12379f8832fd
tech



Hello Wayne - 

CA>> The adrenaline shots I received (twice in one year) were
CA>> given with a syringe that looked like it should be used on
CA>> a horse. 

--8<--cut 

WC> Gee, that sounds like a lot of phun :-( After the
WC> arthrograms at least I had some amusment for some hours
WC> when I bent my knee the dye would shift making a squishing
WC> sound easily heard across the room, seemed to make others
WC> cringe in discomfort ;-) 

I was only 21 and the thought of not being able to walk was the
only thing that held me still while they did this to me. 

CA>> I went to physical therapy for four months and managed to
CA>> recover the use of my left arm but both shoulders were
CA>> severely damaged. Something about supranatal muscles? The
CA>> surgeon said the surgery was no guarantee and could leave
CA>> me with permanent pain and he did not recommend it. 

WC> Same here plus an AC separation. Made pushups all but
WC> impossible and lifting weight above shoulder level
WC> difficult if not imposssible weight dependent. I managed
WC> fine with those injuries. 

I 'manage' because of all that I no longer do. Trying to work
on my car on my back with my arms raised is extremely painful
and I've given up even trying anymore. Loosening rusted nuts
and bolts can jar my shoulders and I've given that up to. In
short, I can't fix my cars anymore. 

--8<--cut 

CA>> At the time of the accident I could lift my 100 lb older
CA>> son over my head (as a joke) any time I wanted to. I've
CA>> always been strong for my size, 5 foot six and 170 lbs. 

WC> I've lifted 560 or more to waist level and am certain I've
WC> put over 220 over my head just not since 1990. 

At 170 lbs I used 380 as my 'dead lift' weight (3 sets of 6)
and 375 for squats (3x6). I pressed 180 on an Olympic set
(military press - flat footed, no 'bouncing' it up) six times
in a row once to show a power-lifter than 'body buiders' were
not weak. He could only do it 4 times and he weighed 220. 

I did not normally go for 'max', I did body building type
exercises, not power lifting. I had 17 inch biceps which looks
huge on a 5'6" frame. 

--8<--cut 

WC>> If my back were OK I could entirely ignore the knees and
WC>> except for the occasional unexpected fall and the rather
WC>> amusing snap, crackle, pop and crunching noises they make. 

CA>> Yes mine too. People at work have thought I had a wooden
CA>> leg when I turn too fast and it pops. It does sound
CA>> mechanical I guess? 

WC> Again, clearly audible across a room. 

I try to avoid the popping. I don't want sympathy, it won't fix
the damage. 

--8<--cut 

WC> Sucks. Still retain a great deal of upper body strength but
WC> with the lack of a firm lower body foundation I can't
WC> usually actually use it to an effect. 

My remaining strength is more of a potential hazard than a
help. Parts of my body are strong enough to detroy other parts.
:-\ 

CA>> I think the brain begins to 'retranslate' the constant
CA>> pain into something more tolerable? 

WC>  Or Endorphines are released so the interpretation differs? 

Could be. I know the knee 'pain' is not like hitting my finger
with a hammer but it's continuous nonstop every waking moment
of my life for the past 35 years. 

--8<--cut 

WC> I need not bump anything it's just bam I'm down and the
WC> shot of pain seems to be too intense for me to think to try
WC> to catch myself or do much about it. 

Sounds as though the joint has been worn down. My father-in-law
showed me his X-ray prior to surgery. He had NO joint at all
left. The ends of the bones were resting on one another. I
can't imagine how he was still walking. 

--8<--cut 

CA>> I have concealed my injuries for 35 years. None of my
CA>> employers had any idea I had a bad leg. 

WC> I concealed the worst injury from my employer for two
WC> months, after that I was totally wiped out. 

With the shoulders weakened there is no reason to try to
pretend to be OK anymore. I'm not OK. 

--8<--cut 

WC> It's a phreaking miracle I'm alive all things considered. I
WC> bet I'd make for an interesting autopsy to see all the
WC> accumulated damage. 

You must have some 'unfinished business' here on earth? 

--8<--cut 

CA>> The job market is brutal out there and being over 50 is
CA>> like being a 'leper' now, at least in Michigan it is. 

WC> Bet if my spine wasn't injured I could still trade on my
WC> size to keep working as my father did. Doesn't get much
WC> worse than Florida as a "right to work state" which is a
WC> deceptively named piece of legislation. My brother in law a
WC> former special forces guy says he was astonished to see my
WC> father carrying an AC unit up to the second story on a
WC> ladder at the age of 67 and this _after_ having had a
WC> spinal fusion. I maintain I would still be able to trade on
WC> my size given my persistence were my spine uninjured. The
WC> wall I ran into was the qaulity of health care available to
WC> the disabled because health care had not yet kicked in
WC> after I traded up jobs. 

All true but your size would also allow employers to work you
to death with no regrets. Size is only an asset when trying to
impress the girls. 

CA>> What makes it even worse is that everyone is in denial and
CA>> won't admit there is anything wrong with this picture. 

WC> No, it becomes obvious as one ages this is a youth oriented
WC> culture. 

More of an obsession than an orientation. I've often wanted to
tell managers that they too were getting older but I doubt they
would've admitted to that. Let them find out the hard way I say! 

>
>        ,                                        ,
>      o/      Charles_Angelich  - DOS Ghost       \o       ,
>       __o/
>     / >  www.undercoverdesign.com/dosghost/faf/  < \   __\__
 

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