Bilateral TKR The Historian - recovery diary

[TheHistorian]

I tend to suffer from Hamlet's problem, not including the thoughts of self-slaughter.
".....to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them."

I think one reason I'm melancholy is that I'm not planning and doing enough. Once I realized I wasn't successful in setting the agenda for my recovery, I stopped setting it at all. Planning the upcoming trip to Westsylvania has brightened my mood a little.

 

[TheHistorian]

One more small victory: starting in the summer of 2009 I had problems with sores on the bottom of my right foot. The pressure of weight transferred to my foot on an angle caused abrasion on the sole. That problem has abated.

 

[zjrog]

I may have phrased that poorly, as I don't recall any words we had at odds with each other. i used words as we've never actually spoken... My humble apologies for the confusion!

 

[TheHistorian]

I may have phrased that poorly, as I don't recall any words we had at odds with each other. i used words as we've never actually spoken... My humble apologies for the confusion!

My reply is what we in Westsylvania call a "joke."

 

[BJ Mac]

Hang in there Neil! How soon do you get to do your trip? Are you able to get some more riding in now that the weather has cooled down some? It sure feels way better here than it did last week.

 

[TheHistorian]

Hang in there Neil! How soon do you get to do your trip? Are you able to get some more riding in now that the weather has cooled down some? It sure feels way better here than it did last week.

I've not done any riding at all. Come to think of it, my last ride was New Year's Day, and the last ride before it was October. I'll have to see if riding a bicycle is indeed like riding a bicycle - you never forget how.

 

[TheHistorian]

Hang in there Neil! How soon do you get to do your trip? Are you able to get some more riding in now that the weather has cooled down some? It sure feels way better here than it did last week.

Vacation starts the 24th. Drive is 4.5 hours, so I'll have to make frequent stops and turn it into an all day affair. Plan is to stay with a friend a few days. I've been offered a cot in the "music room", but I wonder at my ability to get out of a cot. Alternative is to sleep in the car, which I've never done before.

 

[RICBAK1]

yes one here but if it makes you feel better rant at me i can stand it .My patiance is slowly running out and i am only 6 weeks not being able to ride my bike is doing me in but keep being told give time you will get there.Any way we will both get there,and any idea what alligator stew tastes like we dont have alligators in uk but got plenty of water if we did.

 

[cheryl young]

Visiting nurse during her visit Friday was very pleased with my vital signs, but the degree of swelling in my right leg prompted a call to the surgeon's office. I now have an appointment Tuesday for an examination. I might be given a script for a water pill or an antibiotic. Here are the legs three weeks out.

Hello
and comgrads on so far that u have come u will have up and down days i only had my right knee done on 5/14/2012
about the swelling ICE PACKS try thr one made out of peas u can buy it at any cvs they come in large i would get two &if u r cleared to take baths make sure u get a rail that u can hook on your tub to help u r self out of the tub or even hand rails that hook on too the wall soaking it and then icing it and plenty of ice and rest i wish u the best of luck
i am here to chatt any time
cheryl

 

[TheHistorian]

I had a bit of running today....

More of the story to come.....

 

[bottomshollow]

Well, I'm running after you to find out what the story is---don't take too long--I'm old!

 

[TheHistorian]

Long story....

The Blob is a 1958 science fiction and horror film about a Jello-like creature from outer space that terrorizes the small town of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. The movie was shot in Valley Forge, Phoenixville, Royerford, and surrounding towns on a shoestring budget, and the lead actor, an unknown named Steve McQueen, took the part for next to nothing because he needed rent money. The most iconic scene in the film is when the creature invades the Colonial Theater and the audience runs out screaming.

Move forward 40 years and Phoenixville is a dead town. The steel plant closed, half the businesses on Bridge Street are gone, and the Colonial is shuttered. A group of civic leaders and businessfolk come up with a plan to revitalize the downtown, and restoring the 95 year old Colonial is at the heart of it. And to celebrate Phoenixville's greatest moment in film history, the idea of Blobfest was created.... a dozen years later the Colonial is restored to its 50s movie palace looks, the downtown is filled with local businesses, and Philadelphia Magazine declared the town one of the ten "most awesome places to live."

I met two friends for lunch at the Bistro on Bridge, and afterward we wandered amid the street fair:





Shops were open, including a bizarre antique shop/flea market. I found this woman adorable. How much to take her home?



From the end of lunch before one to my return to my car at three I walked and stood and negotiated curbs and unlevel pavement (Phoenixville is built into a hillside.) I was sore and stiff by the end of it. And I may pay for it tomorrow. However, its probably the first time I've stood two hours without a break since 2010. I gave up hiking last year. I might be close to getting it back in my life. No wonder I look content....

 

[karmigirl]

Historian,
Those look like pretty new shoes you are wearing, maybe that's why you were able to stand for so long. LOL

 

[TheHistorian]

Historian,
Those look like pretty new shoes you are wearing, maybe that's why you were able to stand for so long. LOL

Purchased in 2009.

BTW, I AM very stiff this evening. It's probably a combination of the walking and the weather - humid with chances of rain.

Tomorrow I might see The Blob at the Colonial. Today's showings as a double feature were sold out. Pity, for while The Blob is very good camp, The Day The Earth Stood Still is a great movie. However, I'm not sure sitting 3 hours in a theater seat would have been a good call.

 

[Pumpkin]

Great photos of the town, now trying to find where I can rent The Blob. Sounds like a fun movie.

 

[pclane65]

Oh how well I remember The Blob! When my granddaughters were 12 and 13 they watched it with me on television. We had so much fun!! They are 21 and 22 now and we still talk about The Blob! They just don't make them like they used to! It sounds like you are continuing to improve. To be able to get out and enjoy the day the way you did is wonderful! And by now you know the pain/stiffness you will feel for a bit is temporary! I am a month behind you and beginning to truly believe the set backs are temporary. So much better than thinking it is never going to get better! Oh those depths!!!

 

[TheHistorian]

Great photos of the town, now trying to find where I can rent The Blob. Sounds like a fun movie.

Netflix has it. Also, as far as I know its fallen into the public domain, since the studio that produced it went under. So you can probably find a copy cheap.

After it eats the projectionist, and probably some audience members, the Blob moves on.....

A local film archivist has the original Blob, which lives in a trash can in his basement 364 days a year. It was supposed to be on display today, but I couldn't find it.

 

[TheHistorian]

Oh how well I remember The Blob! When my granddaughters were 12 and 13 they watched it with me on television. We had so much fun!! They are 21 and 22 now and we still talk about The Blob! They just don't make them like they used to! It sounds like you are continuing to improve. To be able to get out and enjoy the day the way you did is wonderful! And by now you know the pain/stiffness you will feel for a bit is temporary! I am a month behind you and beginning to truly believe the set backs are temporary. So much better than thinking it is never going to get better! Oh those depths!!!

Blobfest starts on Friday night with a recreation of the "running out of the Colonial" scene. I was working, but I'd have skipped it anyway since I'm so slow and a bit unsteady still. Here is 2010's "runout."

 

[bottomshollow]

What fun! Glad I ran after you! Oh! it's Steve McQueen I'm running after. Go figure.

 

[TheHistorian]

I took it easy today. There's some stiffness, but not a lot.