Hi Folks. I’m about to launch some old guy complaining stuff at you, so be forewarned. This past summer I noticed I was having a lot of discomfort where my left leg met my pelvis. Various movements, like twisting and turning, really hurt. So did putting weight on that side of my body. Going uphill and up steps was also also a real treat. And sleep… forget about it. I’m a restless sleeper and every move jarred me awake. Being a guy, my first thought was groin injury. It’s sort of a “go to” thing for guys if pain is in that general neighborhood. I thought about what physical stuff I may have been doing that could have caused it. There are always outdoor activities that could be the blame. Living in a mountain region with a lot of trees, some of which are on my property, I might have injured myself cutting down some branches that needed to go. Or maybe cutting them up once they were down. Or dragging them away. Or tossing them in a wheelbarrow and trundling them to wherever. I think you see just the branch-related list is endless. Maybe it happened while I was playing. I could have tweaked something while hiking. There’s not a lot of level ground around here, so going up or down is a near-constant thing. Maybe kayaking was the problem. Lifting the kayak to put it in the water, the paddling, lifting it out onto its rack. Who knows? Eventually, I saw my doctor and there were X-rays, MRIs, physical therapy, you name it. The problem finally was identified. My groin wasn’t the culprit. It was my hip, which makes sense because that’s exactly where the pain emanates from. So why am I having this pain in my hip? Arthritis.

Yep. The doc showed me my X-rays and when looking at my left hip vs my right, even I could see the problem. The right side looked nice and smooth, the top part of my leg, looking like a ball, fitting into the socket of my pelvis nicely. The left side…not. Looking kind of jagged and raggedy. The long and short of it is I’m having the hip replaced in January. It’s not a bad timeline considering it was only recently I learned what the actual problem was. But by the lime the procedure rolls around, it will have been over six months. That’s a long time to limp around, hopping up the stairs on one leg, and not being able to sleep. It’s really, really tiring. So that brings me to the title of this blog. I’m wiped out and damned cranky. If there is a single saving grace it’s that when I am sitting still, the pain diminishes. So, yeah, I’ve been getting a lot of writing done. Just how good it is is another story; we’ll see.

I realize this is short, but I’m going to wrap it up. I’m going to pop a few more Tylonol, then try and get some writing under my belt today. Have a great Thanksgiving everybody! Eat some extra stuffing for me.