What seems to be a big part of my retirement is medical stuff. We retired in 2018 and in the intervening years I’ve had surgeries, tendinitis, PT, etc. etc., currently recovering from major surgery.
To prep for this surgery I had to lose weight and gain strength in my legs and glutes, so I joined the Y. Probably the best thing I’ve done for me in years. It’s very clean, well-appointed, not too crowded when I go. (Huge retirement advantage of being able to go places off-hours.)
I think I’ll be able to go back to slow walking on the treadmill in about 6 weeks and light weights in 12. Can’t wait.
(Right now it’s moving from bed to recliner and back, sometimes with a walker for balance. The walker should go away by Monday, .)
I love that you did “pre-hab”. I did a pre-hab routine to prepare for my hysterectomy a few years ago, and the doctor said that people who do that (get in even better shape before surgery) have so much smoother recoveries.
I’m choosy what I’ll buy cause I’m not a collector of stuff but will get things that I can leave knowing how I’ll use it. Also sometimes find things that my kids will like/use.
Only one purchase today. A pretty green and off white medium weight lap throw in great condition. Already washed it and it’s in the blanket basket. Artic cold is coming next week, can never have enough blankets!
There was a set of 3 blue and white Crate and Barrel nesting mixing bowls I liked for $30. Since it’s just a few houses away I’ll go down on 1/2 off day and see if they happen to be left!
@zeebamom for some reason I can’t reply to your post but what a wonderful side benefit you found in your health journey! Hope you continue to make gains.
Thanks for the well wishes! My surgeons will not schedule anyone with a BMI > 32, while many do. It was initially annoying, but I knew I had to lose weight and consistently exercise. It took my PT giving me a push to do it.
In the vein of continuing to learn, I am also doing an online meditation course from Sam Harris. Requires discipline to remember. But seems good.
I am debating a back surgery. It is tentatively scheduled for next month, but it has two weeks of doing not much (e.g., no driving) and then 12 weeks to let bones heal. I am not entirely clear when the PT starts, but I think after about 6 weeks. My problem is that 14 weeks after the scheduled surgery, I have my 50th college reunion, which is a 3 day event with lots of standing/walking and even a parade. And after that, ShawD has invited us to join her in Japan/Korea for a touristing/hiking/biking trip. I don’t think I would be ready for that. If I am correct (checking with the doctor), I will have to decide to postpone the surgery until the summer or miss the events.
I would not only check with MD/surgeon, but also PT to see if a plan can be made for you to at least do some of the things with the 50-year college reunion. The touristing/hiking/biking in Japan/Korea - can see if there is enough of things you can do (either with or w/o surgery) for that to work out. To me, the sooner you get the surgery done, the sooner you can move on to better/more active in time life.
I agree. Now that my vision is better I can, and do, drive more often locally, although H has never had wrecks in town. H insists that I not do the long distance driving for various medical related reasons, so I haven’t gone with him recently.
It must be very frightening to have a spouse who gets in so many bad accidents. I would be urging him to find other methods of travel—public transit, Uber, lyft, private driver, etc. It’s dangerous for him & everyone else for him to continue driving. I know it’s hard—we had to do this with dad who was very resistant. We only got him to stop because the place he was living in insisted on it.
In our house I’m the weaker driver. No accidents, just don’t have great depth perception and have always been cautious. (When the kids started driving without us, they’d plot out the route, wondering ‘should we go the Mommy Way’… ie route with fewest left turns etc.)
Were going to replace my husband’s beloved 2013 sedan and keep my 2006 Odyssey minivan (105K miles, fewer than 3k added per year). We’ve switched to a new plan where I’ll get a small SUV with all the new safety bells and whistles, including a much needed backup camera. I won’t add many miles around town, but we’ll also use it for our annual 5000+ mile road trip to visit friends and family. Normally he does 99% of the road trip driving since I am not as comfortable using his car. With this plan, I will hopefully feel more confident driving on the highway.
I do know a man that hired himself a driver who would regularly take him wherever he wanted to go. They had a good relationship and the driver worked for him for many years. Making a good connection with a few drivers from Uber or Lyft might enable something similar— 9-1pm Tu & Th for example or whatever.
NextDoor around here always has folks looking to do chores for extra money—that could another place to find drivers to help with transportation.
I’m waiting for autonomous cars, but what about Uber and Lyft for the time being, @silpat.
@SOSConcern, the doctor said to do the surgery after the activities but he really wants me not to put the surgery at risk. So, it is a choice between surgery now and no activities (maybe could do 50th reunion but very carefully) or activities and then surgery.
I know my dad’s insurance rates skyrocketed after his accident. I’m sure your spouse’s did too. Also the cost of repairing/replacing cars, medical bills, surely hiring people to drive via Uber & Lyft is more relaxing and cheaper, but I know for dad it was an ego thing.
I wish you the best at navigating this tough situation @Silpat. Could you have your H take a driver’s ed course with AARP, maybe or get assessed for driving skills? I know some have had loved ones assessed. My friend in CA had her mom re-take the driver’s test in CA and she failed so they suspended her license. (The kids all thought she was a dangerous driver—they helped her use gogo grandparent for awhile, until she moved from living alone to memory care.)
@Shawbridge and @HImom, I’ve floated a few suggestions but the only response has been vehemently negative. Even though H sometimes jokes about being “old” he’s not yet 70 and takes umbrage whenever I make a comment that suggests he’s no longer middle-age.
There’s no public transit here and Uber drivers are rare, although I recently saw a young woman post on Nextdoor that she’s started driving for Uber so I made a note of her name and contact information.
If local driving becomes a problem, I may try hiring students from a nearby university and/or some SAHMs/SAHDs whose kids are in school. We’d just have to insist on scheduling all appointments when they’re available.
Transportation is one issue that has made me rethink where we may be living in 15 years (if I’m still around.) Access to better medical care is another. H surprised me last week by not protesting when I said that once the GDs graduate from high school, we might consider a move to an IL/AL facility near S and DiL who live in a major city. H acknowledged that while our new home was designed for easy access, its upkeep and the maintenance of the pool may be too much for us in our 80s. I’m glad he was open to the idea.
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