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Nobadays
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# Posted: 10 Dec 2025 05:11pm
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The weather is nice in Southern Colorado right now with daytime temps in the 40's. Nights are a little chilly dipping into the mid 20's . Unfortunately we are stuck in Arizona ( 70's today here so stuck isn't too bad!). Had to return the end of September so my wife could get her pre-op done for a partial knee replacement that was done October 27th. Fortunately she is doing great with the recovery and now 6 weeks out is up to walking 1.5 miles some days and at least a mile most others.
Wishing we were up in Colorado but determined to enjoy our time here in the north central mountains. of AZ. The campervan is already to go so this Friday down to Roosevelt lake for some camping and hiking on fairly flat trails.
Oh, so far no snow to shovel here!
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DRP
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# Posted: 10 Dec 2025 06:27pm - Edited by: DRP
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That looks very similar to here in the Blue Ridge right now, we are due another 3-5" tonite.
You mentioned your wife getting a partial. My bride went through the same thing a few years ago. She did the partial knee and it worked great. So good that she forgot and hopped out of the back of the truck without thinking. She had wiped it out. She now has a full and it was a good bit more invasive because they had to remove the partial and she had to PT through the old scar tissue. All I can say is be ever mindful that it is a weaker repair. She is on the stationary daily and walks the hound every morning... motion is the lotion.
All that said, this is the other morning.
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Nobadays
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# Posted: 11 Dec 2025 09:38am
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DRP. I will definitely let her know that there will be no jumping! Thanks for the warning. At 70 years old, she doesn't do much jumping anyway
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gcrank1
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# Posted: 11 Dec 2025 10:21am
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My wife had her rt knee replaced in October '22, it was so bad for that last couple years that she couldn't do much (and admits now that she waited too long to have it done; ie, ya dont get the time back). She hasn't been as 'vigorous' since but she is steady and can go for a good long walk. And she can help support me when I get too wobbly!
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Nobadays
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# Posted: 22 Mar 2026 11:13am
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Still haven't made it up to the cabin...
I know I posted on a thread about putting the cabin up for sale this year, now that plan is up in the air. I believe I mentioned my wife had spine surgery last May, laminectomy that was very successful, no more pain. Then the end of Oct she had a partial knee replacement. That too went well, no more knee pain.
We were out hiking near Phoenix the first week of January and my wife took a pretty good fall on the trail after hooking a toe under a rock. Concerned for her new knee she rotated to her right and went down hard. Within days her back started hurt. Of course we didn't make the connection right away and she started doing ab strengthening exercises the best she could hoping it would heal up. Well by the middle of February I insisted she vist the spine doctor (not the surgeon but the pain dr.) He took one look at the xray and told her she had slipped a vertebrae... not a disc but L5 vertebrae has slid over 50% off the S1 joint. Because of Medicare he had to send her to PT and may have to have injections as well. She had an EMG nerve test then an MRI. Went back Wednesday and he told us that in 11 years of practice he has only done this a couple times but he has referred her to the surgeon for a fusion. He feels it is so unstable it could slip more. No more PT... possibility injections if the surgeon feels Medicare won't pay for surgery if they don't try that. Appointment with the surgeon on Thursday so we will know more after that.
This turning 70 is not going well! We both feel so good aside from her spine issue.... she was doing great before that fall. Now she can't walk, sit or stand very long without pain.
She wants to go up to the cabin before the surgery if we have a week or two, which we likely will have as the surgeon is usually 3-4 weeks out. Not sure how she will do on the 10 hour drive. We will break it into two days and stop every hour or so allowing her to get out and stretch and walk a bit.
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DRP
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# Posted: 22 Mar 2026 02:42pm
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Bummer!, I hope it goes well. My nephew had several fused as a young boy, we were all quite concerned for him. Cell phones are certainly a change from the old days. He sent pics a year or so ago having his morning coffee dangling on the side of El Cap. I hope hers goes as well.
We just don't bounce as high anymore. The ice storm and aftermath finished off my left rotator cuff, I'll have to send it in for the 4th shoulder surgery. This geriatric stuff isn't for sissies . I hope you get to R&R beforehand.
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Fanman
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# Posted: 22 Mar 2026 03:39pm
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I finally got to the cabin last weekend for the first time since my shoulder surgery, just two brief overnights as I passed through going from CT to PA and back. A bit of snow made me smile even though it didn't amount to anything.
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Nobadays
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# Posted: 2 Apr 2026 11:23am
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Little wife update.... oh and also got a tiny bit of snow at the!
Saw the surgeon a week ago. He told us the fall she took probably didn't help but this was likely to happen anyway, it's just how quickly the vertebrae have slipped is what concerned him. Apparently this is primarily a congenital issue where her l5 vertebrae has been fused to the s1 since birth has put more strain on the vertebrae directly above. She never knew this but has had lower back pain for years, just not debilitating and the anti inflammatory drugs she started taking for her knees many years back helped calm her back pain down as well.
He showed us the earlier xray and pointed out that the vertebrae were slipping even last year - no one had said anything then and we didn't notice - he had hoped the laminectomy would give her relief, which it did, and that further slippage would not accelerate possibly giving her years of relief. Currently the l4 has slid nearly 50% off l5 and l3 is following and nearly 30% off l4. From there up alignment is great with no movement. Last May he removed the cysts that had formed and now less than avyear later two more cysts are forming from all the movement in har spine.
The good news is it is primarily the cysts and fluid build up that are putting pressure on her nerves causing the pain. The MRI only showed where one nerve has impingement from the slipped vertebrae. That can ease shaved to eliminate contact. The best news is they had a cancelation and rather than waiting 4-6 weeks to get an opening, she is scheduled for Monday the 6th. It will be a 2 level fusion and he will try to pull the vertebrae back into alignment. Like her laminectomy this too will be a minimally invasive approach with two small incisions, one on each side. No muscle or ligament cutting so that part will heal quickly. The fusion, not so much. Rods and screws and titanium spacers packed with bone from her surgery plus bone growth "stuff" I don't know what it's called. The fusion should be fairly solid within 6-8 weeks but will take 6 months to a year to become totally solid.
Suffice it to say, we may be able to get back to the cabin in July again this year. Likely not selling yet as we have a lot of moving stuff out that will be difficult until she is healed completely. So maybe we will spend time this summer and fall... maybe into the winter at the cabin!
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gcrank1
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# Posted: 2 Apr 2026 11:46am
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I guess putting a pause on the selling isn't a bad thing at all. Enjoy while you can!
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