ALL done

[Tbeck]

Just got back from Pittsburgh where I under went major bypass surgery for my legs. Left was more than 50% blocked and the right completely closed. Got 4 weeks of recovery where I can't do much, but hopefully I will be able to get back on the bike come spring.
You all stay healthy and if you smoke, stopping is the best thing you can do for yourself. I quit a couple year's back but it has taken a toll. Now down from my soap box

[hillsy v2]

Good news T I quit smoking nearly 25 years ago. Took probably 6 or 7 years to completely lose any cravings but don't have ANY desire to light up now.

I had my MRI on the shoulder yesterday and seeing the specialist / surgeon again tomorrow. It does look like surgery is on the cards but on the plus side he's got a good rep as a surgeon and it's all covered by insurance.

[sgtcall]

Heal up fast and get back out there. Some 800mg Motrin will should do the trick, little Ranger candy fixes everything.

[Tbeck]

Sgt, thanks for the advice. Unfortunately my body system could care less about Motrin, Tylenol or any thing other than plain old aspirin. My doc says my body likes the ansaid's in aspirin which goes directly to the cause of the pain. I'm not real sore and 35+ year's of level 8 pain has made me pretty immune to pain in general. That gets me into more trouble than I care to talk about, lol That's how I ended up teaching.

Hillsy, not sure what you have going on with your shoulder BUT make sure you ask the RIGHT questions before you agree to have anything done. What are the right questions?
What and exactly how the surgery will break down.
What's the expected recovery time and more importantly the long term prognosis
How much strength do you currently have and what will it be after surgical recovery.
I have two bad shoulders, one way worse than the other. The strength in the bad one is roughly 70% of what it should be. If I had it surgically repaired I could expect no more than 50% after recovery. Yes it would eliminate the pain but the trade is strength which I am not willing to give up.
So just make sure you get the answers first and decide what will be best for you and your life style. I have a whole family of doctors and nurse, two of them had shoulders surgically repaired and later wished they hadn't. Just be armed with all the information you can get from your surgeon

[hillsy v2]

Thanks T - will be weighing up all options but I have damage to 3 out of 4 tendons holding my shoulder in - one of them is completely severed so it's unlikely there is a non-surgical solution. Been chatting with lots of people including my physio who has had shoulder surgery so I do know what to expect.

[Tbeck]

Hillsy sounds like you messed it up good. Still get as much information out of the surgeon as possible. They actually like patients who actively seek out the not so common question like recovery, long term prognosis, etc... Hope it goes well for you when you get it done.

[HARRIS]

GETTING OLD BRINGS INTO U'RE LIFE SO MANY NEW PEOPLE ... DR'S, NURSES, PHARM, AND PEOPLE IN THE WAITING ROOM, ETC.

LUCKILY, U GOT U'RE PIPES TAKEN CARE OF BEFORE ...

U'LL START THE NEW YEAR WITH REBUILT LEGS, NOT BAD!

[tabasco]

Wow, Tim ... rest up and get back to 100%. Yeah ... we should ride ...

Hopefully you'll be ready by spring.

[MadCow]

Hope you are on the mend soon!

[Suzuki Johnny]

Stay safe at home T..
Proper convalescence should be taken seriously, did the good doctor prescribe some exercises to do at home?

I quit smoking some 32 years ago..1991 it was. Caught the flu in November and for 17 days I thought I was in for it, no joking, worst sickness I've ever been through.
My sweet wife who was my girlfriend at the time had asked me how long it was since I lit one up..17days, and suggested it was a good start to finally kick the habit. And I've never looked back. Just the smell of burning tobacco nowadays gets me nauseated.

[Tbeck]

SJ, no exercises. I can resume normal activities today but nothing strenuous, and no lifting 10lbs or more. Doc was going over everything before the surgery and I said to him that I can go fishing Thursday, awesome. He got a big smile on his face and said Santa can't deliver heavy stuff this year and we both had a laugh.
Tom, yep we definitely need to do something this year.

MC thank you

Now let me post something here. My surgery was done by a VA surgeon and an entire network of highly professional and thoughtful people. I was out up overnight with my wife in local Hoptel which was catered by a local family who brought over spaghetti dinner for all the veterans stay there for treatments.
So if anyone ever tells you that the VA or care they provide is substandard, you have my blessings to inform them they are full of shiit. Not only was my surgeon a VA doctor he's also a UPMC doctor, and a teaching surgeon. Totally fantastic experience if there is such a thing with regards to medical procedures

[sgtcall]

I have never had an issue with the VA, most people complain about them because they are to lazy, or dumb, to put in the work of setting themselves up in the system. There are a few things that are hard to navigate but there are also plenty of resources available to help if you are willing to reach out.

[Tbeck]

Sgt, lots of folks at VA willing to assist any vet with navigating the complicated stuff. I have found it very easy to get whatever assistance I need.
Long story but when I first got out of the military I really didn't utilize VA for much of anything. Sure I had my rating and that provided me with all the services free if charge, but I had a really good healthcare plan from work and I didn't want to prevent someone in dire need from receiving timely services at VA.
As my condition worsened the past couple year's I found it less complicated to have my needs addressed by one provider. It just eliminated confusion.
With that said I can honestly say that VA not only meets my needs but I also find that the caregivers at VA are top shelf and have my health outcomes as their top priority. Fortunately my home VA is a smaller facility which makes it even nicer.

[Tbeck]

Okay so maybe VA's and my idea of normal activities vary
I decided it would be alright to go fly fishing yesterday. Nothing too active just take the easy trail to the river, stand on the gravel and do some drifting for steelhead. The nice thing about steelhead fishing is that you don't have to land them to get them off your fly. You just relax the line and they'll spit it out. I did catch one and he did just that which is good because he was WAY over my 10lb limit.
Anyhow it was a mistake. Between the colder temps and standing I made myself really sore. So maybe I should wait another week before resuming my "normal activities."

[HARRIS]

ADVICE ... BUY SOME FISH !

[Tbeck]

HARRIS, you got that right, lol.

I don't keep fish I catch (just for the record) and I strictly adhere to catch and release. Mostly I fish for game fish; bass, like, musky, steelhead. I had gotten out of fishing but my younger brother pestered me until I got a license this year. So I have been fishing on average 5 day's a week since the walking and riding was out of the question.
Something you may find interesting is that casting for hour's on end will seriously remove excess weight from your belly. I lost 18lbs and 3" off my waist fishing.
Anyhow the steelhead fly fishing (which is a hoot to learn) is off the table until the pain goes away. Probably take a few days, but it's like being kicked in the nuts having this surgery, not comfy.