DSB345
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NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Builds My '78 FJ40 "44" (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Solace in Solitude
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NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
rkymtnflyfisher
Trout Bum
DSB345
SILVER Star
rkymtnflyfisher
Trout Bum
Yet!
- Thread starter
- #1,365
Never!! 44 got a life sentence!! If I can't driver her, Chester can!!
My hands have been very stiff for about three years... I've tried carving and they hurt way too much... and the dexterity required by both is simply no longer there.
So, I try to cruise, camp, hike, take pictures, enjoy daBoise and listen to audio books while out in the wild... I also have the preventive maintenance of 44... The are the doors that have opened.
I used to carve in camp (no need to clean up shavings) and tie flies at night... these doors have closed.
My Dave Scadden Renegade inflatable, bladderless pontoon is another potential closed door... it has oars and I also use flippers... to fish lakes... it's perfect!! I haven't been able to use it for two years, due to my back and leg issues (arthritis and degenerative disc disease). I'm hoping to try it out this fall or next spring... its easy to fly fish from... but, I'm afraid the oars and flippers will exacerbate my back/leg issues. I thought about mounting a Minn Kota trolling motor and battery on it... but that would take the back deck and that's where Gunner rides (I'm hoping to let Chester ride there too... one at a time). If I can't use it without a motor, I'll sell it. Remains to be seen... the door is propped open right now.
I hope target shooting is a wide open door now... it was getting had to see the target... now I have no cataracts, so we'll see... but, my hands degrade my shooting as well... im accurate enough, but my groupings suck now.
But, 'Don't cry for me, Argentina. The truth is," I earned all my aches and pains.
I think I can still tie flies on my tippit... just slowly... it was frustrating last July... I'd start, restart, restart... finally finish and then have to wake up my hands.
- Thread starter
- #1,366
Mine has bands (stainless?)... I'll bet Firestone has replacement bands that you can air down and get on... but, you may have to remove the bag from the truck...
Thank you for that link Danny! Some very good info there. From what I found in that link, basically, I'm not a candidate for that procedure. I do have a compressed vertebra up high in my back, T-11 if my memory is any good. But, it's an old injury from a motorcycle accident back in the mid 70's, and stable. Also, that procedure is not used on laminectomies, which I've had four of, L-2, 3, 4, & 5. Hopefully it is a procedure that can be used for your situation.
Aren't MRI's fun? I've had several over the years. Last one I almost fell asleep during the MRI, in spite of all the banging and clanging that goes on.
It's tough having to give up something you've enjoyed for years, especially since King Arthur is the reason. I'm dealing with arthritis now also. My Dr. told me that I would probably end up with it in my sacro-iliac joint because of the injury, and I think it is now coming home to roost. I just started something this week that I hope will slow the arthritis down. Look up diatomaceous earth. The reports are that it is a cure-all for many things, but if it helps with slowing down the effects of arthritis I'll be happy.
At least you now have 44 to give you something that brings you pleasure, spending time out with DaBoise in the outdoors.
Don
Sure , just had to bring up the hands thing as well - lol . Mine have gotten a lot worse over the last year , tried tying a few fishing knots last night and between the eyes being nearly worthless and losing so much dexterity I almost launched the pole across the yard javelin-style , if it wouldn't throw out my neck so far with it ...
Our shepherd is getting some weight on him from not playing "ball" - me throwing his round Kong toy like a rolling wheel across the yard , it's on the heavy side and after just a couple rounds I have to quit . He knows when I'm taking it away for good and putting it up - doesn't want to give it back and gives me that "look" while clamping down harder than ever . I never learned to tie flies , always wanted to but kind of glad I haven't - got a nephew that is getting really good at them now so I'll use his and that's fine . It's the little stuff and the constant ache , I used to have a level of dexterity that irritated other mechanics - got calls from time to time to get a stubborn fastener into a place you can't see and wasn't meant to be removed without the assembly outside the vehicle , such as dash work .
I've learned over time that hot water and general heat are a good thing for arthritis on top of the meds - holding stead at 10 pills/day right now . They tried some other types last winter , but the side effects were so bad I had to quit them . I hate being degraded to this point so early , makes a guy feel worthless with my job and I've always loved building our infrastructure of all sorts - concrete , demolition/iron work , asphalt , welding pipe casing , ect . Mostly just general Heavy Highway , some Nuke outages and an occasional building project . Now on windy days I can barely grip that stupid sign and the wind load jerks my back out pretty regular , not to mention it's getting a lot tougher to outrun wayward drivers that are so commonly distracted - got clipped several times last year and that doesn't help matters . I did get even , two broken side mirrors with one taking out the passenger side window to boot , a dented (deep) fender on a brand new car and one cracked windshield - none of them stopped to own up to it , either . Our nation needs to adapt and rebuild most of our Interstate system badly - it's just far too overloaded and that's why it's in a constant state of repair , or should I say - band-aids . Average traffic loads on I-80 through here is at 165% of original design so it's easy to see why no repairs last .
I learned about the cement procedure from my step dad dealing with his back - he drove cement truck for 30yrs and also farmed . Those trucks actually do ride worse than a lifted Cruiser on cheap springs and just generally beat the driver and themselves to a quick death . Not to mention carrying those chutes and climbing up that tiny ladder so often . Heavy highway work destroys us , but the pay is decent and we get a lot of satisfaction seeing our roads come back to a smooth life at least for a little while . It's pretty seasonal and we're at the mercy of Congress and State legislatures , so right now in Illinois the work outlook is very weak at best - no budget for nearly 11 months now . Worked on a project off/on the last two weeks here locally - that was suppose to be done 15yrs ago and now just getting to it at a much greater expense due to everything breaking down so badly after trying to ignore the problems . Vicious circle we've let our government create that in the end costs us as taxpayers a lot of money , not to mention wear and tear on our vehicles . Sad when I can identify all the broken suspension components laying on the side of the road ....ugh .
Glad I can still weld/fab on "good eye" days , or I'd be far more nuts and bored ...
Sarge
Our shepherd is getting some weight on him from not playing "ball" - me throwing his round Kong toy like a rolling wheel across the yard , it's on the heavy side and after just a couple rounds I have to quit . He knows when I'm taking it away for good and putting it up - doesn't want to give it back and gives me that "look" while clamping down harder than ever . I never learned to tie flies , always wanted to but kind of glad I haven't - got a nephew that is getting really good at them now so I'll use his and that's fine . It's the little stuff and the constant ache , I used to have a level of dexterity that irritated other mechanics - got calls from time to time to get a stubborn fastener into a place you can't see and wasn't meant to be removed without the assembly outside the vehicle , such as dash work .
I've learned over time that hot water and general heat are a good thing for arthritis on top of the meds - holding stead at 10 pills/day right now . They tried some other types last winter , but the side effects were so bad I had to quit them . I hate being degraded to this point so early , makes a guy feel worthless with my job and I've always loved building our infrastructure of all sorts - concrete , demolition/iron work , asphalt , welding pipe casing , ect . Mostly just general Heavy Highway , some Nuke outages and an occasional building project . Now on windy days I can barely grip that stupid sign and the wind load jerks my back out pretty regular , not to mention it's getting a lot tougher to outrun wayward drivers that are so commonly distracted - got clipped several times last year and that doesn't help matters . I did get even , two broken side mirrors with one taking out the passenger side window to boot , a dented (deep) fender on a brand new car and one cracked windshield - none of them stopped to own up to it , either . Our nation needs to adapt and rebuild most of our Interstate system badly - it's just far too overloaded and that's why it's in a constant state of repair , or should I say - band-aids . Average traffic loads on I-80 through here is at 165% of original design so it's easy to see why no repairs last .
I learned about the cement procedure from my step dad dealing with his back - he drove cement truck for 30yrs and also farmed . Those trucks actually do ride worse than a lifted Cruiser on cheap springs and just generally beat the driver and themselves to a quick death . Not to mention carrying those chutes and climbing up that tiny ladder so often . Heavy highway work destroys us , but the pay is decent and we get a lot of satisfaction seeing our roads come back to a smooth life at least for a little while . It's pretty seasonal and we're at the mercy of Congress and State legislatures , so right now in Illinois the work outlook is very weak at best - no budget for nearly 11 months now . Worked on a project off/on the last two weeks here locally - that was suppose to be done 15yrs ago and now just getting to it at a much greater expense due to everything breaking down so badly after trying to ignore the problems . Vicious circle we've let our government create that in the end costs us as taxpayers a lot of money , not to mention wear and tear on our vehicles . Sad when I can identify all the broken suspension components laying on the side of the road ....ugh .
Glad I can still weld/fab on "good eye" days , or I'd be far more nuts and bored ...
Sarge
- Thread starter
- #1,369
It's all fun, Don... I've met some wonderful doctors and I've met a few asses... like the Orthopedist I met when I broke the tip of my right elbow off and avulsed the triceps ligament... he said, "You are too OLD for this surgery. There are enough fibers still attached to grow back. At you AGE, you shouldn't be lifting more than 20 lbs anyway... so, don't lift more than 20 lbs".
I didn't want surgery anyway and he assured me it would heal... and it has... I won't ever be able to fully straighten my right arm again... but, more importantly, it's been over a year and it still hurts like hell every time I touch my elbow to anything... even the padded arm of a chair.
His condescending attitude really pissed me off... I said, "Just how the hell do I go through life without lifting more than 20 lbs?". His response, "You are OLD enough to know how to get other people to do things for you"... I said, "Well, I'm certainly OLD enough to know an ass when I meet one". Haven't seen him since... but, my sports medicine doc is a great guy and he explained that what hurts is the scar tissue... it will "take two years for the scar tissue to build up around the injury and quit hurting"... so, another year of it and I'll be good as gold.
I don't think I will be eligible either... I suspect the new surgeon will recommend "noting", "laminectomy" or "microlaminectomy"... but, I'm still waiting to get scheduled for this consultation... we'll see...
Arthritis kinda sneaks up on you... you notice a little joint stiffness in the morning... then you notice a little pain... then it progresses so slowly that you don't really know when I actually got bad... but, it did.
rkymtnflyfisher
Trout Bum
There is way too much "old people" talk going on here!
Yeah , no kidding there . I'm going to down my meds and go beat on some iron just out of spite ...
Sarge
Sarge
- Thread starter
- #1,372
Hot water, heating pads and I also have a custom compounded lotion for my back that actually makes my hands feel better, just from putting the lotion on my lower back and legs. But, the dexterity is no longer there... any fine work is cumbersome and frustrating, to say the least.
The "good eye" days are much better, on my end, since my cataract surgeries. My left eye is still 20/15 (distance)... my right eye is rated at 20/20 (distance), but it's somewhat 'doubled'... the pressure has been running high... so, I have to return to the surgeon on June 28th to see how the pressure stands, at that point. I wear 'readers' for fine work... and can see quite well.
My concern has been with the 'doubled' vision... twice, while hiking up steep ascents, I have found myself disoriented because my vision became so 'doubled'... but, I was able to look out in the distance and 'reset', in each case... so, I just want to be sure it's nothing that will recur, while driving at 70 mph.
If you have cataracts and insurance, you should get one or, preferably, both done... so, you can see to dodge those distracted idiots... you don't need another serious injury...
I-40 is always a challenge... one trip, from Vegas to Austin, resulted in the loss of all wheel weights from my Tundra. The continuous stream of 18-wheelers just destroys the patchwork. If we could quit spending billions on other countries, we could actually fund a 'works' program that would open thousands of jobs to repair/replace our transportation infrastructure.
- Thread starter
- #1,373
Put your chin in my hand, little one... look into my eyes and try to understand... old people are simply the remnants of young people who didn't listen to old people in time to mitigate the effects of growing old.
Listen and learn, grasshopper... snatch the stonefly from my bald head... Brazilian Wax on... Brazilian Wax off...
Inside every old guy is a young guy wondering what the hell happened.
rkymtnflyfisher
Trout Bum
- Thread starter
- #1,376
I don't know what you're so sniffy about, I'm, as a young'un, really impressed that you survived your youth - after all, I've heard that dinosaurs run really fast.
- Thread starter
- #1,378
You'd better watch your six!! This bald headed, ninja caveman has mad skills... what do you think happened to the dinosaurs?!?
Technically... I've checked 44s fluids and am heading out to take daBoise to a local park, to walk a 2.2 mile loop around Lone Mountain.
sterling
SILVER Star
Lol at all this old dude stuff, who has one of the best 40 series threads on Mud!Keep it up old timer.I check in to see the things I am jealous of both scenery and good times.
I am having problems with the pads on my hands.after using a wrench or ratchet my hands hurt especially if I have to hit the ratchet with my palm.its like I have lost fat in the palms of my hands.
But the most pressing Issue is my knees.the right knee hurts from time to time but the left one is always hurting.i was a very rambunctious kid and all my injuries are coming back to hunt me.
But the most pressing Issue is my knees.the right knee hurts from time to time but the left one is always hurting.i was a very rambunctious kid and all my injuries are coming back to hunt me.
