Three Rights Make a Left

This section will be in "diary" form and I've included this entry largely for my own perspective, though I hope it will be of interest to others who have had quadriceps tendon repair. It's just my own experience -- if there's anything I've learned it's that each individual progresses at his own pace. January 16, 2015 "Operation Day" Early day -- 6:00am at the venue where my surgery would be performed: Texas Orthopedics in northwest Austin. I don't really remember much about this day other than they knocked me out and when I came to, I had a big bandage on my right leg. I had opted for a "nerve block", so I could feel absolutely no pain at the incision. Somehow, Dana managed to get me piled back in the car, and we picked up the prescribed pain meds on the way home -- Hydrocodone  for pain, and Diazepam for potential muscle spasms. I was pretty much out for the day. January 17, 2015 "The Day After" I slept... the ner...

I've written a series of posts related to my recent knee injury. I wrote that for several reasons: 1. They'll explain what happened and why I'm absent from my gigs; 2. They'll be a helpful resource to others with similar injuries; 3. They'll be characteristically witty and entertaining to read, and not become known as "Stringer's Pity Papers"; 4. I don't really have much else to do while I've been lying around waiting for this knee to heal; 5. And last, a chronicle for myself and family... the first three won't change much... the last two, I'll try to keep up to date. PART I - What Happened PART II - What is a Disrupted Quadriceps Tendon PART III - Getting Treatment PART IV - Recovery and Hurdles Along the Way PART V - Some Life Lessons I would appreciate comments and reposts. Thanks --Jim

How I Did It vs. How it Should Be Done I injured my knee on the evening of December 26, 2014. I had surgery to repair the injury on January 16, 2015... exactly 3 weeks. All the authoritative sources say you should 1) be taken to the emergency room; and 2) surgery should be performed as soon as is possible. The tendons and muscles begin atrophy almost immediately and the repair becomes more and more difficult, and less and less effective! So... what happened? First... I'm an idiot musician -- the show must go on. I felt that I need to play the show at Belly Up, regardless of the fact that my role was a bit part. In my nearly 55 years of playing gigs, I can count on one hand that shows that I've cancelled because of health issues. I played my Hall of Fame show in 2007 with a 104 degree fever and walking pneumonia!!! In a snow storm!!! In sub zero weather!!! Geez... you get the picture? Second... as I mentioned, I have a history of pulled muscles. I sort of fig...

Way back in the old days, I was a sprinter, something you certainly would not guess from the present day body that I drag around. I was fast... fastest in the state the year of my graduation. I was offered various full ride track scholarships, but opted to attend the University Of Kansas which had offered me only a small stipend, having spent all the scholarship money on lightning quick, out of state runners. But, it's where my friends were going -- particularly the guys in my high school band. The point of this aside relative to the topic of this blog is that I injured by right quad so many times that I had to drop out of track entirely. I'm no newbie to Quadriceps Injuries in general. However, I entered college in 1966 when we wrote with pens and paper, added and subtracted by "thinking" (or more accurately, by counting on fingers and toes) We avoided long division entirely, when possible. There was NO internet -- all research was done by thumbing through the libr...

How it Happened I suppose that if you're going to "disrupt" (i.e., rip like a cheap piece of packing tape) your quadriceps tendon, as I did, you might as well pick a really beautiful setting to do it... as I did. Aunt Dana with Ruby and Rylee My wife, Dana, and I took a little Christmas trip to SoCal for the holiday... a multitude of in-laws: sisters, brothers, parents, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, dogs, family friends... gazillions of people to visit... parties and feasts. The wads of colorful wrapping paper, which having delivered their mysterious payloads, now litter the living room in clumps, like used shell casings on a battlefield... AND,, most importantly, EXTREMELY cute. lovable kids everywhere. Uncle Jim with Finley Our friend, Rosie Flores  (best living country/rockabilly singer on the planet, and a rockin' geetarist, to boot) was going to be playing a gig at Belly Up in Solana Beach during our stay. Dana and I made arrangements to get t...

I'll be a full fledged curmudgeon soon . I've been practicing all my life, but I believe that 65 is the likely age at which one can officially be deemed an Andy Rooney-esque curmudgeon. In light of my approaching status as a curmudgeon, I'm creating this " Making Life Easier " series to all the danged young whippersnappers out there that seem not to have a clue about attending to their own enlightened self interest. Note -- this series is also aimed at Idiots: whippersnappers who no longer have youth and inexperience as an excuse for their actions. So... for whippersnappers and idiots, here's an example of the self-defeating behavior that I'm talking about -- the Airport Baggage Claim . What everyone wants is to get his or her bag quickly and easily off the carousel... it should be so easy. Passengers surround the carousel, grab their bags as they pass, and place each safely behind them, where, when all bags have been collected, they can then easily ...

As an Obama supporter, naturally I'm glad that my guy "won". However -- you'll get no gloating from me. I've come close to shedding tears in this last few months over the incredible vitriol poisoning our country. Nobody wins until we can get past the "our team vs. your team" mentality. Divisive politics is good for cable news network ratings . Their polarizing rhetoric garners a loyal following. And political campaign managers believe that they must sharply distinguish their client's beliefs from his/her opponent's in order to generate interest. But, we have some serious problems to face and we're not going to solve these through name calling, stonewalling, and petty bickering. We must not be our own worst enemy... there are plenty of REAL enemies to take that honor. If you're a "liberal", spend some time listening to the concerns of your "conservative" neighbor... and vice versa. If you listen to Rush, spend...