My Chronic Knee Pain Led to Surgery

My Chronic Knee Pain Led to Surgery -    It's not fun getting old and having to deal with aches and chronic pain, especially in my knees.  I was a competitive runner throughout my middle school, high school, and college career, and then I continued running and took up coaching into my 20s, 30s, and 40s.  I've run three marathons and thousands of miles training on my own and with my cross country teams.  Those miles caught up to me. As a 54-year-old retired runner, my knees are shot.  

My first visit to South Bend Orthopedics in 2017 to investigate my knee pain resulted in x-rays, an MRI, and a cortisone shot in my right knee.  At that time, my specialist told me that there was no more cartilage in that right knee and my left knee wasn't much better.  Four years later, I visited again, this time because I hurt my left knee while watching my daughter race in a high school cross country meet.  An MRI revealed a torn meniscus and a cyst on the back of my knee.  The result - surgery.  It took over two months to get through this process, and along the way, the chronic pain worsened to the point that I needed a prescription for muscle relaxers to help me get through the work day where I usually recorded at least 15000 steps a day.  

Now, the surgery is over and the recovery has begun.  Today is day two of rest, ice, and some light walking.  The pain is minimal, and I am hoping that the repairs have resolved or at least reduced the chronic pain in that left knee.  However, I know my right knee will need to be replaced at some point since there is no cartilage.  My specialist at the  South Bend Orthopedic Center told me to wait until the pain in that right knee is unbearable.  Then we will replace it.  so, I've address one of my knee issues, but I know that I will be facing more chronic pain in the future as I continue to age.  It's not fun getting old.  

 

i hold your love in my hands

i hold your love in my hands
(cupped to protect it from the elements)
always close where i can look at it
hold it and protect it
for i will never let it go - ever
it will be here with me
to show everyone i know
(for its beauty hides the calluses
and roughness of my touch)
and when i get too busy i will place
it gently in my shirt pocket
(where it is ever closer to my heart)

Reggie Flesvig

an imitation of e.e. cummings

The First Day ( A Poem for the First Day of School)

The First Day

It’s the first day…

I’ve been planning for this day
for weeks now,
and, wow, here we are.
I’ve been thinking about how to start,
and, well, here I am.
I’ve been wondering what you will be like,
and, hey, there you are.

I wonder where this year will take us?
I imagine the great writing that we will create.
I foresee some interesting conversations.
I anticipate some really exciting times.

So, welcome …
Baseball players
Thinkers
Volleyball players
Readers
Runners
Writers
Wrestlers
Shy ones
Basketball players
Outgoing ones
Leaders

It’s going to be a great year…

and it’s only the first day.

An Amazing Display of Nature

The alarm jars me from a deep sleep where I was dreaming of a world filled with limitless Snickers bars. It's 4:30 a.m. I’m supposed to get up and go for my daily run. Wrigley, my 45 lb. border collie, stands over me and nudges my arm as a reminder that it's also his time to be let outside and then fed. But I’m not sure I want to get up for my run this morning. Yes, it’s early and I need to run, but it’s really nice here in bed. Plus, I want to get back to those dreamy Snicker bars!
Nevertheless, I climb out of bed, put on my glasses, and walk Wrigley to the front door. It's a great morning. The air is cool, and there is a slight breeze from the east. No moon, though, so it's very dark, especially since there's also cloud cover - so no stars either. Still, it’s perfect for today's run. Wrigley returns and we head back inside and directly to his food dish where he waits patiently to be fed.
While Wrigley eats, I head to the closet to get dressed for my run. Since it's cool outside, I choose a lightweight long-sleeve white running shirt and my blue shorts. After lacing up my red and gray New Balance running shoes, I clip my yellow flashing light to my shirt (this is thumb-size safety light that warns drivers that I'm on the road, too). Wrigley's done with breakfast and waits patiently for me at the door. He knows I'm heading out for a run, and he wants to join me. Unfortunately, today's not his day. I'm on my own.
I was right. It's cool outside, and very, very dark. I'm glad I have the long-sleeve shirt. However, it’s pretty tough to see what’s around. Luckily, my neighbors have lampposts to light my way. But once I reach the end of my subdivision, I hit the county roads where I know it will be tough to see the road ahead.
I turn east onto 250 South for about a quarter mile before I head north onto 675 West. Now it’s dark. No houses, no lampposts, no moon or stars. The sun, however, is just starting to create a sliver of orange to the east. Still, it’s tough to see. Along this stretch of road it’s very quiet. The only sounds I hear are my footfalls on the pavement and the slight breeze rustling the rows of corn along both sides of the road.
My mind begins to wander away from this workout as I begin concentrating on my day ahead. I start to think of all of the things I need to do: mow the lawn, wash the truck, treat the pool, weedeat the ditch, and take Kyra to the park. Lots to do. What first? How long will the mowing take?
Off in the distance a few coyotes begin howling their eerie calls to each other. Are they close by? It’s hard to tell. I keep running. My mind again fades back to my plans for the day. Do I have the supplies I need to wash my truck? Is there more chlorine for the pool? Will it be too hot to go to the park?
Suddenly, to my left, there’s a rustling of corn ahead of me. My eyes struggle to capture the shadows that begin to prance out of the tall stalks and bound across the road right in front of me. My focus adjusts. Deer.
The howls of the coyotes now sound closer. I stop. More deer continue to move from left to right, across my field of view, right in front of me. I could reach out and feel their soft fur if I weren’t so shocked by their boldness to dash out in front of me. However, I realize the fear of those coyote howls is greater than the fear of me standing there in the middle of the road breathing hard.
After 15 seconds, the scene ends. At least a dozen deer displayed a unique performance of nature right in front of me. I feel like an audience member in the front row of a theatre at the end of a great scene. I wish my daughter could have been with me to witness this amazing display of nature. I continue with my run as the sun continues to make its way over the horizon, thankful that I decided to get up for my run.

One Consumer's Frustration with Recycling

Note to reader:  If you are a conscientious recycler and you are satisfied with your trash service's efforts at picking up your recycling, you need not read any farther.  But if you too have thought about how your recycling program could be improved, please read on...

My family is dedicated to recycling.  We have a recycling container underneath our sink that I need to empty almost daily into our larger recycling containers (note that I say containers) in the garage.  Sometimes I think we are recycling too much.  But then I see how much recycling many of my neighbors put out, and I know that I'm not alone in giving a serious effort to reducing what goes into our landfills and helping our society by recycling.

Here's my frustration:  My trash service only picks up recycling every two weeks.  Furthermore, they provide us with one small, red recycling bin that I fill up after two days.  It is probably no larger than a 20-gallon container.  The result - I have three containers in my garage dedicated to recyclable materials that stack up over a two-week period.

On the other hand, my gigantic brown trash bin is rarely more than 1/4 filled when it is emptied by my trash provider every week.

I thought it was interesting that I could basically switch the two containers and my problem would be solved.  My recycling would fit into the large brown trash bin, and my trash would usually fit into the smaller red recycling container.  However, I think the garage would get a little odiferous if my garbage was left uncovered.  Hmmm.... what to do?

Last year the trash service hired a consulting firm that called and interview customers.  The goal was to improve service.  I spent 20 minutes on the phone explaining my recycling concerns with the interviewer on the other end.  He seemed very interested in what I was saying.  I was actually excited.  I thought maybe they'd take my ideas and put them to use.  I suggested a larger bin for recycling.  I also suggested picking up the recycling every week.  I even told him it would be OK with me if we switched the bins like I explained above.  So far, however, no changes. 

I wonder how much money my trash service spent on this research and if they put any of their clients' ideas, like mine, to use?  My trash bill, interestingly enough, has gone up $30 over the past three years, but the service has not changed at all.  Hmmm....

Meanwhile, I will continue to recycle and stack up these materials in the garage, counting down the days until the recycling truck makes its way around the neighborhood. 

Despite my best efforts to recycle and play a part in keeping our environment clean, it still shocks me when I see nearby residents who do no recycling at all.  But that's a topic for another time.

Is 8 a.m. Too Early to Mow Your Lawn on a Sunday?

So I get back from my morning run today just before 8 a.m.  I take a quick shower, check the chemical levels in the pool, grab a cup of coffee and the Sunday paper, and head out to my back deck to relax in the sun and read the news.  I like to set my iPhone nearby and play some easy-listening music, usually Shawn Mullins, while I read and scan the advertisements. 

As I unwrap the paper to Mullins's "Homemade Wine", my neighbor across the street fires up his John Deere lawn tractor and begins mowing his yard.  It's 8 a.m.!  Surely there are still other neighbors who are sleeping or trying to enjoy a quiet morning like I am...

The noise of his mower drowns out the Mullins music and distracts me from the sports page.  I can no longer hear the breeze through the wind chimes, and the songs of the whipporwill and killdeer and robins are lost as well.

The irony of the whole situation is that his noise ruined my quiet Sunday morning, but he worked in near-silence as he toured around his yard with his noise-killing headphones on his ears, immune to the cacophony he created for everyone else. 

What's A Teacher to Do on the First Official Day of Summer Vacation??

What should I do first....???



Go for a run? Nope. It's raining too hard.

Read the paper? Oops! We only get Sunday delivery.

Check my emails? Done.

Search for that first great summer novel to read? Not a bad idea...

Walk the dog? Oh, yeah... it's raining.

Mow? Duh! Rain!

Begin planning for next year? Yeah, right!



Start a list of summer Must-Dos? What should I do first?



I think I'll take a nap and think this over some more...