Counting my blessings

[t walgamuth]

This afternoon and evening we attended a wedding of my #2 daughter's high school chums. I am a sucker for a wedding. I always think of the youngsters and the life ahead of them and spend perhaps more time than I should getting teary eyed.

Tonight at the dinner we sat at a table with a lady and her daughter who had another daughter the same age as my #2 who was killed in a car accident along with the ladies husband. The lady was driving the car and fell asleep. The daughter who was killed was a wonderful influence on my daughter their junior year when my daughter suffered from serious depression. The fatal accident occurred the next summer.

At the next table was a family who had a daughter who was in a serious accident and was comatose for a good while and is now in a wheelchair. I knew of the girl but did not know that her father is a man who worked on the plumbing in my building ten years ago. He is a really great guy.

So here I am already a big teary eyed guy and I am sitting next to the widow and at the next table to the fellow who's daughter was so damaged and is s sitting there in her wheel chair. Her father is just a wonderful, positive man.

So it was one of those moments which you have occasionally where you realize your own problems are so very petty.

Count your blessings my friends!

[barry123400]

We seldom take the time to do this unfortunatly.

[layback40]

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

This afternoon and evening we attended a wedding of my #2 daughter's high school chums. I am a sucker for a wedding. I always think of the youngsters and the life ahead of them and spend perhaps more time than I should getting teary eyed.

Tonight at the dinner we sat at a table with a lady and her daughter who had another daughter the same age as my #2 who was killed in a car accident along with the ladies husband. The lady was driving the car and fell asleep. The daughter who was killed was a wonderful influence on my daughter their junior year when my daughter suffered from serious depression. The fatal accident occurred the next summer.

At the next table was a family who had a daughter who was in a serious accident and was comatose for a good while and is now in a wheelchair. I knew of the girl but did not know that her father is a man who worked on the plumbing in my building ten years ago. He is a really great guy.

So here I am already a big teary eyed guy and I am sitting next to the widow and at the next table to the fellow who's daughter was so damaged and is s sitting there in her wheel chair. Her father is just a wonderful, positive man.

So it was one of those moments which you have occasionally where you realize your own problems are so very petty.

Count your blessings my friends!

Good thread Tom !!!

I have gone to sleep badly at the wheel twice in my younger years.
The first time I rolled the car onto its side after waking & swerving to miss a tree (broke a tail light on the tree), the second time I woke up in the car after it stopped on a country road in the middle of the road. I think the car had slowed & I had been asleep for about 20 minutes.
It was only luck that saved me both times !!
Having lost 2 cousins in road accidents, it is easy to now be much more aware of how fragile we are.
Your participation in car racing highlights your sense of realizing that if one wishes to drive on the limit, it is best done on a track & not on pubic roads.

Any one wishing to see what can happen from falling asleep at the wheel may wish to watch some of these. They are used here for education of young drivers.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=australian+transport+accident+commission&aq=5m&oq=transport+acc


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_4jr9CStUY

There is a clip of a guy in a VW combi falling asleep & hitting a sand truck, I couldnt find it though. worth a look.

[mgburg]

Tom: A couple of good points.
BTW: How's the knee coming along?

[t walgamuth]

The knee is top notch! Last night I picked up my three year old grand daughter and danced with her.

Before the surgery I could not carry any weight beyond the very minimum. The knee now feels just like an original one as far as walking goes. There is some numbness on the left side on the surface skin and of course there is the scar which is really not that noticable, it looks like a mark on my skin from a narrow pink marker pen. When I sit for an hour it will stiffen but after a dozen steps that goes away.

It is truly amazing!

I cannot remember the last time I took even an aspirin for pain from the knee. Before the surgery I took a heavy duty artheritis pill every morning.

The surgery has straightened the severe bow which the leg had from the inside joint being so off and the realignment apparently has helped my left hip because it rarely flares up now even though I am doing a lot more of everything.

I can spend a whole day on my feet now without discomfort and often choose to stand rather than sit. Prior to the surgery I had to sit whenever possible because of the pain.

It has changed my life very much for the better. I feel light on my feet again and am exercising more and have lost about five pounds and am currently still losing.

Thanks for asking!

[t walgamuth]

Originally Posted by layback40

Good thread Tom !!!

I have gone to sleep badly at the wheel twice in my younger years.
The first time I rolled the car onto its side after waking & swerving to miss a tree (broke a tail light on the tree), the second time I woke up in the car after it stopped on a country road in the middle of the road. I think the car had slowed & I had been asleep for about 20 minutes.
It was only luck that saved me both times !!
Having lost 2 cousins in road accidents, it is easy to now be much more aware of how fragile we are.
Your participation in car racing highlights your sense of realizing that if one wishes to drive on the limit, it is best done on a track & not on pubic roads.

Any one wishing to see what can happen from falling asleep at the wheel may wish to watch some of these. They are used here for education of young drivers.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=australian+transport+accident+commission&aq=5m&oq=transport+acc


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_4jr9CStUY

There is a clip of a guy in a VW combi falling asleep & hitting a sand truck, I couldnt find it though. worth a look.

Yes, that family's sad story could be a poster story about the dangers of driving when too tired!

[elchivito]

In the evening, after the chores are done, I like to sit outside with my cocktail and watch the animals peacefully munching their hay. That's when I take time to tell myself what I'm grateful for.

[MS Fowler]

Tom,
thanks for sharing both stories.
I have near bone to bone and sound a lot like your "before" story. My wife's and others' experiences make me wary of replacement. Your story is an encouragement.

[SwampYankee]

Well said, Tom. The birth of a son with special needs was the lightbulb moment for me. I don't take foregranted anything my kids do anymore. I'm embarrassed to say that before he was born I was guilty of just that with my first two.

Glad to hear the knee is doing well!

[SwampYankee]

Originally Posted by MS Fowler

Tom,
thanks for sharing both stories.
I have near bone to bone and sound a lot like your "before" story. My wife's and others' experiences make me wary of replacement. Your story is an encouragement.

You can add my boss/ex-cousin-in-law (64yo) to the list of happy knee customers. So much so that he's going for the other knee soon. He regrets not doing it sooner. He was on pain killers for 20+ years and only rarely takes an ibuprofen now.

[t walgamuth]

My inside knee was bone to bone but the outside was in good shape, so I just got the half replaced and have my oe on the outside of the left knee. The right knee is miraculously in great condition.

When this one wears out I can get a full replacement.

[MS Fowler]

My wife is in nearly constant pain from her replacements.
The Engineer-in-my-head questions how can a knee that has been replaced still have pain, but the smarter husband-in-me tells the "Engineer" to STFU.

[t walgamuth]

Originally Posted by MS Fowler

My wife is in nearly constant pain from her replacements.
The Engineer-in-my-head questions how can a knee that has been replaced still have pain, but the smarter husband-in-me tells the "Engineer" to STFU.

full replacements? how long since the surgery? did she do her rehab?

the full replacements are a much longer recovery period.

[MS Fowler]

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

full replacements? how long since the surgery? did she do her rehab?

the full replacements are a much longer recovery period.

I can't remember, but its been YEARS.
The first was a full replacement. Doctor was the associate of "the best" in the area, but twister it a few degrees, and got the length off by just a little. The Doctor also admitted he had waited too long to do her surgery.
Second was a partial, but probably should have a full replacement.

She faithfully did all the rehab that was requested. Got the 90 degree bend or whatever within a day or two.

[t walgamuth]

Sounds like she did everything right.

Sorry to hear it is not working well for her.