Damn, I'm Old.
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by BlueCarp
I turned 41 in September. ( Late September, mind you.)
Nevertheless, I am 41. And yes, I am a grandfather.
Damn. I'm old.
I did not really feel it until today.
Until today, I had been doing very well. I've been watching my carbs, exercising a little bit, and I lost just over 20 pounds. I felt good.
I even started officiating high school football games for a little more exercise. After my first game, my left knee swelled up like a pumpkin. Why did it do that?
About 10 years ago (or was it 15?), I sheared off the top of my left tibia playing beer league softball.
The orthopedic surgeon had to insert three pins to put it back together. At the time, back in the '90's (or was it the '80's?), he said I would have some arthritis in the knee because of the trauma.
He was correct.
I learned that after my first game as an official. I limped around like Grady from "Sanford & Son" for days.
So, for my next game, I bought a compression brace for the bad knee. You know , the one with the pins in it. And all the arthritis.
I figured the brace would help keep the swelling down. It did.
Several hours after the game, my left knee still felt great.
Unfortunately, my right knee, my good knee, the one without any pins or hardware of any kind, feels like crap.
Have you ever seen a piling on a pier on the outer banks of North Carolina? One with about 127 years of barnacles built up over rotted wood? I think those pilings eroded away about the time Blackbeard was lighting firecrackers in his beard. The only thing holding up all those fishermen and tourists walking the pier is dead barnacles upon dead barnacles, shaped like a piling.
Anyway, those pilings, the ones on the outer banks comprised of nothing but barnacles, don't have any place to bend. They are a lot like my right knee. My good one. The one without any hardware inserted into the bone. In my knee, where tendon and sinew used to exist, apparently I have barnacles.
That is what it feels like.
At least my bad knee, the left one, feels better.
Good thing I have not taken that brace off the left knee yet. The bad one.
I might have to turn it into a pegleg. And tie firecrackers into my beard.
Damn, I'm old.
Aarrggh.
