Well, it's actually Memorial Day which holds a special place in my heart and my history because even though I have never served in the Military in any way, I am a huge military history buff especially World War II and as such, I have a huge respect for the folks that put their lives on the line for our Country.
I have studied and read hundreds of books on WWII starting at age 7 to date and am still amazed at the courage, grit and sacrifice that generation made.
More recently, I have read books on military strategy and tactics in the Korean conflict, Vietnam, the 1st Gulf War and the last one.
Common to all of these is the fellowship, comraderie and utter commitment of the soldiers to each other above all things.
So here's to those that have and are currently serving. I appreciate you and your service.
Now to the present.
As alluded to in the previous post, the mobile input (from cell phone) capability has been restored to the Discovery blog.
Again, thanks to my son Aaron for that.
With that said and understood, I have lots of catching up to do on my blog posts.
My goal will be to finish my series on my TKR recovery posts and then start forwarding text messages with pics saved on my phone with my usual menagerie of thoughts, considerations and philosophies until I get caught up with the present - which is a pretty interesting title for a blog post - "Getting Caught Up with the Present" - Note that there are several meanings to that title, but I digress.
Onward and backward.
The pics and commentary in this post cover the dates 04/18/16 - 04/22/16, so 2 weeks post left knee Total Replacement Surgery and include my post op follow up with my surgeon, Dr. Gregory Stocks, Chief of Staff of the Fondren Orthopedic Group in Houston Tx - the Go To Man for TKR and the Go To Place for all things Orthopedic related IMHO!
The bottom line is that at this point I was so mobile with my new left knee that I was actually out and about my daughter's house doing pretty intensive home improvement and repair projects.
The object of my attention in this case was the dilapidated back deck with the highest priority being the repair of the broken and ill supported stairs exiting the back of the deck.
You'll see the repairs I did in a future post.
I think it rained 24 / 28 days I was in Lake Jackson which is pretty normal for this time of the year - one of the reasons I got the hell out of there.
So here I'm driving in the rain to another PT session at Brazosport Rehab and Wellness - my GoTo place for anything physical therapy or rehab related.
www.bzrehab.com
This is what I did at the end of each 1-1/2 hour PT session. I called it Shock and Ice and it was actually the most painful part of every PT session because it required me to keep my leg completely straight and relatively immobile for a period of at least 12 minutes.
Yep - this is what you get when you eat clean and do a Knee PT session 3 times a week.
Part of my chores while staying at my daughter's house was to take care of the dogs.....
Which actually was more enjoyable than I expected.
No secret - I have been studying and comparing my methods and lifestyle philosophies and practices with that of Mark Sisson -
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/#axzz4A93A6Olu
https://www.primalblueprint.com/books/
And here's where the Rubber meets the Road or more appropriately where the Food meets the Gut!
This is the way you have to eat to be lean and healthy.
Mark Sisson is a big proponent of dark chocolate which I have added to my diet. It makes for a nice break from the meat and veggies 2 - 3 times a week.
Book end Tiger Dogs!
A beautiful snack plate of pear, smoked Gouda and Raspberries.
A Big Ass Primal Salad with cast iron skillet grilled thin cut pork chops and asparagus.
And of course fresh flowers for the senses and sense of well being.
I've always considered myself somewhat of an Odd One with a Life, Lifestyle and Legacy that defies Conventional Wisdom, which it turns out is more Convention than Wisdom.
Sick Puppies has become one of my favorite groups and this is one of my favorite of theirs.
It really hits home with Who and What I am and How I deal with the World around me.....
While we may not have the Special Powers of the Odd One Girl in this video, we are all gifted with our own individuality and uniqueness.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wgbv3d-k7sA
Wow - 167.5..... the Paleo is definitely working.
Clean Clothes - Yay!
Silverback Socks - Yay!
Day of the Dead Skull Socks - gotta love those cause they fit right into New Mexican history and culture.
http://www.mexicansugarskull.com/support/dodhistory.html
What's the deal with the Roll Up with Rubber Bands technique?
Long story short, it's something I started doing years ago as I prepared for hiking and long distance cycling trips to minimize the volume of the clothes I carried.
I do it now to organize my workout shorts, shirts and socks in my dresser drawer. Takes a little extra time but minimizes space and makes it much easier to find what I'm looking for - coordinated shorts, tank and socks.
Some people may consider it weird but I see it as one of my Life Efficiency Hacks.
Each to their own Odd One.
Speaking of color coordinated, even the LifeProof iPhone case matches.
A LifeProof iPhone case is another Life Hack of mine. Had the same phone going on for 4 years now probably because it's protected by this case.
http://www.lifeproof.com/en-us/apple-cases
And there is Da Man I referred to earlier.....
Dr. Gregory Stocks, Chief of Staff and Hip and Knee Replacement specialist, at the Fondren Orthopedic Group.
It's 04/19, 2 weeks and a day post left knee TKR by Dr Stocks and I am in one of his Exam Rooms awaiting my follow up visit.
This was a display in the waiting room. My knee looked something like that middle pic before the TKR.
And this is the Knee Replacement hardware I went with - the Dupuy Attune!
https://www.depuysynthes.com/hcp/knee/products/qs/ATTUNE-Knee-System
The bands on the outside represent the Patient's own Posterior and Medial Collateral ligaments.
View from the rear.
View from the front. This is known as the Center Post design which is used when the Patient's own Posterior Cruciate Ligament cannot be retained.
I had opted for and Dr Stocks and I had discussed and agreed in my 02/17/16 evaluation on a "Posterior Cruciate Ligament Retaining" surgery procedure if it was deemed possible / practical / functional once he went into the knee during the surgery. The main advantage of the PCL retaining procedure is that the TKR knee functions more like the original knee and there is less "mechanical feel" and clicking due to the movement of the upper joint over the center post shown below.
It turns out when Dr Stocks went into the knee that my PCL was significantly stretched, torn and degraded and it just wasn't possible to save it so I ended up with the center post design shown below.
And here is the last of the 17 sutures being removed by Dr. Stocks assistant, Dr. Brandon Thompson.
Normally, a TKR patient would have to come in 4 weeks from this point, so 6 weeks post TKR surgery, to have an X-ray and a Progress Exam.
However after I met with Dr Stocks and he saw what level of strength, flexibility and Range of Motion I had with my TKR, he sent me straight down to X-ray and examined the X-ray and deemed me "Released".
He said I was 4 weeks ahead of the average TKR patient and had the fastest and most complete TKR recovery of the 6000 TKR patients he has had over his 20 year career - and that in light of the pre-TKR knee being one of the 10 WORST of the 6000 he had done.
I guess I did something right pre and post TKR.....
Or maybe I was just lucky.
Funny how lucky you get when you work hard and prepare.
Celebrating with my favorite meal of all time!
Grits, Eggs and Bacon with a side of guac and grilled jalapenos.
Got the Knee under control so now it's time to get the hair done!
With Haley Thevenet at the Style Lab in Lake Jackson Tx.
http://thestylelabsalon.com/theteam.html
I am not an Art Person, but every time I go in to Style Lab I am drawn to this painting. Cute - Drawn to this Painting.
The combination of Earth, Imagination and Body Movement qualities is definitely right up my Life Alley!
Haley does a hair coloring method called "balalage" or hair painting which I think is far superior and natural looking than foil or pulling through a skull cap.
http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/blogs/545771/so-what-exactly-is-balayage-why-do-we-love-it.html
My secret PED.... Caffeine!
Ok. The hair is back in control.
Old School GPS. I still plan my trips and adventures and check my routes on a physical map.
Aaaaah..... A Dog's Life.....
Pecorino Romano cheese, pepperoncini, kalamata olives and roasted chicken - quick, easy and nutritious snack.
Making a huge Paleo meal for me and my daughter.
With my latest creation - my sweet and hot fresh fruit salsa - Pineapple, Mango, Cantaloupe, Red Onion, Jalapeno, Fuji Apple, Cilantro, Lime Juice, Salt, Pepper, Cayenne.
And fresh wild caught Ahi Tuna steaks seasoned with s and p and my African / Asian spice mix and cast iron skilled grilled 2 minutes on each side.
There you have it.
You could easily spend $25 for this plate at a fine restaurant.
I made it for $5 a plate and mine tastes better!
My home office setup at my daughter's house.
Back at the BzRehab Ranch. Doing 2.5 miles on the bike.
Finished up by the standard Shock and Ice.
More bad weather in Lake Jackson Tx.
Oyster Creek rising!
More thin cut Pork chops with leftover veggies and fruit salsa and a fresh salad.
Full moon over Oyster Creek Drive in LJT - gotta watch out for the Crazies on nights like this!
My daughter likes brown rice so I worked that into a healthy mix of roast chicken, veggies and some of the fruit salsa.
167.8 - Yep I'm eating all this food and staying this lean!
Attack of the Killer Dogs?
Nah.... just the happy reunion every time my daughter came home from work. She loves these dogs and they love her right back!
Keep heading toward the Light. It beats the Alternative!
You know one of the things I've found out about eating right and staying lean is that it improves your cognitive functions and memory significantly. I won't say I Remember Everything but I definitely Remember More than I used to when I was Fat and Unhealthy.
Another project that I got drawn into based on my own desire for Good Will with my Ex-Wife, mother of my daughter, who owns the house my daughter lives in, is to survey the vast amount of Trees in the yard and define a Scope of Work to remove low hanging limbs and "Widow Makers" - dead limbs that can fall from trees and kill ya!
I ended up meeting with 4 different Tree Service contractors over a period of several days and walking the job out with each of them spending at least 20 hours total to secure detailed bids and estimates on 4 different phases / sections of the work -
Main limb removal
Takedown of a 24" diameter pecan in the back yard
Cleanout / Cleanup of a 100' section of creek frontage at the back of the property
Removal of 2 limbs from a neighbor's tree that overhangs the property
I did a detailed Plot Plan drawing of the Property showing each tree and wrote up a detailed scope for each tree and then this list of "General Items" to be included in the Scope of Work.
I know it's sideways but I decided to leave it that way cause it kinda represents how my whole effort to help out my ex-wife on her house ended up.
Enough said and so much for trying to do the Right Thing.
As the saying goes....
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished!
Got to stick with Things I can Control - like what I put in my body!
Wow - that's pretty..... Holmes Pork and Venison sausage, Turkey bacon, eggs, rice - chicken - veggie mix and cast iron skillet grilled slices of cantaloupe and pineapple seasoned with salt and chili powder.
My Three Amigos.
Good weight for me.
Good snack for me.
On the 2 sunny days out of the last 10 of 12 PT sessions, I rode my bike from my daughter's house to Bz Rehab about 7 miles round trip.
On the other 10 days, I hit the bike as soon as I got in and set the seat up pretty close to get as much flexion on the left knee as I could.
Try this with your good knee.
Stand on an upside down BOSU ball with one leg. Bounce a weighted ball off a mini tramp in front of you and catch it and repeat continuously for 1 minute while balancing on the one leg.
Do that for 3 - 1 min sessions.
And for my next trick I while do this while suspended from the ceiling!
Next exercise was standing on this apparatus.
One legged and then for 1 min each -
Rock back to front and front to back.
Then side to side.
Then roll clockwise.
Then roll counterclockwise.
The 2 - 20 rep 1-legged lunges on each leg with a TRX suspension strap.
Yep - back leg is held up with the TRX Strap so all the weight is on the front lunge leg.
You can see the stress and flexion I am putting on the left TKR knee and remember this is only 2 weeks and 2 days post TKR!
Here's my PT, Chelsea, demonstrating the technique of rocking forward and back on what I called the "Skim Board".
This was my last exercise for that day and it was 20 reps of squats while standing on the upside down BOSU ball with a 10 second hold at the bottom of the movement.
Quite a workout this was.
So that gets you through Friday, 04/22/16.
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