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I don't think it's so much the model year of the chassis so much as the mileage. A good chunk of those miles were kind of rough.
I'm one of those Vet's who didn't make it to his 20 yrs thanks to structural damage. As a result I have kind of turned orthopedic surgery into somethinbg of a hobby. Now you can't have this hobby without learning to master the art of physical therapy/rehab. I just turned 50 about 4 months ago and I had a knee replacement back in September of last year. Another chunck of titanium to go along with the shotgun slug looking chunks that hold my lower spine together.
I just don't remember healing up taking so damn long 20 or so years ago. I've had three back surgeries, 4 knee surgeries, a foot surgery, and a shoulder surgery. Now the knee replacement got a bit more complicated than the average removal of OEM parts and the installation of hot rod aftermarket parts in that once I got to recovery they hit me with some kind of synthetic super morphine and the next thing ya know pl' Rigged got real quiet for a couple of minutes while he popped in for a surprise inspection of the big bunker in the sky. Cost me 4 days in ICU and a couple of weeks or freaked out blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
The biggest side affect of this little cameo appearance on "The Lifestyles of the NOT Rich and Dead" was a set back in the early stages of rehab. Probably the biggest thing was a delay in strength excercises while we concentrated on range of motion and scar tissue. The one thing I was told to do was walk as much as I could. Now, my job is one that has little in the way of actual physical work, but I am on my feet for most of the day and I walk quite a bit.
When they told me to walk as often as I could while I was out from work, I took it to heart. Think Forrest Gump, but instead of running I walked. In fact, I walked too much and set myself back. Same thing when I got to work and was supposed to limit my time on my feet. Didn't listen then either.
So, it seems that what ever endurance or stamina I had befoer the surgery is just a memory. My body has fought the healing process battle admirably, for the most part, but damn it just seems to be taking forever. I have done a lightly loaded 10 mile walk just to see if I coiulod make it. I did it but my rate of advance was much slower than befoer the knee gave up the ghost. I guess in fairness, it was faster than the few months before the surgery though. The most notable thing to me was recovery though. Seemed to take a couple of days.
What the hell, you are probably wondering, is this all about? Well, lemme tell ya. Today after I finished all of my yard work in mid 90 temps I got the brilliant idea to go eliminate some impending Zombie Brush and weeds at one of my favorite getaway places. Two hours of swinging a machette in the heat and I'm done. Finished. This is a major concern when one considers throwing a 50 to 60 lb load out on, along with a rifle and pistol, and heading for your escape and evade route. It looks like I'm going to have to start planning on doing some weighted hilkes on a regular basis and ramp up the cycling time. I'm thinking maybe even joining the Y or someplace that has a pool where I can do lower impact excercises and swim. Running on a regular basis is not a great idea for me.
Oh ya, and the only non surgically repaired joint that went through the thump is my right elbow. I had it drained and shot up about three weeks ago. X-Rays showed bone chips and a major bone spur. None of which have ever really bothered me that much until recently. My two hour Zombie brush killing excercise has it pretty irritated with me. I need elbow surgery like I need another hole in the head. At least we know now to hold the spiffy synthetic super morphine happy shot.
It kind of gives me a new appreciation for the old saying, "If I knew I was gonna live this long I would have taken better care of myelf" lol.
I'm one of those Vet's who didn't make it to his 20 yrs thanks to structural damage. As a result I have kind of turned orthopedic surgery into somethinbg of a hobby. Now you can't have this hobby without learning to master the art of physical therapy/rehab. I just turned 50 about 4 months ago and I had a knee replacement back in September of last year. Another chunck of titanium to go along with the shotgun slug looking chunks that hold my lower spine together.
I just don't remember healing up taking so damn long 20 or so years ago. I've had three back surgeries, 4 knee surgeries, a foot surgery, and a shoulder surgery. Now the knee replacement got a bit more complicated than the average removal of OEM parts and the installation of hot rod aftermarket parts in that once I got to recovery they hit me with some kind of synthetic super morphine and the next thing ya know pl' Rigged got real quiet for a couple of minutes while he popped in for a surprise inspection of the big bunker in the sky. Cost me 4 days in ICU and a couple of weeks or freaked out blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
The biggest side affect of this little cameo appearance on "The Lifestyles of the NOT Rich and Dead" was a set back in the early stages of rehab. Probably the biggest thing was a delay in strength excercises while we concentrated on range of motion and scar tissue. The one thing I was told to do was walk as much as I could. Now, my job is one that has little in the way of actual physical work, but I am on my feet for most of the day and I walk quite a bit.
When they told me to walk as often as I could while I was out from work, I took it to heart. Think Forrest Gump, but instead of running I walked. In fact, I walked too much and set myself back. Same thing when I got to work and was supposed to limit my time on my feet. Didn't listen then either.
So, it seems that what ever endurance or stamina I had befoer the surgery is just a memory. My body has fought the healing process battle admirably, for the most part, but damn it just seems to be taking forever. I have done a lightly loaded 10 mile walk just to see if I coiulod make it. I did it but my rate of advance was much slower than befoer the knee gave up the ghost. I guess in fairness, it was faster than the few months before the surgery though. The most notable thing to me was recovery though. Seemed to take a couple of days.
What the hell, you are probably wondering, is this all about? Well, lemme tell ya. Today after I finished all of my yard work in mid 90 temps I got the brilliant idea to go eliminate some impending Zombie Brush and weeds at one of my favorite getaway places. Two hours of swinging a machette in the heat and I'm done. Finished. This is a major concern when one considers throwing a 50 to 60 lb load out on, along with a rifle and pistol, and heading for your escape and evade route. It looks like I'm going to have to start planning on doing some weighted hilkes on a regular basis and ramp up the cycling time. I'm thinking maybe even joining the Y or someplace that has a pool where I can do lower impact excercises and swim. Running on a regular basis is not a great idea for me.
Oh ya, and the only non surgically repaired joint that went through the thump is my right elbow. I had it drained and shot up about three weeks ago. X-Rays showed bone chips and a major bone spur. None of which have ever really bothered me that much until recently. My two hour Zombie brush killing excercise has it pretty irritated with me. I need elbow surgery like I need another hole in the head. At least we know now to hold the spiffy synthetic super morphine happy shot.
It kind of gives me a new appreciation for the old saying, "If I knew I was gonna live this long I would have taken better care of myelf" lol.
