News and Views From my kids accomplishments, to my heretical perspective of the world

I had my rotator cuff repaired yesterday in a 2-hour operation. I was home resting a couple of hours later.

They gave me a nerve block so my whole right arm was numb and paralyzed. It wore off in the middle of the night, and I had to start taking hydrocodone. I’m still on pain pills, so I may be less coherent than usual.

They drilled a hole into the bone and screwed a plastic screw into it to sew the tendon to. He said my bones are very hard and he broke a couple of screws before he got one in. I guess hard bones is good news.

My arm will stay in a sling for several weeks, though I have to take it out a couple of times a day to do some simple limbering exercises. I’m typing this from within the sling, actually easier than I expected though moving the mouse is not.

I also got a cold therapy machine. I (Gisele) fill an ice chest with ice and water, and it pumps the cold water through a special pad strapped to my shoulder. I’m using it almost 24 hours a day — it feels good and should speed healing.

Gisele’s getting lots of practice waiting on me. I hope to start doing more for myself shortly.

I’ll publish updates as things change.

Last week Richard, Dale and I did a short overnight backpacking trip in Roger’s Canyon in the Superstition mountains.

We started at about 4800 feet elevation, hiked about 5 miles down into the Canyon to about 3500 feet.

There are lots of oak trees along the trail, with some cottonwoods near the streams. There was lots of water flowing, so fortunately we didn’t have to take much with us.

One of the most interesting features of this canyon are the abandoned Indian Cliff Dwellings. They were occupied about 600 years ago, and show some wear from the years, though they probably look better than my house will in 600 years. There are three main caves, with the most interesting one a little difficult to get to. Not extremely exciting, or complex, nevertheless it was interesting to see them up close.

We camped under cottonwoods, and built a huge fire that night. Richard and Dale slept in tents, while I slept under the full moon. It got a little chilly in the morning (around 40 degrees), but we all managed to keep warm. The fire that Dale rebuilt made it easier to get out of bed.

The hike out the next day was harder than the hike in. We met about 25 boy scouts coming in as we went out, so we were thankful that we hadn’t delayed our trip by a day. I don’t think it would have been so peaceful!

You can see more pictures at my gallery.

Simon and Garfunkel had a song called “Old Friends”, that has the line: “How terribly strange to be seventy.”

I’m not 70 yet, but I did turn 60 today, and I have to say that it is terribly strange.

How different 60 looks from this perspective than it did when I was a youngster (under 30). Back then, even 40 was old and 60 was ancient. But I don’t feel old! I feel the same as I did when I was 25!

Or do I? My recent cataract surgery made me aware of how changes that creep up on you can go undetected. I was astonished after surgery when suddenly I could see everything so clearly. My vision had faded so slowly over the years that I didn’t realize how much I had lost.

Have my other capabilities and senses faded the same way, so slowly that I have not been aware of the changes? If I could suddenly run, or jump, or work or think or remember as well as I could at 25, would I be just as amazed?

Probably. Undoubtedly. But I can also remember back to my youth and be sure that I am much more content now than I was then. The angst of high school and the slow growth of self-confidence and “comfort in my own skin” over the years is one of the changes of aging that I am aware of and do not regret. Wisdom is a hard thing to define, but the years of experience that wear us down also teach us how the world works and help us make better decisions. Physically and mentally I know that I am in a slow decline that will continue as long as I live. But fortunately, along with the decline is a growing understanding and acceptance of the world and the inevitability of my arc through it.

OK, I’m 60 and it’s terribly strange. But it’s not bad!

My shoulder has been hurting for a few months, since I was “thrown” to the floor while playing basketball. Today I saw the second of two orthopedic surgeons (and one of the local experts; it’s the same clinic that treats the Phoenix Suns and ASU athletes) and he is emphatic that I need surgery.

I have a complete “large” tear of the rotator cuff tendon. Left untreated it will probably degenerate to the point that it cannot be repaired,

Ironically, he said it is not a new injury. The fall probably caused another minor sprain, but fortunately it brought me in to find this problem.

For years I have been troubled by popping in my shoulder joint, and pain with some motions. That’s the rotator cuff problem.

It doesn’t seem to have affected basketball play much, except that I can’t throw an overhead baseball-type pass. But I can shoot and dribble as well as I ever could. OK, I can shoot, but I dribble water from my mouth better than I dribble a basketball. I can’t blame this injury on that.

So anyway, I have to schedule surgery. It will probably be a month out at least. I’ll update when it happens.

He said it will be at least 4 months after surgery before I can begin to play ball again, and a year before I will be completely healed. I’m probably going to get fat and lazy.