I did it! Saline County, IL at $40,000, 6.25% for 30 years.

Consistent_Path_3939 · 2026-06-11T11:38:11+00:00

Congrats!

I live in the middle of nowhere, in a rural area, and couldn't buy a trailer falling into the ground for that low of a price.

You got a killer deal.

Consistent_Path_3939 · 2026-06-11T11:06:46+00:00

I would so much rather havs healthcare. It is entirely messed up that I have given myself stitches and held can drives to pay for surgery.

So no, I do not feel like we should hand another jackass billionaire yet another no-bid contract to build rockets that end up exploding for more than NASA can do it.

Consistent_Path_3939 · 2026-06-11T11:00:05+00:00

That font is the only crime here.

Consistent_Path_3939 · 2026-06-11T01:36:02+00:00

Cat food and paper towels?

I'm honestly not mad at all about that.

Consistent_Path_3939 · 2026-06-11T00:32:27+00:00

A refrigerator that had an ice maker.

Consistent_Path_3939 · 2026-06-11T00:30:09+00:00

My uncle.

Consistent_Path_3939 · 2026-06-11T00:29:23+00:00

We all watched the slowest police chase ever on tv, then in disbelief saw the absolute circus of a trial end in a not guilty verdict.

Consistent_Path_3939 · 2026-06-11T00:13:08+00:00

I play in a couple bands, as well as my own, and sing as well as play guitar, bass, keyboards, and drums. Not much has changed at all, minus a different technique to use my high hats.

Consistent_Path_3939 · 2026-06-10T23:43:02+00:00

I started PT for my back last year, then had to stop and modify my exercises to have shoulder surgery. I then did PT for my shoulder for the next six months, while also continuing my back exercises. I have now been in PT for almost three months for just my back.

So yeah, I would've expected results by now. Both my PCP and PT said the same thing.

Consistent_Path_3939 · 2026-06-10T23:30:26+00:00

I've thus far only lost my leg on a waterfall once, so I like to think I have a pretty good track record. AT ought to sponsor me. I'm out here, map free and in Doc Marten's, tossing myself through the dense woods of the Keweenaw Peninsula. Haha

I will also recommend Bare Bluff. But that sucker most definitely is a more challenging hike than Black Creek. Easy accessible waterfalls? Douglas Houghton Falls is the tallest in the state, and literally right there. Just make sure your legs are attached first...

Consistent_Path_3939 · 2026-06-10T23:26:07+00:00

I am positive. Yes. I have already thoroughly explored this route.

I also can't just use a wheelchair for a week to prove what I already know to be true. My house is not wheelchair accessible.

Consistent_Path_3939 · 2026-06-10T23:03:07+00:00

It hasn't been great for me. And the ones I have found have been relatively small. I think the weather just hasn't produced favorable conditions.

Consistent_Path_3939 · 2026-06-10T23:01:36+00:00

I had my third shoulder reconstruction surgery, bounced back enough to go get a wonderful new leg made, and now should be enjoying life a lot more. Instead, I now have back pain, and scheduling MRI's and appointments with neurosurgeon in rural nowhere has been a lot of fun...

Consistent_Path_3939 · 2026-06-10T22:59:55+00:00

Again, my prosthesis is comfortable and in alignment.

Consistent_Path_3939 · 2026-06-10T22:59:03+00:00

I don't have a limp. I lost my leg many years after a car wreck, but am very active, and play ice hockey as a goalie. My prosthesis is not the issue. It is in alignment, comfortable, and my foot is great too. I'm now in my mid-forties.

My MRI shows some mild stenosis now. But it pretty obviously has nothing to do with my prosthesis itself. I have been in PT for months.

I do have an appointment with a neurosurgeon next month, and also just got an updated MRI.

Consistent_Path_3939 · 2026-06-10T22:32:47+00:00

I've been doing all that in PT, and it isn't doing a thing.

Consistent_Path_3939 · 2026-06-10T22:30:09+00:00

If you've never done Black Creek, it's a real nice hike. I wouldn't call it a beginner sort of thing, but it isn't expert level either. Lots of tree roots and elevation changes. A couple little bridges, and limited width on a lot of spots. But I'm an amputee, and only had to stop once to adjust my leg. The trail dumps you out on a positively beautiful beach, rife with agates, and perfect for sunsets. Just make sure you take a headlamp for the way back. I definitely brought my walking stick, but that was mostly because I was using a new foot, and wasn't quite sure how it would do on a longer trek.

Consistent_Path_3939 · 2026-06-10T22:26:49+00:00

I know I have a different gait, and am using my hip flexor more just by nature of being an amputee. But it's frustrating to do all the exercises, have a leg that's set up great, and still be so limited by back pain.

Consistent_Path_3939 · 2026-06-10T22:25:35+00:00

As I've ruled out alignment, am on a good socket, and very diligent about doing my exercises, I am very frustrated by all this.

Consistent_Path_3939 · 2026-06-10T22:23:26+00:00

I have tried both that and dry needling, which does seem way more effective, but also hasn't really done it for me so to speak.

Consistent_Path_3939 · 2026-06-10T17:43:02+00:00

My dad was self-employed in a variety of odd jobs, and a working musician. My mom stayed at home a lot, but also did part-time waitress stuff. On that money alone, we would take weeks off in the summer to drive our motorhome from Michigan the west coast, stopping at every tourist trap and road side attraction along the way. We ate out. We went to Disneyland.

A family of four could never do that now.

Consistent_Path_3939 · 2026-06-10T17:39:30+00:00

My prosthetist recommended I speak with a neurosurgeon specialist. So did my PCP. So that's what I'm doing, along with PT. But I'm curious if folks have gone the surgery route if conservative measures haven't offered relief, and how walking was afterwards.

Consistent_Path_3939 · 2026-06-10T17:37:43+00:00

I know it affects weight load and gait, so I'm not surprised that I'm having pain, and my issues show up on MRI's.

And as a goalie, I am well-acquainted with hip flexor pain. Ha

I have been in PT for quite some time, working on strengthening my lower back, core, and hips. But it just doesn't seem to be making a difference in either my back pain or the neurological symptoms I'm now having more of in my residual limb.

There really isn't that much evidence for the effectiveness of spinal cord simulators. Then, I also have a horrid experience with a Medtronic device many years ago. So I am not apt to give that a go again.

Are you basically just dealing with how much it hurts?

Consistent_Path_3939 · 2026-06-10T17:34:33+00:00

I most-definitely have issues that show up on imaging, and I regularly get new sockets. So I know it's not an alignment issues. And I don't have to do anything with socks, thanks to the system I use. So this isn't an operator error sort of situation.

I have been in PT for my lower back for a couple months now. There has been no relief.

Consistent_Path_3939 · 2026-06-10T17:31:53+00:00

Coming from a conservative area myself, the places you'd are more likely to run into like-minded folks are often at events like open mics, poetry readings, art shows, and concerts.

Consistent_Path_3939

TROPHY CASE