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PKR Bj Mac's Recovery

BJ, I have been following your progress...so glad you seem to have turned a corner. I posted on my thread that things are finally turning around for me, too. It's not consistent, but I can tell some days that I am not all stiff and tight when I walk. I want to walk farther, and be able to hike next summer. That and getting into a canoe without help are my big goals. Can't wait until I hear that you've hit the slopes. Glad you can avoid even arthroscopic surgery.
 
Hi Jane, I am glad to hear that you are doing well also. I do hope that thinks get more consistent. In a good way, of course!!! I will definitely let everyone know when I hit the slopes! :happydance:
 
Well, I have news that my new skis will be in for me to pick up this weekend. :happydance:

I am going to meet with my personal trainer again after a month of 'doing nothing' and then gradually moving back into working out. I am hoping to have her help me work up to ski/board season and being ready to ski and board again this season.
 
Bj, My skis arrived yesterday, I have the 158---but I am heavier than you. I have skied the 152 as well. They are beautiful and I love them!!! The name of the knee pads is Pro Knees. Your pt has to fit them, I think they are expensive, but I bet insurance would pay for them. They do have a website.

Micha, I have skied for four years with no brace at all. I don't want to wear a brace now. But, a light brace like the one BJ got, could make you feel safer. Kelly
 
Well, my personal trainer told me that I should put away my snow board. :sad: (I will leave it put away for now) She says that I should be able to ski and that my muscles are in good condition and she believes that I can be ready by the time the season starts here. :happydance: So she is working on my new training program and I will be starting on that soon. :dancy:
 
I am really excited to get my new skis and I am excited about my trainer's good report... :yay:

Kelly, when do you get to try out your new skis? How soon does your resort open?
 
Lady skiers...I think it's so neat that you are both so athletic and taking on life for all it's got to give!
I have also been wondering and please don't get mad at me for asking this...but do either of you ever worry about thrashing your knees/ligaments/prosthesis/joints with downhill skiing? Or is your love of the sport and belief in your skills above any fears of getting hurt?
Please share your philosphosy with us. YOu both obviously have a great zest for life and it may help some of us who are feeling a little fragile get more from our lives. :thankyou:
 
To be honest, I really do not think of getting hurt. I have skied so many days and have a few accidents. My friend broke her ankle last week coming down off a high curb---will she give up walking? I have a friend who broke her leg last winter by sliding under her car on an icy day---she continues to drive!

Seriously though, I am an expert skier and I love to ski. In the summer, I love to bike and I go on 2 or 3 20 mile rides a week. I have had some amazing bruises from cycling!! In the winter in Montana, skiing is a way of life. Everyone gets out for the hill. Cross country skiing is equally popular and I often skate ski on my way home from the hill for an hour or so, just to get some extra cardio. In the early winter, I have to rush home because I take the dog on a 2 mile walk every day and I try to get home before dark. It is so weird to walk him while carrying a big flashlight.

Let's see if I can describe skiing---you are outside on a really cold day, but you are not cold. You get to slide down really fast, but you are in control of your speed and can stop anytime. I love the shushing sound of the snow against my skis. The snow is soft--if you fall---poof!! I teach skiing, which I love---most of my students are my age. We ski all over the mountain and it is just the most fun. I laugh more in the winter than at any other time.

I really don't worry about getting hurt---if I do, I can deal with it. Mostly I love having a strong body and being strong and fit myself. Last week I went on a 14 mile hike with some friends. We saw Big Horn Sheep and tons of Mountain Goats. IN the fall, the sheep smash their heads together to impress the ladies. I love the feeling of being outside and feeling my body moving along on the trail, or the ski run. I have a smile on my face every single day in the winter.

When I feel down, I think, well I can sit here and feel bad or get up and go outside and walk and watch the birds. When I am outside walking I forget all about depression and when I return, I am in a better mood and I can deal with the problem. There is nothing better than walking through the woods--I walk every day with my dog---I watch the flowers change with the seasons, I see woodpeckers pecking and ravens and humming birds. I know most of my neighbors and all of the neighborhood dogs. I walk in winter with a down coat and boots, in the spring I wear a lighter down jacket and lower boots. Then summer and I stride along in flip flops. Finally fall when I begin to get out the fleeces and merino wool sweaters. My life changes with the seasons each one brings delight. If you walk the same walk, you are so aware of the changes in the trees, in the foliage. today, I walked through piles of tamarack needles. In the spring, I will smell the sweet smell of the new needles coming out.

I had the surgery so that I could continue to enjoy my life with no knee pain---not so that I could stick around the house and mope!! I do embrace life with great enthusiasm because it is wonderful to live and to enjoy this wonderful earth. Kelly
 
Awesome Kelly! I knew you were going to have a wonderful reply! I can relate to the hiking and walking and I like to bicycle. Unfortunately we don't have seasons here but there is still lots to enjoy. I also love to watch the birds. I will be so glad when I can get moving again and your beautiful note really lifted my spirits!!!! Thank you Kelly! :goodpost:
 
Wow, Kelly, as I read your response I thought of how much alike we are. I just love to be outdoors. When my boss tried to talk me into taking it easy and working the desk I just cringed. I do not want to be stuck indoors while everyone else is outside having fun.

When I was young and my mother fretted about me getting hurt skiing I told her that she could just as easily fall off of the chair that she was standing on to decorate for Christmas. I will not stop doing the things that I love and sit somewhere hoping not to get hurt. Good heavens, a plane could fall out of the sky and land on me and I could be gone in an instant. I choose to live while I am alive, and as long as my body cooperates I will do as many of the things that I love to do as I can.

I do wish that falls were as soft here as they can be out west. We can have ice and hard packed snow that do not give a soft landing. I am thinking twice, at the moment, about snowboarding because when you do fall you either land on your knees or your behind. It concerns me at this point about landing on my new knee, so for now I will put off snowboarding and go back to skiing. I have a feeling that before too long I will lace up my snowboard boots and get right back on my board though. I don't fall as a rule, but occasionally I catch an edge and down I go. I am an expert snowboarder and skier and I just plain love to be out there riding down the mountain, and I am in control turning when I want to and stopping where I want to.

I also love to go out for a good long bike ride. I do not ride my bike in fear of wrecking or falling off, even though a number of years ago my friend had a dog ram into her bike and she went down and broke her wrist and needed pins in it. As a teen I took out my brother's bike and the brakes did not work and my dad tried to help me stop. I wound up in the bushes with a gash in my leg. Stuff happens. I love to be active and for the most part I choose not to dwell on "what could happen" but on how much joy I get out of being outdoors and doing the things that I love to do.

I have always said that I do not wish to be a rocking chair grandma. I will be out there teaching my grandchildren to snowboard. Well, this winter I get to teach my granddaughter to ski. It is such a joy to go out and do these things with my family. I took up snowboarding with my oldest son. We did skiing with the homeschool group and my son was 14 and said, "Mom, we should try this." I have since then always said, "When your 14 year old son says, 'Mom, we should try this.' You should not miss that opportunity." He and I tried it and loved it and kept on doing it. My 11 year old tried it and declared that he would never do it again, and 3 years later learned how to snowboard and has been teaching it off and on for the last 7 years. My younger two also learned at that time. This winter we will have 4 instructors from our family. I can't wait to have someone take a picture of the 4 of us in our instructor jackets. Talk about one proud mama.
 
Happy family of Snowboard instructors!
[Bonesmart.org] Bj Mac's Recovery [Bonesmart.org] Bj Mac's Recovery
 
Well this was exactly what I needed to read today! I miss riding my bikes so much and I can just feel the time coming that I'll be able to again - I love riding...it was all I could do when walking hurt so much so riding is a great friend! I love skiing too and I haven't hurt myself skiing in so many years that I don't even think about getting hurt - but, I'm going to wait so I'm not doing something irresponsible with this bod!

I have a question (actually, 2) for anyone - I throw pots on a wheel and yesterday I went into the studio and threw on a wheel that was a little short so I used my thighs to dig in my elbows...in no time I was swollen, sore, and really down. Today is a little better and I did my exercises to help with feeling down and rode for 20 min...no pain, just sore. Is it possible that the pressure I put on my thighs made me that sore? Second question, I am almost at 8 weeks and still take pain meds 3 to 4 times in 24hrs...I sometimes can go 8 hours without but after that it just gets away from me. Is anyone else out there still using meds after 2 months? Thanks for any input!
:what:
 
Oh Micha, I am not still taking meds now, but I did ask for more Percocet at two months out and used it at night and the Advil and Tylenol during the day. My OS said at that point that he wanted me off the percocet by three months, and I was. You will get there. Be patient with yourself. When you overdo it keep going to the Rest, Ice and Elevate. Sometimes it is surprising what makes the knee swell and hurt, just listen to it and take care of it. You will most likely be out on the road riding your bike again in the spring. It also makes good sense to wait this ski season out since you just had your knee done at the end of September. But isn't wonderful and encouraging to know that others are out there doing the things that we all love after knee replacement. I remember how much hope it gave me to hear about others when I was at your stage of the game. Hang in there, and keep up the good work. :console2:
 
Hi BJ -thanks so much for your reply! I sometimes think, oh cool I don't need any pain pills, and then something like yesterday happened...but the good days are coming more and more so I'll relax and just keep an eye on it! I love hearing about everyone riding and skiing - I know that'll be me again one of these days! Thanks! :thankyou:
 
Micha, at bed, bath and beyond they have these two or three inch little things that people use to elevate their beds--why don't you elevate your wheel a little for right now while you are recovering. You could also use bricks to raise it up a little. I was a potter for thirty years--I now paint on fabric and then quilt it!. I think that your knee was bend, you were leaning on the thighs and your were also bent over. Since your knee did not like it, try a different height. I raised my machine up and sewed standing up for a month or two. be creative and you will be back to throwing in no time. Kelly
 
Hi Kelly - ya good idea - before my wheel was up about 6 inches and I didn't notice the blocks were out and then I decided oh it'll be fine - ha ha - not! Much better higher with me leaning on the sides of wheel instead of the sides of me! :) Amazing the things that can hurt - but good teachers for me - never again! Happy Thanksgiving! :thankyou:
 
Well, I picked up my new skis and boots today. Now I need the snow... but first some more training to make sure my muscles are ready for the season. I am getting excited. I am really going to be out on the snow on my own two feet this season.

At one point I had resigned myself to the thought of learning how to use a sit ski. When my knee just didn't seem to be making any forward progress I decided that I would figure a way to be out there. I had even e-mailed the local adaptive sports program director to see if I could learn to use the sit ski. They said sure they would teach me. The way I figured it was if I had to learn how to do that because I could not ski on two feet this year the experience would just make me a better instructor next year.
 
Okay my Olympic athlete friends you girls be careful out there! We will be waiting by the fireplace to hear your best ski story of the day! Your our heroes! Whooooossshhhhhh!!!!:egypdance:
 
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