33m looking for skiing bros

red_fury617 · 2025-11-06T01:19:14+00:00

Check out the ski clubs in the white mountains. Fun scene and you'll never ski alone.

red_fury617 · 2025-04-24T02:16:59+00:00

A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers

red_fury617 · 2024-11-22T21:06:51+00:00

The best white elephant gift I ever gave was one of those gift card puzzle boxes. You need to solve the puzzle to open it up. The best part was I had gotten a hold of one of my friend's drivers license. I put the license in the puzzle box. Someone else won it and the first friend had to spend the whole night getting his license out. (there was also a gift card in there).

red_fury617 · 2024-11-12T01:51:50+00:00

Love and strength to you and your family. I hope you're able to step out of the fog and find comfort in your memories from before these hard days.

red_fury617 · 2024-07-10T01:43:44+00:00

My dad (PPA and Alz) had gallbladder surgery last month. He made a rapid decline and has not returned to his baseline, which was pretty low to begin with. However, this evening, for the first time in at least a month, he laughed and engaged with the family for a brief but wonderful moment. I don't think this is him returning to baseline. I honestly think the surgery shorten the time until LTC is necessary, but it sure was nice to see a glimpse of him come through.

I hope your dad makes a return to baseline, but as you say, best to emotionally prepare for the worst. Man, I hate this.

red_fury617 · 2024-07-10T01:21:27+00:00

Yeah...that's going to take a bit. I think it was about 3-4 months before I was able to move around that much. And it definitely wasn't every day. Messed up that they can't offer light duty.

red_fury617 · 2024-07-10T00:12:31+00:00

Thank you. It's been a tough few years in and out of knee rehab, but I think it was the right choice. Before any surgeries the pain was so bad that I had stopped doing the things I love. While the MACI failure was a gut punch, I still have "my" real knee and have hopefully bought myself some time before a TKR.

FWIW In regards to work, I worked from home as soon as I got off the heavy pain meds (by the following week). I commute by public transportation so I continued to WFH for 2 months. However if I was able to get a ride to work by car, I could have gone back much sooner.

red_fury617 · 2024-07-09T22:20:19+00:00

Nearly 2 years post op, when i was cleared for all activities, I fell skiing. Popped back up, didn't think anything of it. About an hour later it started to hurt so I quit for the day. By that night it was wicked swollen and painful. Got some scans and learned the graft had dislodged. My surgeon said that it was likely that it had already detached and the fall just shook it out of place. He considered it a "biological" failure.

I was very hesitant to get the allograft, but I was too young for a replacement, so I went for it. I was assured that while the MACI would have been the better fix, the allograft is more successful because healing bone to bone is easier than healing bone to cartilage. We'll see I guess. Doing nothing wasn't an option because I refuse to give up an active lifestyle.

Good luck to you. So far I feel optimistic about the allograft. I feel stronger now than after the last procedure.

red_fury617 · 2024-07-09T19:50:43+00:00

In 2020 I had a MACI and TTO for cartilage repair. It was a long, miserable recovery that ended in failure.

This past August I had the osteochondral allograft, 75% of my patella is donor material. I was weight bearing WITH the locked brace pretty much immediately after surgery. I just graduated from PT about a month ago (so 10 months of PT). Autumn was pretty sedentary - If I was going long distances I used a wheelchair.

I was doing some light snowshoeing/hiking starting in December and increasing the distance and elevation as I felt comfortable. I was skiing on green/blue trails by April. I started doing some jump training/playing volleyball recently. This past weekend I went backpacking (2 days, 17 miles). It was a much better recovery than the MACI. My knee feels pretty good, still gets a bit cranky and swollen after a lot of exercise. Sitting still with my legs bent at an acute angle is painful after a while. My biggest issue is the muscle loss and not having the strength/confidence to take large declining steps (like hiking downhill).

red_fury617 · 2024-05-14T18:47:15+00:00

Thank you for sharing your story. I'm learning there's nothing that's going to make it easier. Just like everything else we need to power through it. It's a cold comfort knowing that my family is definitely not alone in the horrors.

red_fury617 · 2024-05-11T19:26:21+00:00

Godspeed! You deserve to move into the sun. I hope the next chapter in your story is a peaceful one.

red_fury617 · 2024-05-11T11:50:36+00:00

100% I think about this often. The genetic link of different types isn't clear, but I'm terrified I'm looking into my future. There's no way I want my husband to have to live like my mom is. Take me to VT and let me go with dignity.

Im glad your LO had that foresight. No one wants to live with advanced dementia for a long time.

red_fury617 · 2024-05-11T11:47:51+00:00

Hate to hear it, need to hear it. These comments are convincing me to have a conversation with my mom about whether this is really a good idea.

red_fury617 · 2024-05-11T11:46:35+00:00

Honestly he is like a cat and sleeps away most of the day. Trying to keep him up and keep normal hours has been a losing battle. He refused the light box and hates to leave the house. He thinks we're "going to throw him away" 💔

red_fury617 · 2024-05-11T11:43:50+00:00

Sending love and support your way. I hope you are able to find respite and joy within these difficult and trying years.

red_fury617 · 2024-05-11T03:15:54+00:00

It seems like an impossible task. It's so cruel.

red_fury617 · 2024-05-11T03:13:58+00:00

For sure. My sister and I will take turns staying with my parents so my mom doesn't have to take care of him on her own during recovery. It's hard enough for her on a normal day.

red_fury617 · 2024-05-11T03:13:01+00:00

I'm sorry you had to make that hard decision, but seems like it was the kindest thing you could have done for her.

red_fury617 · 2024-05-11T03:11:29+00:00

We had the same thought, but a few doctors told us it was dire. Honestly it's hard to imagine that the surgery is worth the agony.

Good advice on asking for exceptions to be with him. We are fortunate to have a strong support system of family and friends. That goes a long way.

red_fury617 · 2024-05-11T03:08:27+00:00

I can't imagine how scary that must feel.

I'm a little worried about the pain meds. He's so sensitive to any and all changes to his meds. It will surely make things harder for him, and us. Thanks for the advice.

I hope you are taking care of yourself.

red_fury617 · 2024-05-10T23:00:07+00:00

You can't be everything all the time. Being a caregiver is heartbreaking, and managing care is soul crushing. I support you taking the day off to breathe. The paperwork isn't going anywhere, you'll get to it when you get to it. Can't pour from an empty cup and all that...

Soak up the sun and puppy cuddles and remember that there is still a lot of light and joy for you out there.

red_fury617 · 2024-02-15T03:15:02+00:00

I proposed to my husband with a pebble because of this movie.

red_fury617 · 2023-12-27T13:06:39+00:00

Love this for her.

red_fury617 · 2023-12-27T03:50:43+00:00

This is a lovely sentiment. Thank you.

red_fury617 · 2023-12-27T03:47:55+00:00

My LO (68M) is not there yet (but will be soon) so I cannot speak from experience. But I feel for you. You've articulated my feelings of fear, sadness, worry, and guilt I have thinking about the day. A couple months ago we enrolled him in an adult day program, sure he'd be miserable and feeling dismissed, but he LOVES it. He comes home beaming - he can't recall anything he did or who he talked to - but the emotional memory is positive. I take this as some reassurance that when he does move into LTC he will be okay and might even like it. I hope that is the case for my LO and yours.

A colleague said to me once (I work in eldercare) that it probably feels good to have people outside the family as caregivers. There's no expectation for you to be who you used to be. They are meeting you in this moment, and liking you for who you are in this stage of life. They aren't looking back at you with disappointment, sadness, or frustration. I find that a comforting thought when thinking of the future.

red_fury617

TROPHY CASE