Seize the Grey - Life's Journey after 50

Seize the Grey - Life's Journey after 50 Over 50? Us, too! These are our best years yet, and we're not going to waste them. So let's go!

The mental game. Few people brought this up when telling me stories about knee replacements. How hard it would be for so...
07/12/2026

The mental game.

Few people brought this up when telling me stories about knee replacements. How hard it would be for someone as active and high energy as I am to sit most of the time. How hard it would be to find things to occupy my brain. How hard it would be to keep from going stark. Raving. Mad.

Getting in to the gym today felt like a HUGE victory. 10 minutes of weights. 10 minutes on the bike. 5 minutes of lunges into hamstring stretches.

25 minutes was all I had in me. But that's okay. I was present. I pushed through the discomfort and weakness. Because simply being there was a key play in the mental game that is recovery.

As always, I'm a work in progress. And all that matters is moving one piece at a time a little closer to controlling the board.

07/10/2026

Three weeks in and 🙌!

This has not been an easy process, but progress is being made. 116° of bend, and I can completely flatten my knee. That's huge at three weeks!

The PT goal is to have me achieve 120° of bend, but my goal is at least 130°.

So we'll push it. I'll push it.

And for those who question why I work out nearly every day? THIS is why. Because when you take care of your body and challenges hit you hard, your body is ready. YOU are ready. Both the physical and the mental game are possible because you've already been playing.

So get up.
Move.
Walk.
Do SOMETHING.

Your body will thank you.

07/06/2026

Córdoba, Spain. A gem of a city in Andalucía. Filled with Roman walls and Flamenco. Courtyards covered from the floor to the sky with gardens. Amazing coffee and tinto de verano. We cannot wait to go back.

Day 16: Reality of a TKRGrocery shopping and your shopping buddy needs to use the restroom. You can't abandon the big sh...
07/06/2026

Day 16: Reality of a TKR

Grocery shopping and your shopping buddy needs to use the restroom. You can't abandon the big shopping cart, so you hang out in the beverage aisle. 😂

At least there were a few people who asked if I needed assistance! ❤️

07/03/2026

Two weeks in....

What's working?
(This is not meant to replace medical advice. Check with your doctor or PT person to determine what's best for your situation. )

- Effective use of the ice machine
- Elevation
- Gentle massage to stimulate blood flow, move out excess fluid, and re-sensitize my nerve endings.
- PT, PT, PT every day. One 'push it day' followed by one easier day.
- Get up and move. Every couple of hours, I walk a few laps of my first floor. I can feel the blood flow in my leg.
- Going to the bathroom? I sit, then pull my leg into a bent position, past 90° for even a few beats, then release. Repeat a few times while I take care of business.
- Drink water. You can't flush your system without fluids.
- Don't be afraid to rest. (Totally the hardest part for me!)

Day 9: I think there are two parts of this process that nobody really warns you about. You expect the pain and the walke...
06/28/2026

Day 9: I think there are two parts of this process that nobody really warns you about. You expect the pain and the walker and the constant icing.

But nobody warned me about the place on my thigh where the tourniquet would be tied. That has been one of the most painful spots on my leg by far. And the bruising goes all the way around. Sitting on the edge of anything is no fun.

The second glossed over issue is the nerve pain, which, for me, is especially painful on my calf. Surgery messes with nerve connections, disrupting and forcing some to find new pathways. First is the numbness, followed by pins and needles. Now, my skin feels irritated - all. The. Time. I know this is good. It's part of the healing process. But it's one more contribution to the overall misery that appears like magic every evening.

In an effort to get me out of my head, we escaped this morning for breakfast and grocery shopping. We were out for less than two hours, and it felt like two days, but it was awesome to have a little bit of normal.

Progress is slow and steady, though, and each day brings more mobility and less actual pain.

Onward into week 2!

Day 6: The ice machine and binge watching NCIS Origins with my girl by my side. My best step count day is just over 1400...
06/25/2026

Day 6: The ice machine and binge watching NCIS Origins with my girl by my side.

My best step count day is just over 1400, walking laps around the house. The worst of the pain seems to be over, although evenings are a minor version of Hell. Why is that? Inflammation is up, swelling is up, and a dull ache seems to appear out of absolute nowhere to take up residence under my kneecap.

I am living on Tylenol, water and boredom.

On a positive note, my knees bending at 93° and flattening at -1. I'll take those numbers. Even if I am sick of the rest of it.

Day 4: Made it upstairs to shower. What an amazing feeling to be clean!The cane/stairs combo is an interesting experienc...
06/23/2026

Day 4: Made it upstairs to shower. What an amazing feeling to be clean!

The cane/stairs combo is an interesting experience - a nice change (sort of) from the chair/ice machine combo of the past 3 days.

Yesterday had my knee swelled up like a balloon, despite the near constant icing, but the pain is down a bit. Which means I need to start pushing my PT a little.

I'm not hungry, but nutrition is a critical piece of the puzzle. Nothing sounds good. Or it sounds good until it's on the plate, and then it becomes blech.

At any rate, here we are. Almost halfway through the first week. Moments of misery and exhaustion from sitting so much. Jeff is eternally awesome, and I'm trying hard not to be a pain. Difficult when I'm used to taking care of myself.

Healing is a lot of work. As is depending on others. There's a lesson there, I imagine.

P.S. The AI label is from the removal of my prescriptions from the shot. I figured those weren't anyone's business.

Day 2 sucks. Keeping it real. The nerve block has worn off completely. The spinal is long gone. My entire leg hurts, exc...
06/21/2026

Day 2 sucks. Keeping it real. The nerve block has worn off completely. The spinal is long gone. My entire leg hurts, except for my foot. It's like the pain on day 2 of an intense leg workout, but worse.

PT starts today, in home for the next two weeks. Not going to be fun there, either, but totally necessary for a full recovery.

And it's Father's Day. I should be taking care of this amazing man who gave me two incredible children and makes all of my crazy possible. Instead, he's taking care of me. But we have some surprises in store for later, so that's alright, too.

In the meantime, I have a different type of therapy that won't leave my side. That's the best therapy!

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2736 Medina Rd, 103
Medina, OH
44256

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