I am now a week into my long road to recovery from a traumatic injury that left me re-evaluating our plans for the future.
Jane and I are both 75, retired after leading very active lives in the outdoors. Backpacking into wilderness, whitewater river running, mountain climbing, rock climbing, spelunking (Jane), downhill skiing, deserts, mountains and everything in between. In addition to that, I was 10 years US Navy including a combat tour in Vietnam. When the iron curtain came crashing down, I spent a month traveling Russia. Jane has twice backpacked around Mt. Rainier and twice done Pariah Canyon. I've been motorcycling for years and shortly after getting my Spyder, Jane got her own.
We're not risk-averse and gladly plunge into adventures our age-peers find daunting. During all those years, neither Jane or i had suffered any serious injury. We had a pretty good idea of the kind of retirement we wanted, and our plans were falling nicely into place. Then, I had my accident, leaving me immobilized for at least eight weeks. We had major travel plans for January, which are now canceled. Our March plans are on hold and our month-long tour of the NW and Canada (on the Spyder in June) may have to be shelved, or at least amended.. Our lives have been completely turned upside down, in a flash, a moment's inattention.
After surgery, I was transferred to the Salt Lake City Veterans's Home, where they are equipped and staffed to attend to all my daily needs as an immobilized person incapable of any of the basic life activities I once took for granted (eating, bathroom, bathing, dressing). I've always prided myself for my independence and now I'm wholly dependent on others for everything. I've ruptured the tendon that connects the quad muscle to the knee. In both knees. After repair of the tendons, both legs are in knee braces that limit movement of the knee, to ensure the tendons have the chance to heal.
This happened as I was walking down our basement stairs carrying three boxes for storage. At the bottom, thinking I'd reached the basement floor i stepped forward and began pitching forward. I instinctively threw myself backward and felt and heard both tendons snap. I can hardly wait to return to the relative safety of the open road.
Jane and I are both 75, retired after leading very active lives in the outdoors. Backpacking into wilderness, whitewater river running, mountain climbing, rock climbing, spelunking (Jane), downhill skiing, deserts, mountains and everything in between. In addition to that, I was 10 years US Navy including a combat tour in Vietnam. When the iron curtain came crashing down, I spent a month traveling Russia. Jane has twice backpacked around Mt. Rainier and twice done Pariah Canyon. I've been motorcycling for years and shortly after getting my Spyder, Jane got her own.
We're not risk-averse and gladly plunge into adventures our age-peers find daunting. During all those years, neither Jane or i had suffered any serious injury. We had a pretty good idea of the kind of retirement we wanted, and our plans were falling nicely into place. Then, I had my accident, leaving me immobilized for at least eight weeks. We had major travel plans for January, which are now canceled. Our March plans are on hold and our month-long tour of the NW and Canada (on the Spyder in June) may have to be shelved, or at least amended.. Our lives have been completely turned upside down, in a flash, a moment's inattention.
After surgery, I was transferred to the Salt Lake City Veterans's Home, where they are equipped and staffed to attend to all my daily needs as an immobilized person incapable of any of the basic life activities I once took for granted (eating, bathroom, bathing, dressing). I've always prided myself for my independence and now I'm wholly dependent on others for everything. I've ruptured the tendon that connects the quad muscle to the knee. In both knees. After repair of the tendons, both legs are in knee braces that limit movement of the knee, to ensure the tendons have the chance to heal.
This happened as I was walking down our basement stairs carrying three boxes for storage. At the bottom, thinking I'd reached the basement floor i stepped forward and began pitching forward. I instinctively threw myself backward and felt and heard both tendons snap. I can hardly wait to return to the relative safety of the open road.
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ray:Travel plans can be rescheduled, LISTEN to your caregivers! You WILL recover! At our age we don't heal so fast, you are about to find out what steps, walkers, and handrails have in common. Keep your chin up and " God Bless Jane ".....:thumbup:....Bill
We had planned on spending the month of June, 2019 riding in Alaska. We made the trip, but rented a small RV instead of riding. It was an amazing trip of a lifetime. We may have to take a detour when plans change, but that detour can be a blast too. You will heal and you will be discouraged at times, but rest assured you will be back if you truly want to.
