OT: 14 week update ( partial knee replacement )

[SoCalSteve]

Hi all,

The crying on the bike thread reminded me that I am long overdue to post about my progress ( and life in general ).

First off, no pain at all in my knee. It is still a bit stiff, swollen and sore, but the pain is gone!!! I am told that the stiffness, swelling and soreness can take up to a year to go away completely.

I am up to 30 mile rides ( with hills ) and getting stronger daily. Since I am a wimp about riding in cold weather ( cold to me is under 60* ) I have been spending lots of time at our new place which has a private gym. I have been specifically targeting getting my right leg stronger as it is still noticeably smaller than my left.

Now for the life part. My house sold, fell out of escrow and sold again ( it's been a very stressful experience). This time it looks like it is going through. We leased a much smaller place in Marina Del Rey that has a view of bobbing boats and all the amenities of a resort.

I have been slowly selling off, donating and tossing 57 years of accumulation away. It truly hit home when I sold the Danish Modern dining room set that has been in my family for over 50 years. I am actually doing this!

Not 100% sure if I will retire altogether just yet. My Teamster pension doesn't kick in for another 4 years, but at this point, I really have no desire to go back to work. I think I am justified in feeling this way after 35 years in the same industry and pretty much doing the same job for all of it. But after hearing about a work buddy of mine retiring and soon after passed away, the very unhealthy lifestyle of my job became much more unappealing.

And lastly, thank you all again for your support through this time. I have had many private chats with people on here that have reached out to me to share their experiences and publicly in these threads. I am also sure that you are probably tired of me droning on about my knee and my life, so this will be the last thread on the topic.

Happy Holidays to one and all,

Steve

[Black Dog]

Go back to work just to prove to you 100% that you do not want to be there. This way you will never wonder if you should have gone back. Once you are certain that you are done, then retire. :D Take any of the money that you earned during your farewell tour/return and buy something bike. :hello:

[SoCalSteve]

Go back to work just to prove to you 100% that you do not want to be there. This way you will never wonder if you should have gone back. Once you are certain that you are done, then retire. :D Take any of the money that you earned during your farewell tour/return and buy something bike. :hello:

Funny you should suggest this. I actually did go back for 1 day last week. I had to for various reasons. I worked an 11 hour day ( which is a very short day in our business ) and after about the 5th hour in, I knew.

The only reason I would keep the door open is if some amazing show - position came along with great people. I will keep up my Union status- seniority, licensing and do all the ongoing training and safety classes that are required of me to be eligible to work. Just in case.

And yeah, I did use the $$$ I made that day to buy bike stuff...:beer:

[jmeloy]

Steve, glad the rehab continues to go well. As to retirement, 2016 will likely be my last year and I waffle a bit now and then. Like you, doing same thing for 30 years, including traveling virtually every week for the past 10 and just over it. Will do something after.

[SoCalSteve]

Steve, glad the rehab continues to go well. As to retirement, 2016 will likely be my last year and I waffle a bit now and then. Like you, doing same thing for 30 years, including traveling virtually every week for the past 10 and just over it. Will do something after.

After 35 years working in the movie business, I cannot imagine what else I could do or would want to do. Not sure how marketable I am at 57 with a very narrow scope of experience.

Porsche salesman?

And thanks for the well wishes!

[teleguy57]

@SoCalSteve: thanks for sharing your journey with us. At 61 with no cartilage in my left knee for about 10 years I continue to put off any more surgeries but knowing your experience, and that of others, is really helpful.

For you and @jmeloy, I had the opportunity almost 4 years ago to retire at 56 after 35 years in the corporate world. Haven't looked back; I worked at our LBS for a year and a half, and my consulting practice emerged during that time. I've literally never looked back.

I now spend about 1/2-2/3 time with nonprofits on strategy and governance, and help organizations have the tough conversations that challenge them as a facilitator, and spend a lot of time as a volunteer. I actually am challenged to carve out enough time for riding! As one of my sons says when we talk about that "Dad, you suck at retirement." But I am using my time on things that are rewarding.

Part of what drove my choice is that my dad retired at 61, and less than a year later passed from a major heart attack. When the opening came up for me to step away I thought about what I really wanted to spend time on. filling out the years for a slightly larger pension (yeah, I'm one of those lucky folks who was still in a defined benefit plan) wasn't worth missing on other opportunties.

[JasonF]

Steve,

Congrats on being pain-free: that's a huge step. Marina Del Rey is a great place to plant some roots. We eat at Tony P's each time we're out visiting our daughter and it's a convenient stop on our way to the airport.

How is the riding in that area? When you mention hills are you riding down to Palos Verdes and taking advantage of some of those great roads?

Best wishes on your continued progress!

[SoCalSteve]

Steve,

Congrats on being pain-free: that's a huge step. Marina Del Rey is a great place to plant some roots. We eat at Tony P's each time we're out visiting our daughter and it's a convenient stop on our way to the airport.

How is the riding in that area? When you mention hills are you riding down to Palos Verdes and taking advantage of some of those great roads?

Best wishes on your continued progress!

Riding is great along the coast both south and north. Palos Verdes, Mandeville Canyon, Malibu, etc. From my new place, I can go right to Malibu or left to Palos Verdes. Both areas have hills, canyons, etc.

I do these rides from my house now. I'll just be closer to these areas living in the Marina.

[SoCalSteve]

@SoCalSteve: thanks for sharing your journey with us. At 61 with no cartilage in my left knee for about 10 years I continue to put off any more surgeries but knowing your experience, and that of others, is really helpful.

For you and @jmeloy, I had the opportunity almost 4 years ago to retire at 56 after 35 years in the corporate world. Haven't looked back; I worked at our LBS for a year and a half, and my consulting practice emerged during that time. I've literally never looked back.

I now spend about 1/2-2/3 time with nonprofits on strategy and governance, and help organizations have the tough conversations that challenge them as a facilitator, and spend a lot of time as a volunteer. I actually am challenged to carve out enough time for riding! As one of my sons says when we talk about that "Dad, you suck at retirement." But I am using my time on things that are rewarding.

Part of what drove my choice is that my dad retired at 61, and less than a year later passed from a major heart attack. When the opening came up for me to step away I thought about what I really wanted to spend time on. filling out the years for a slightly larger pension (yeah, I'm one of those lucky folks who was still in a defined benefit plan) wasn't worth missing on other opportunties.

Sorry about your father...I think the final straw for me was hearing about a coworker that retired and soon after he died. In looking back at my career and forward and knowing how unhealthy my industry is, I made the decision to just pack it in.

So I won't have as much money in retirement. I'll have enough and more importantly, I'll have a chance at being and staying healthy. I think that's more important.

[oldpotatoe]

Riding is great along the coast both south and north. Palos Verdes, Mandeville Canyon, Malibu, etc. From my new place, I can go right to Malibu or left to Palos Verdes. Both areas have hills, canyons, etc.

I do these rides from my house now. I'll just be closer to these areas living in the Marina.

I lived in Camarillo for 2 years and the ride->down to PCH, turn left, was great, all the way to SantaMonica..thru Malibu. .thru Zuma Beach, past Pepperdine...always something to see

[bigbill]

I'm retired once (military) but I'm holding out to see what The Boy is doing for college so I'm working as an engineer for a huge company. I had my back fixed about 5 weeks ago and I'll get back on the bike in 6 days. I had a micro discectomy to remove the herniated portion of the disc between L5 and S1. I've been walking 3-4 miles a day. I'll eventually need a knee replacement on both sides due to arthritis but I'm holding out until closer to 60.

My goal this year to is put more miles on the Big Leg Emma. Last year I only put about 1000 miles on it and around 4500 on the Argonaut. It needs to be ridden.