “spoons” or energy. All it means is you have to get better with time and energy management. It’s been kicking my butt.

I found if I do too much in one day like “when I was young” before the wreck, the next day I’m completely floored tired. This was never of concern before now I really have to look and say okay… 8pm… I’ve used all my spoons for the day.

I started going to the gym every day no matter what… it’s like the 90 in 90 of AA but I did this with the gym. Been about 110 days and I’ve missed 9 days I think. The last day I missed was a Sunday around 4 weeks ago.

I’m working hard to prove to my knee surgeon I don’t need a PCL. Tore my PCL, ACL, MCL, got two fixed then another surgery to remove scar tissue and manipulate my bend range another 45 degrees. The PTs after my manipulation back in February said I have to do 100 heel slides daily for 3 months to keep the range. That’s taking a strap and pulling the leg to bend. Before surgery/manipulation I could bend it 90 degrees, then after the manipulation and the hard work of heel slides I can now still bend it 135 degrees. I did over 10,000 heel slides in those 3.5 months. if I missed a day then the next started with a -100 count… one time I missed 3 days in a row and it took me two weeks to get back even from -300. I would have to do my 100 for the day before making up days I missed. Stayed honest did 10k, still can bend my leg 135 degrees.

I still can’t walk without assistance of a cane. I use it to divide the weight of my body between my leg and cane. Thus I’m limping and walk kind of strange. Went to the gym and left my cane in the car yesterday, and boy did I regret it.

My surgeon is pushing me to not do the PCL because it will be another 6-9 month recovery and I’m not sure I have it in me… my life isn’t quite back to normal now after 1.5 years and never will be but it’s pretty good considering what I went through. I’d like to walk normally again, maybe even run again, and just generally be returned to stock. Of course the new stainless and titanium hardware isn’t going anywhere..

On to the second Thanksgiving I didn’t miss.