Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Our Coach And My Knees

Our Coach
I think I now know how this RV thing works.  We go on an extended trip or several short trips and when we arrive home, we do three things.

1.Call Karen to give it a thorough top to bottom cleaning, especially if we’ve been to the dusty West.

2.Call the RV repair guy to come down and deal with the issues that cropped up during the trip(s) (I do very little work on the coach myself).

3.Take it by the auto body place to get an estimate to repair the dings I put on it – this is only the second time for #3 and hopefully the last – both in a fuel station.


Of course I damaged the doors with the most complicated paint scheme.

My Knees
As for my knees, they are the main reason that I do very little on the coach.  If you’ve actually seen me, you know I’m an over-weight, out of shape old guy who barely hobbles around on his bad knees.  They’ve been this way for several years and I’ve been avoiding doing anything about them in hopes of a miracle cure that would prevent replacement – both of my knees are bone-on-bone and nothing seems to help anymore.

I realize I have to do something or resign myself to only enjoying what can be seen from the road on our RV trips – which I did this last time and am no longer willing to accept.  So I made my second visit to the surgeon and after convincing me not to do both of them at the same time, I have scheduled the right knee for Nov. 23 and to say I’m concerned is an understatement.  First reason is that I’m a big baby when it comes to pain and secondly I’ve been through therapy two times (right knee scoped) and it was hard when I was in better shape.

So I have one month to lose some weight and build my knees up as much as possible – fortunately I have stairs and a Bow Flex to help.  If the first knee goes well and I think I can stand the process again, I’ll do the second one and hopefully have this behind me by pretty weather.  I’m sure my blog posts in Nov will include a significant amount of whining.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.


Larry

20 comments:

  1. Hopefully the knee replacements will go well. We have a friend, large guys too and recovered extremely quick. Was climbing the very steep driveway less than a week after surgery.
    Loosing the weight and exercise sure helped me and lots of walking now, no replacements for me I hope.
    Good luck.

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  2. Bless Your heart.... I have heard people rave about knee replacements giving them a new outlook on life. SO--I hope the same will be true for you... Glad you are finally doing something about this problem. You don't need to live in pain and you don't need to give up LIFE due to those stinkin' ole knees....

    About weight loss, why don't you get the "My Fitness Pal" app.... George has lost about 45 pounds since May on this program. You keep track of your foods --and the nutrition you need. The program also gives you some ideas for lots of 'light' cooking... I think you and Bev will enjoy that---since you both are so clever about how to make even bland foods taste good.... If you need help when it comes to weight loss---just ask either George or me. It's a constant battle for us --but we are both 'winning' right now (with a lot of hard work).

    Hugs,
    Betsy

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    1. PS----Not only do we use My Fitness Pal for our food/nutrition, but we also have FITBITS which we wear and keeps track of our exercise. The two apps sync together really well.

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  3. So sorry about your upcoming surgery :( My sister-in-law had one knee replaced and 6 weeks later had the other. I wish you quick healing and a painless recovery! I always do better with my efforts when there is a goal in mind. I am sure you will feel great about the time you go in - best of luck.

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  4. Most of the folks I know have had such good luck with their knee replacements. Losing some weight would be a good thing for us too or we might be looking at knee replacements. It's hard when you enjoy eating as much as I do. Wish I liked salad and veggies better. Whining is just fine with us.

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  5. Larry, The RV is a frustrating inconvenience and a pain in the wallet. The knees and the pain are life changing...and losing weight will help. Low intake of unhealthy carbs (bread, pasta, potatoes, desserts) has been what's worked for me. Lots of meat, vegetables and fruit along with some cheese. (Of course, we do eat bacon, ham and other processed meat so according to the health pundits, my days are numbered anyway!) Get 'er fixed and whine away! We'll be good listeners... Take Care, Big Daddy Dave & Laurie

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  6. My Hubby had the surgery done a few years ago when he turned 70. Pain was taken care of and rehabilitation was in a special center where he had to stay for 7 days and then on home. Piece of cake, and how happy he is for his was bone on bone too. Took so many over the counter pain meds that he had internal bleeding. Now........nothing! I am happy too. You will do fine!

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  7. You've already gotten excellent advice Larry. I echo Betsy's idea about My Fitness Pal and FITBIT. They are great ways to know you are on track with what you are eating. David's idea about going low carb has always worked for both of us and even to this day, we still follow it (somewhat). I, like Betsy, hope that your new knees give you a new and great outlook on things to come your way. Believe me, I know it's no fun to live with pain. Take care and stay in touch about how you're doing. We're all glad to be your support team and listening ear.
    Sam

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  8. I wish only the best for your surgery and weight loss. You have a cheerleader here. I have lost a significant amount of weight in the last several years and it has given me a new lease on life.

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  9. Oh Larry! I am sorry to hear about your knee. Good luck with the surgery and I hope you heal fast.

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  10. We have a very good friend who is having both of his knees replaced next week and he put it off as long as he could also. Since he still works, opted to get the thing over with all at once. I don't think there is any easy way to do it. I wish you the best and speediest recovery possible and kudos for losing some weight before surgery. I'm sure that will help with your PT. You will be entitled to whine all you want :)

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  11. My daughter the RN worked on a post-surgical floor for knees and gastric bypass. She said the most important thing with knees is to lose as much weight as possible, and you have to get up and walk a lot after the surgery. Same with hips but your bendability is less after hip replacement. It's not that easy getting knees (with apologies to Kermit the Frog). Good luck, Larry; losing weight is hard, but I'm betting on you.

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  12. Hang in there, Larry! I think you are making the right call, you need to get those legs fixed. We'll be thinking about you. Ooooo, right at Thanksgiving. Oh well, you need to take it easy this year.

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  13. I wish you all the best with both your effort to loose weight and a quick recovery after your knee surgery. Whine away, that is what friends are for. :)

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  14. Larry, we will be thinking about you! and sure it will go well. Betsy's advice is great!

    Both Pete and I began counting calories over a year ago and each of us lost a combined... well, I won't tell you just how much we lost, lol... but it's the best thing ever. I too have had knee problems and it is amazing the relief I feel now while walking after having removed just 15 pounds. The most important thing for me was to have a notebook, printed sheets, where I recorded every single thing that went into my mouth with the calorie count. More protein, less carbs... and man oh man, we gave up having a glass of wine every night_ immediate results. ;) You can do it!

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  15. HEY - who are you calling dusty???? :) Larry, a friend of mine just had his knees replaced. After the first procedure and recovery, he couldn't wait to have the 2nd knee done. Good luck with all of this. Keep us posted.

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  16. We will be thinking of you Larry. I know it is hard to face surgery. Just did it myself. All I can say is, why did I wait so long? Wish you luck. Just sit back and let Bev take care of you. Keep us posted.

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  17. I recommend writing blog posts while heavily sedated on pain meds....... hehe, could be entertaining!

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  18. Larry, I completely understand your concerns. I had a total knee replacement, as you might recall, two years ago. I had a good surgeon, and he used an epidural to keep my pain under control. I was in the hospital for two days. I have to say that my pain was totally doable. Of course, when I got home, I had to focus on my physical therapy. If you can, get one to come to your home. That was such a blessing. Ice a LOT (I got to take home my ice machine, from the hospital). I am so grateful for the underwater treadmill that my outpatient PT place had. Water became my best friend. Two years later, I walk with a slight limp but no more terrible bone-on-bone pain. Listen to the doctor, do your PT and I'm confident you'll be fine. I'm flying to Europe, next year. That could not have happened, had I not gotten my knee fixed. As for not doing both at the same time...smart move! Best of luck to you!

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  19. My dad swears that his knee replacement was one of the best decisions. He is a tough physical old guy and the idea of replacing his knee was overwhelming to him too. Now, he enjoys the quality of life that he would not have been possible had he not made the decision. The therapy is tough and the initial healing can be a bit rough at times but, once you get through it, your knees will feel so much better. I am cheering you on!!

    Velva

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