I'm hurtin'

Monday/Tuesday were really really nice days in the mountains.

My grand kids talked (not much effort required) me into a road trip up to
the Blueridge Parkway and gentle walk on a scenic old RR (tracks removed and
the road bed re-graded for easy walking and bike trail) up in the western NC
and WVA mountains.

Enjoyment got the better of me and we went off path for a bit of a look see.
I managed to miss a step and slid down a steep incline about 100 yards.  Not
much damage as I was properly attired for the 'ride'.

BUT ... the climb back up to the path took me hours and gave my knees h*ll.
Could barely drive back home.  Took a quick HOT shower and downed a couple
of heavy pain pills and was out like a light in short order.  I'm likely
very to be stiff for the next few days.

The youngest grand daughter was impressed with my trip down but not at all
pleased with the time it took me to get back up. The oldest grand daughter
use the phase 'Garfield and Odie' to describe my wife and my efforts at back
up climbing up.

Naturally Easter is more interested in some other fine points rather
than your aching body and knees.

Frog Prince wrote:

> I managed to miss a step and slid down a steep incline
> about 100 yards.  Not much damage as I was properly attired for the
> 'ride'.

OK.  That's one person sliding downhill a long ways.

> BUT ... the climb back up to the path took me hours and gave my knees
> h*ll.

That describes/sez one person climbing back up a steep place.

> The youngest grand daughter was impressed with my trip down but not
> at all pleased with the time it took me to get back up.

That sez 'me' - one person again.

> The oldest
> grand daughter use the phase 'Garfield and Odie' to describe my wife
> and my efforts at back up climbing up.

Are you telling me/us that your wife came all the way down there
(presumably to make sure you were OK and all that happyjazz) and then
had to climb all the way back up with you?  If so, she's a real trooper.

I would've hollered down, "Are you OK?"  "I'm OK, just a little
embarassed."  "OK honey.  I'll be hollering down to you to check on
how
you are doing about climbing back up.  Let me know if you need for me to
come down and bring you some water or something."

-- 
Mike Easter
kibitzer, not SC admin

"Frog Prince" <me@privacy.net> wrote in message 
news:ft46u3$u59$1@news.spamcop.net...
> Monday/Tuesday were really really nice days in the mountains.
>
> My grand kids talked (not much effort required) me into a road trip up to
> the Blueridge Parkway and gentle walk on a scenic old RR (tracks removed 
> and
> the road bed re-graded for easy walking and bike trail) up in the western 
> NC
> and WVA mountains.
>
> Enjoyment got the better of me and we went off path for a bit of a look 
> see.
> I managed to miss a step and slid down a steep incline about 100 yards. 
> Not
> much damage as I was properly attired for the 'ride'.

A la Michael Douglas in "Romancing the Stone", without the pleasure of

ending up in a heap with the then gorgeous Kathleen Turner?

>
> BUT ... the climb back up to the path took me hours and gave my knees 
> h*ll.
> Could barely drive back home.  Took a quick HOT shower and downed a couple
> of heavy pain pills and was out like a light in short order.  I'm likely
> very to be stiff for the next few days.
>
> The youngest grand daughter was impressed with my trip down but not at all
> pleased with the time it took me to get back up. The oldest grand daughter
> use the phase 'Garfield and Odie' to describe my wife and my efforts at 
> back
> up climbing up.
>

Lucky you didn't suffer any permanent damage, REALLY lucky. Next time make 
your grand daughter carry a nice long rope to help you up faster! ;-)

I almost did something really stupid myself yesterday...actually, I DID do 
something stupid, I think I just got away with it. It's been over a week 
since my knee surgery, so I wanted to see if I could go out with my knee 
support (I use either a wrap or a sports knee brace, only needed crutches 
for the 1st 3 days). On the second step out of my house my knee partially 
buckled. Oops. And OUCH! Swelling is still up today, but the pain is pretty 
much gone. What I had done was definitely more complicated than what I 
expected, I'm shocked at how weak the knee still  is after 10 days.

Oh, and someone from UNUM called me this a.m., told them I was sick and to 
call back next week. I know they're going to prod me about my SSDI app. 
Check out this article for how UNUM is flooding the SSA with unecessary apps 
and clogging up the system, hurting those who truly need and deserve 
benefits:

http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=11477

The lawsuits do not fault the idea of coordinating benefits with Social 
Security and workers' compensation. Instead, they contend that insurers are 
recklessly dumping people on Social Security's doorstep, without properly 
screening them to make sure they have a chance of qualifying.

The typical long-term disability policy says workers can collect when they 
are unable to do their own jobs for some period, usually more than five 
months. Social Security, by contrast, will pay only those people who are so 
badly disabled they cannot do any job at all. The disability must be one 
that will last more than 12 months or that will lead to death within that 
time.

Sabourin, the spokesman for Unum, denies the suits' accusations and says 
that his company does screen people. He said Unum considered it in the best 
interests of its claimants to try for Social Security, because the federal 
program offers advantages over private insurance. Even though the federal 
requirements are tough, he said, Social Security has certain exceptions and 
trial programs that Unum's claimants might qualify for. 

"Indigo" <nobody@spamcop.net> wrote in message 
news:ft5s96$s58$1@news.spamcop.net...
>
>
> I almost did something really stupid myself yesterday...actually, I DID do

> something stupid, I think I just got away with it. It's been over a week 
> since my knee surgery, so I wanted to see if I could go out with my knee 
> support (I use either a wrap or a sports knee brace, only needed crutches 
> for the 1st 3 days). On the second step out of my house my knee partially 
> buckled. Oops. And OUCH! Swelling is still up today, but the pain is 
> pretty much gone. What I had done was definitely more complicated than 
> what I expected, I'm shocked at how weak the knee still  is after 10 days.

Welcome to my world!  If you read the surgical report you'll be shocked that 
it doesn't hurt more with all they do while you're under.  You should keep 
the ice on it for a few weeks, and don't do any more stupid things that 
could make it worse because it's not holding your weight.  I hope you don't 
have what I had, if the fluid doesn't go away in couple of weeks, it might 
not.  Did he show you pictures of what he did?

I had an MRI on my knee last week, the first for this doctor.  He said the 
arthritis is behind the kneecap and it's there in a big way (sure, NOW), and 
this is what he's suggesting, it's a titanium implant that can go on the 
underside of my kneecap (or any other joint surface).  Interestingly, my 
doctor is one of the ones who presented it at the medical convention in 
December.  Hmm.
http://www.arthrosurface.com/index.php/content/view/112/76/
the only thing is to find out if I'm a candidate for it,  he has to scope 
the knee again - right now, I can't take that. I'm still looking for a 
better job and I can't afford any more expenses out of pocket, and I have a 
feeling this will be a fight with the insurance company because it's so new. 
Sure sounds like an ideal solution, though.

"Heidi" <nobody@spamcop.net> wrote in message 
news:ft6har$3l5$1@news.spamcop.net...
>
> Welcome to my world!  If you read the surgical report you'll be shocked 
> that it doesn't hurt more with all they do while you're under.  You should

> keep the ice on it for a few weeks, and don't do any more stupid things 
> that could make it worse because it's not holding your weight.  I hope you

> don't have what I had, if the fluid doesn't go away in couple of weeks, it

> might not.  Did he show you pictures of what he did?

Swelling and pain were pretty much gone today, without icing today (iced 
extensively last night). Even the size of the cyst behind my knee is the 
smallest it's been in a long time. I do have some cool pictures scanned that 
he took inside my knee, I used this tool that came with my PC called 
Snapfish to upload them, only to discover that sending someone the link 
reveals my Comcast username! I need to either create a throw-away Comcast 
user account or find some other free website to upload the photos.

>
> I had an MRI on my knee last week, the first for this doctor.  He said the

> arthritis is behind the kneecap and it's there in a big way (sure, NOW), 
> and this is what he's suggesting, it's a titanium implant that can go on 
> the underside of my kneecap (or any other joint surface).  Interestingly, 
> my doctor is one of the ones who presented it at the medical convention in

> December.  Hmm.
> http://www.arthrosurface.com/index.php/content/view/112/76/
> the only thing is to find out if I'm a candidate for it,  he has to scope 
> the knee again - right now, I can't take that. I'm still looking for a 
> better job and I can't afford any more expenses out of pocket, and I have 
> a feeling this will be a fight with the insurance company because it's so 
> new. Sure sounds like an ideal solution, though.
>

Is it FDA approved? I don't see how the insurance company could deny the 
claim if your doctor says it's the only thing that can help you. You can 
always ask for pre-approval for the procedure (and document it!).

I feel your pain with the expenses, my COBRA coverage is nowhere near as 
good as my old insurance, I'm afraid to find out how much $$$ I'm on the 
hook for my knee surgery. I still owe them $140 for the initial MRI. Can't 
pay any bills this month until my UNUM check gets deposited -- would have 
been tomorrow, but I don't think it will post on a Saturday. My checking 
account fell to an all time low of $44 today :-((  I *do* still have some 
money stashed away in savings, my emergency money, but I don't want to tap 
that unless it's really, really an emergency. It's what saved my ass when I 
first went on disability and didn't get any income for 3 months while my 
application slowly made it's path thru UNUM.

BTW, did you see that link I posted about how UNUM is trying to screw it's 
clients by making them apply for SSDI? But my disability insurance is in 
place in case that I can't do MY job. SSDI is for folks who can't do ANY 
job. The jerks called me this morning and woke me up, I told them I was sick 
and to call back next week. I guess I'm going to have to fill out the SSDI 
forms, they apparently can yank my coverage if I don't. That should be 
illegal!