Growing Old is NOT for Sissies
So aging has been fun so far! As I transition to my golden years I understand why my Dad said “Oh I’m sorry sweetie.” when we found out that I had pretty serious osteoarthritis. It wasn’t a surprise since arthritis runs in my family on both sides. My Mom had two hip replacements and a knee and my Dad was so bow-legged he looked like a rodeo cowboy by the time he was 60.
My adventure started with some aches here and there. My hands started to take the shape of a computer mouse and my toes started pointing in various directions. I blew out my knee running for a flight at the Oakland airport in my late 30’s and my first joint replacement happened at 52.
I’m not upset about it though. I wear my crooked joints like a badge of honor for having lived an incredibly full life and using my body to the max. I carried 100 lb. tent poles around Golden Gate Park, carried guitar amps up rickety stairs, pulled stoners off the front of the stage at reggae festivals, built huge raised bed gardens and even helped start a 15 acre sustainable farm. And it was all worth it
Adventures in Joint Replacement
Hip #2
Sometime last year I got up from my desk chair and I could barely walk. I recognized that pain right away, though I was immediately in denial. “It can’t be my hip. I already did that!” I said to myself. But sure enough, over the course of the next few months my waddle and my x-rays would confirm; the cartilage in my left hip was going, going, gone.
I had just quit my job AKA permanently retiring (that’s another story you HAVE to read later) an entire year earlier than I had planned. I was enjoying the HELL out of it too. At the pool every day, golf 3-4 days a week, gardening, building a new personal blog/website, walking – all the good stuff when it became unavoidable. I need a new part and I need it now!
Since retiring I’ve dedicated my digital creation to helping others through my experiences. To this end, I’m going to catalogue as much of my post-surgery recovery and share the process of reconstructing my body and my lux lifestyle.
gdba 