The Body Breaking, But Want To Is Still Alive

[pop pop]

I am on the way, next Friday, to have cortisone shots put in both my knees. My left pops almost every time I swing it. This will be my 3rd trip to have this done. I am planning a big trip, next month, and need a little pain relief.

My back, lumbar, is acting up as well. Will take wife's advice and see the neurologist on this coming Tuesday. Don't know what he will say or want to do.

Also just lost a jaw tooth. Nerve was exposed at the gum line. Dr said it is a rare situation and only extracting the tooth was a fix.

I had the cataract removed from my left eye last Thursday. Can already see 20/20 in both eyes, but need readers. I highly recommend it if you are plagued with this malady. Short surgery and very little pain. Just multiple drops for a month after. 

I turned 69 in March. I abused my body (long hours of hard work) when young and never considered that the bill would come due and need to be paid when I got older. I worked 2 jobs for years, but we are in a position to travel a lot in our RV.

Will be leaving to go out West again next week. Going to stay first night in North Little Rock, then travel to Oklahoma City. Will spend a few nights there while viewing the Nat Park and Museum, where McVey blew up the Murrow Building, and also taking in in the National Cowboy Museum.

My first born daughter is a big "Virginian" fan (Western taped in the 60's and 70's) and the city of Gene Autry is holding a "Cowboy Way Festival", at the Gene Autry Museum, starting on the 5th-7th of May. Three of the actors in "The Virginian" series, will be there to meet and greet fans. James Dreary (The Virginian), Roberta Shore (Judge Garth's daughter Betsy), and Gary Clark (Steve), will be there, if health allows them. They are all in their early 80's, and like me, are paying the prices of early body abuse and old age.

We did not want to allow our daughter to travel alone so we decided to go with her. Consequently, two of our camping friends decided to go with us also, in their RV's, so we have plans to make it a 3 or 4 week adventure.

We will be leaving Gene Autry/Ardmore Oklahoma on Monday, and going to the Palo Duro Canyon area south of Amarillo Texas. After a short exploration, and stay, we will be headed for San Antonio and viewing the Alamo, the River Walk area,  among other attractions. After a few days we will travel to Fort Worth Dallas area, and then on to Waco to view the city and the Home and Garden Channel stars Chip and Johnna Gaines's Magnolia site. My sweetie is a big fan of the Gains' and that Fixer Upper TV show.

We will leave there and make a stopover at Hot Springs Arkansas for a few days, then on to Loretta Lynn's Hurricane Mills Dude Ranch. I am a big fan of hers. She is from Butcher Holler, in Van Lear Ky., and all my people are from close by.

So that is our trip planner for the month of May. I am so glad I am still able to do some traveling, but am really unsure about my lower back problems. I just hope my old body can make the trip.

You know, a fellow has got to move while he still can. A day is coming when I will not be able to do this kind of traveling any more, so I am striking while the "Iron is Hot" so-to- speak! 

You know, life has this all wrong. We should be able to retire, for the first part of our lives, and then work till we die. No one told me it would be traveling with this much pain, but I am just glad to be here. Aren't You? I will say, "Happy Trails To You.

Pray for us.       

[M1911A1]

Roger, those cortisone shots hurt like Hell going in, but in just an hour or two, all of the pain that you've been experiencing should be gone. And the effect lasts about three whole months!
I regularly have to have my right thumb's base joint done, but I've been able to extend the relief to almost six months, with the help of Ibuprofin.

Congratulations on the cataract-removal success. Watch out for a minimal return of the cataract symptoms, because the transparent capsule which contains your eye's lens (both the original one and the replacement) can also become wrinkled and cataract-like. If that happens, they can fix that in seconds with hits from a closely focussed laser.
I've just had that done to both eyes, and, even though I opted for far-sighted replacement lenses, and should need reading glasses, I now can read pretty well without them...if the type isn't too small. (But I do have, and use, reading glasses.)

Have a wonderful trip!

[pop pop]

Thanks for the well wishes Steve. We will be taking a day trip to test our, new to us, Duramax Diesel truck, and also the 33' 5th wheel RV just had new brakes put on it. My son-in-law said I needed to drive it a couple hundred miles and then allow him to re-adjust the brakes. We will be traveling to Crosville TN tomorrow and eating lunch then back home to make the test run. It is about a 220 mile trip.

I have had the shots in one knee previously, but not in both knees at the same time. This will be new for me, however both knees are really hurting when driving. Like you, the cortisone really relieves the pain. I had my last shot a year ago, just before our last trip that we took across the northern border.  On that one we traveled from mid TN, to Mackinaw Michigan, then on to Washington State, on Hwy 2, which runs just south of the Canadian border. Then returning back to mid TN via another more southern route.
On this trip we are going to spend a lot of time in Texas.

I will let you know how the shots, and the trip turns out when we return. Again thanks for the well wishes.   

[NorCalChuck]

AA-A-H-H-H-H-h-h-h . . . .
The wonders of Ibuprofen, the anti-inflammatory that does the job and keeps me ticking.

YES-Sir-Ree-Bob . . . . . .

[M1911A1]

...And don't forget the Ranitidine, which keeps the Ibuprofen from upseting your stomach!

[pop pop]

Went to my neurologist on the 25th. He sent me to have an MRI, which I did the same afternoon. Haven't heard back from his office, but am waiting the results. He said I may need steroid injections in my spine, from the symptoms I told him, but we will not know for sure until he reads the results of the MRI. Explained they need to try that treatment first.

Went today to a diabetes specialist to help me manage my diabetes. My numbers are a tad bit high and I have been on my present medications for about 5 years. Anyone who knows the treatment knows you must change because the body adjust to the meds and they become ineffective. She is going to do some big changes in my meds when we return from the out planned West trip.

Going Friday to have steroid shots put in both knees to get some pain relief. The cartilage is worn off the backs of my knee caps and they rub against the knee joints and it is quiet painful.

Went on a test run in our RV yesterday and drove about 175 miles. My son-in-law want me to drive the RV so he could readjust the new brakes he just installed on it. We wouldn't want a brake shoe dragging and causing the wheel to get hot on an extended trip.

We will be having two other couples, in their RV's, making the trip with us. I am not rolling over and giving up on life, until I am forced too. I enjoy the West and have taken 5 trips out there in the past few years. I know most here don't enjoy the RV lifestyle but my Sweetie and I have really enjoyed our travels for the last 18 years. We traveled to places ad done things we never would have been able too had we not invested in the RV and truck to pull it years ago.

The old body may be wearing out, but I am still fighting through the pain, with the aid of meds and exercise, and trying to get some enjoyment in life. So far I have been able to avoid the depression, that sometimes comes with serious health problems and older age, by looking forward to going to church, serving the Lord, playing with my gun collection, training others in safe gun handling and shooting, and our traveling.

I will add one of my success stories. We have a widow, at our church, who lost her husband a few years ago. Her and he teenage daughter was previously attacked, by the I-75 rapist, when they resided in Florida years ago. After her husband passed, she related to the women's Bible class that she was terrified living by herself. So much so that she couldn't sleep until daylight. I asked her if she wanted to learn to shoot a gun and be able to protect herself. Long story short, she accepted my invitation and after a few times in our back yard and some safety training, my wife heard her tell another widow, we also had with us in the class, " You know, we can take care of ourselves now if we are forced too. She also was able to sleep once more.

I got satisfaction bringing a measure of peace to a widow that was really hurting.

Onward!

[LEJoe]

Good job with the widow pop pop. Hope you're feeling better soon!

[pop pop]

Back from our out West RV trip. Got to see almost everything we set out to visit. Just run out of time. I will say I love the West and was not disappointed with our Oklahoma/Texas trip. This country is amazing and wonderful.

Got the results from my MRI and it was as the Dr expected. He wants to put steroid injections in my spine, to relieve the lower back pain. I am doing pretty well for now, but sleeping in a semi setting position, while propped up on pillows. Seems to aggravate my nerves when I lay flat on my back for sleeping.

The shots in both my knees helped, but I got some bad news about my left knee. It is now bone on bone and the Dr said, "Whenever I was tired of the pain, knee replacement was in my future." Said the right one was not far behind. Seems I have worn the cartilage out in my knee joints. My left knee pops and cracks every time I walk. The shot helped little for that.

Our next trip will be the first of June and we will be taking 3 of our grandchildren on an annual traditional fishing and camping trip to a local lake for the week. The twins are 13 now and will not be doing this for much longer. I like fishing as well but sometimes it hurts my back now.

My 13 year old grandson is a excellent shot both with a bow and trap shooting. He just finished in second place over all, in the TN state tournament for bow shooting, last week. He shoots the shotgun equally as well on his school trap team outings. He broke his wrist, at the start of the school year, and the coach would not allow him on the team to start with. One of the supporters knew how good Mason was in Trap, so she convinced the coach to let him shoot. He has since won ever shoot they have let him shoot in except 1. He is a natural shooter. My father was that way. I see him drive nails with a 22 rifle when I was a boy.

Then we are making plans to go to Williamsburg Virginia, to see that area. Plans, Plans, Plans. Looking in the forward, and not living in the past. Helps keep me moving. God is good. To Him be the glory in all things. His will be done in our lives.

I have 30 years at the Post Office, and our favorite saying was "Hope the groundhogs will not soon be delivering our mail." We do want to keep it on this side, but will gladly see what Jesus has in store for me in the "next life". You know, the future, it ain't all bad, for us old Christians. Hope and faith sustains me. Truth be told, We were not meant too stay here forever.

Hope you guys have a blessed day.

[M1911A1]

If you get your knees done, make sure that you do all of your exercises, all of the time.
Friends who have had both hip and knee replacements tell me that hips are easy, and knees are hard; but if you do all of the exercises, and fight your way through it, the new parts end up working better than your original equipment.

Years ago, there was a gunsmith in Williamsburg who made authentic "Kentucky" rifles from the whole cloth, except for the locks and the unrifled barrel blanks.
He had no machine tools, of course. Everything was done with authentic hand tools, including hole drilling, and even threading, and, of course, rifling the barrel.
You could stand there and watch the entire process, and ask questions, and even buy a gun.
Maybe he, or his replacement, is still there.

There was also a shoemaker, also using all hand tools, and sewing by hand too. I had a great time talking with him about leatherwork, and the shoes he was making.
He and I were using very similar techniques in our respective shops, and we learned from each other.

Even the old man sitting under a tree, making roof shingles with a froe and a mallet, was interesting to talk to, and knew all about what he was doing.

And the peanut soup is very good!