I suddenly aged a lot a few weeks ago. An old fire fighting injury has come back to haunt me. Forty years ago the ground collapsed under me where a large root had been burning underground. The cartilage in my knee was torn.
My wife drove me to the doctor who gave me a prescription for pain pills, had my knees X-Rayed, and referred me to a Sports Medicine Doctor. The appointment with the SMD was a week out and I was hurting. It is the first time in my life that I have looked forward to taking a pain pill. I have had surgery on both knees in the past, and after a day or so I did not take any pain pills. It was a kiss of death in a job where one carried a firearm.
The SMD gave me a couple of options, a series of three shots of Hyalgan in the knee(s) or cortisone. The SMD said one of these days I would need a knee replacement. Normally the bone ends are good for two knee replacements. A knee replacement can be expected to last ten years, before needing replacement. The recommendation is that I put the replacement off a few years. Interesting that a hunting partner 250 miles away received the same recommendation from his specialist.
I went with the cortisone shot because I did not want to get into a series of shots because my wife was setup for surgery on 7/1 and I need to be on hand to take care of her. I will return for the Hyalgan shots on a later date.
The hard (aging) part came when the doctor said I needed to give up long walks, and hikes over uneven terrain. That is tough because that is what I enjoy, taking a hike and using a gps, or going hunting. I put out a couple of acceptable options, the stationary bike we have and riding my mountain bike.
There was a time rehabbing from my knee surgeries I could do a lot on the Stationary bike we had because I could crank on the arms and legs. I cannot do it on the recumbent bike we now have. We have a TV setup in front of it and a boring hour goes by. It is better than nothing. I was concerned because I felt some discomfort after a session. I decided all or nothing and setup my weight bench. At the end of the bench there is a device which you can do leg lifts. I pulled the fifty pounds of weight off each side and replaced it with lighter weights and I have increased it from where I started. The leg lifts worked and the pain went away, wonders or wonders.
The mountain bike is a different story, I pulled it out of storage oiled the chain, and aired the tires. Now from my place you go uphill or downhill. I chose option three and hauled my bike to flat ground for a few days. The knee held up okay but, the behind did not like that narrow seat. The rides were short and then extended with me covering the same ground. The plus side was the cool early morning air and encountering a few other aging people trying to stay alive. I am over weight but there is one guy out there riding a bike that must weigh 300-pounds. He is out there every morning working hard for more than an hour, I respect the man. I use the gps to keep track of my time, mileage, speed, and have it in track mode. I can display the data on my computer and Google Earth. All is not lost, I guess I can attach a gps to a wheelchair if I make it to the old folks home. I can create waypoints for the dining room, and the bathrooms.
There was a time when I was working hard in the woods that I would go to work after a good breakfast with 4 to 6 sandwiches in my lunch bucket, and I would return home at night and eat a hardy dinner. I could not gain weight on such a diet, today for lunch I am looking forward to a turkey, and lettuce salad, heavy on the lettuce.
In the morning when out on the bike the young and the old me cross paths when the cute blond out jogging says hello, or the neighbor lady stops and says how much she admires what I am doing as I struggle to peddle up the hill.
