Have to take a hiatus for a week or two? from our Brownsboard

Flugel

@jiggins7919 said:

I work as a case manager for a federal program that houses homeless military veterans. I have the utmost respect for people like you.

You've been a great addition to this board but this might be your best post. It's great to see vets have people like you fighting for them long after they're capable in their own country they once put their lives on the line to protect.

calfoxwc

I work as a case manager for a federal program that houses homeless military veterans. I have the utmost respect for people like you. Jiggins

*********************

nah, I wasn't drafted - I have the utmost respect for people like you, who work to help homeless military veterans...

that really rocks...

and all veterans, but especially the veterans who served in combat. That really honors me to be around them on

veterans day at at restaurant.

One day in the AF, we were on alert for a weekend, and a msgt and I were on 24/7 duty for our 24 hr shift..

and he told me about how he became a military man. He said he grew up in a poor side of town, and his only choices

after hs was to get a job, join a gang. Well, no black folks owned any businesses hiring, and no black kid could get

a job. And his Momma would have beaten him silly with her cookie dough spoon if he joined a gang. But he said

Uncle Sam didn't care what color he was, and he got drafted because she would never let him get into drugs and trouble and gangs...., and Uncle Sam gave him a job, and he moved his

Mom out of that neighborhood, got his sisters into college, and his own two kids got college degrees just

like his Wife had. He served back in the day toward the end of the Korean fighting.

Guys like him, and the vets who served in WWII, Iraq, anywhere. They amaze me. But I always thank all vets

for their great service.

TexasAg1969

Believe me that guys like me (and others on the board) who served in a combat zone have all our respect for those who gave all. Nothing brought that home more for me than this past Oct. standing in an American cemetery near where my grandfather served as an Artillery Captain in WWI France. Over 4000 on a forgotten battlefield who never returned home. And reading the names and ages on the tombstones I could imagine the dreams they may have had that never came to fruition.

BaconHound

Cal good luck with the surgery, heal quickly but you're still a douchebag

miktoxic

good luck cal!

my best friend had a hip replacement 4 years ago and 2 days after the surgery he was in a physical rehab center walking around. 2 days later was at home. now you'd never know he had a prob even though he had a neck a back surgery and the hip replacement. the new technology is incredible (just don't be surprised when the hospital wants to kick you out the door like they do with women who have just given birth.............insurance doesn't want to pay for extended stays).

my girlfriend/wife had both knees done after ripping out all the muscles and tedons in both in an industrial accident over a decade ago. then they diagnosed here with early stages of MS. she's basically walking bone on bone and it's difficult to watch. i would've given up years ago and gone with the ol' hover round or private golf cart but she refuses. strong ass bitch.

One Post

Get well soon.

Flugel

@texasag1969 said:
Believe me that guys like me (and others on the board) who served in a combat zone have all our respect for those who gave all. Nothing brought that home more for me than this past Oct. standing in an American cemetery near where my grandfather served as an Artillery Captain in WWI France. Over 4000 on a forgotten battlefield who never returned home. And reading the names and ages on the tombstones I could imagine the dreams they may have had that never came to fruition.

Definitely hits home Ag. Then you see pro athletes under the freedoms some of you guys put your lives on the line for either going broke after they had 7-8 figure salaries or just not appreciating what their God-givens have set them up for in life. Yeah, it's gotta suck sporting a winning lottery ticket salary in one's dream job playing a sport. "Now they want me to study football, workout and stay out of trouble?" Yeah, imagine that kind of work week - especially in the 6-7 months without football games.

Mudfly

Good luck with the knee Cal.....and make sure they give you a good one.....

My grandma got new knees at 75, then went on to live another 28 years.....and those knees were the 20 year models....HA!

calfoxwc

Thanks, everybody, I've been pretty nervous about it, but it's gone

downhill badly the last two and a half years....

My has been bone on bone for years, severe arthristis, and

complete lack of stability in the knee.

I appreciate all the good wishes, I get to the same say surgery place at 8:30, so

I have to go get a bunch of firewood and stack in the garage, watch the Browns

on record, since I nearly forgot to pick up my prescriptions, and we were babysitting

for a friend... I don't know whether to stay up late or go to bed early.

I know the physicians assistant that reviewed all the pre op stuff ..I asked him how long I'd

be in the hospital...a day/probably two... he just laughed and said "your knee? 2-3 at best."

If I'm not out by New Years eve, they're gonna think I'm Jason Bourne - I will just escape.

I wonder how many bedsheets it would take to reach the ground from the floor I'll be on...

dammit. lol. You folks take care, and remember, no funny posts, etc, I don't want to miss anything

this coming week. See ya'll.

sisky fringo

@calfoxwc said:
I don't know whether to stay up late or go to bed early

stay up late>> when it comes to surgery personally i'd rather be tired and loopy than wide awake and anxious, if i had a choice.

good luck Cal, even though it's gonna go great and be very satisfying.

and this applies to any/everyone: Thank You So Very Much For Your Service.

calfoxwc

Thanks ,again, everybody. I've been awake since 4:15, it's now 6 o'clock,....and nobody demanded

that I explain how I got past the 1.5 mi run.

So, I'll do it anyways, since we have to be at the hospital at 8:30. lol.

So, we ran the 1/4 mi, and 1/2, and 3/4... and the mile. My knee was getting the attention

of my friends in basic, especially Hec and Freddie. Hec was the son of parents from Mexico,

and surely was one of the fastest runners in our squadron.

And Freddie, was a young kid from a tough black neighborhood, not as big as me, whose Eddie Murphy sense of humor made everybody lol.

He could light up any room within hearing distance. He was awesome.

If I didn't know better, I'd think Freddie was Eddie Murphy's dad. Freddie stayed out of gangs

by being in the church choir, and being funny. He called me "Uncle Calfox" because I was a year older than he was.

When we ran the mile, those two speedsters stayed back with me, and I was loping along, putting

little weight on my swelled up, pain up to my eyeballs knee. They encouraged me for a couple of laps,

until they got yelled at for not really running, and I told em they should take off, and Thanks.

And, I made it.

Fast forward a week. There we were, the third flight of a bunch of flights, waiting to run the mile and a half, but still... my knee was killing me. I had been faking setting my right heel in while we were marching...about two weeks. And we have to run the mile and a half?

I was pissed - my knee was saying "you can't do it, man. nobody could" and my brain was saying

"I'm either going to finish this, or die right on this track, dammit".

And, then it happened. My TI's walked over to me, and I thought maybe I was going to get sent to the

hospital.... and they asked me how my knee was. I said, of course, "Sir, It's fine, Sir !".

And the TI who was fond of making me laugh while we were marching, so he could stop us, yell at me,

and make me do pushups, just like Gomer Pyle in the Marine Corps and Sgt Carter....

he leaned forward and said "Calfox, what did I say about you lying to me about that?" and gave me a grin

and shook his head and walked away.

And, our two TI's were looking at me from 10 yards away, and looked at my knee....

and walked across the concourse to the guy way up in the tower, who was running all the flights' starting times.

And, the TI who liked to make me laugh so he could yell at me and make me do pushups, walked all the way back..

came and stood in the middle of us, and quietly said:

"You rags listen up, any one of you screw this up - I will kill you...." and he whispered, "about face, forward harch"...

and we quietly, no heels setting in, ... marched away from the whole thing, and went back to our barracks.

and went and got anotther haircut, which was funny because we were already mostly bald......

and for a couple of years, we'd be sitting around in a group and basic would come up, and eventually, I'd ask

"You guys ever hear of a flight that didn't have to run that mile and a half? Some guy told me that, but I think

he was an idiot pulling my leg..."

And every time, they'd all get indignant and say that of course he was a damn liar, everybody had to run it,

it was required.

But, after all these years. I will tell you, our flight didn't. Two off the meanest TI's had my back.

Just don't tell anybody I said so, okay?

See ya. And I won't tell stories when I get back in a week or so.

Dammit. I have to get up in a half hour. lol.

OldBrownsFan

Nice story Cal. I think most people have a heart for those who are giving 100 percent even if they don't succeed including your instructors in basic. I am sure your instructors saw you putting all your heart and soul into it but you couldn't help it your knee was giving out. It is kind of amazing that you made it this far in life without having surgery as bad as your knee has been. Praying all goes well with your surgery and you have a fast recovery.

The Gipper

Cal?

calfoxwc

haha, Gipper.....

Okay, I'm back ! Have a new titanium knee !

And, thank goodness for two kinds of painkillers.

My first day at physical therapy was hell. lol

I found out after getting back up to my room,

that my surgeon said afterwards... that after they

opened up my knee, they gasped ...it was a lot

worse than they thought. He told my Wife and a close friend,

that they find it hard to believe I had to have been in so much

serious pain, and never told anyone.

Right out of the gate, I got reprimanded. Truth is, I was used

to fighting to ignore it.

Something about a whole bunch of bone spurs, having to

drill holes for the cement becausee advanced severe

arthritis bone on bone density, etc. It took 3 hrs instead of 1-1 1/2 hrs.

But the staff at Aultman hospital were wonderful, back on the floor,

and I never knew when they did the dreaded epidural, the anesthesialogists

were great, talked to me at length before....

And the nurses were the most wonderful gals you'd ever want to meet,

even when they had to steady me in the bathroom the day after surgery.

This spring, I can't wait to have Canton Mike or Westside Steve over for an hour or two

of groundhog skeet.

This is actually the first day I could sit down at the computer table.

And when I put full weight on my new knee, it feels amazing. Doesn't hurt.

Westside Steve

I need one of those operations too.

And I keep meaning to stop down but I won't be a party to any cruelty to groundhogs.

WSS

The Gipper

So? Now do you have this uncontrollable urge to hunt down and kill women named Sarah Conner?

Tour2ma

@calfoxwc said:
And when I put full weight on my new knee, it feels amazing. Doesn't hurt.

The "why did I wait" is still pending?

Welcome back, cal...

My right hip has been an issue for years. It's adversely impacted my right knee.

But I fixed both by somehow royally fucking up my right shoulder over the holidays. The hip and knee don't seem near as bad now.

And that was my good shoulder...

tiamat63

Crazy enough, I was just thinking about this and Cal today because I'm scheduled to get my knee cleaned out next month.

Damn glad to hear you're doing well! Sadly the joke about the titanium knee and being the terminator was already used. Since you have your new cyborg leg, feel free to put it up Billy Manziel's ass if you see him.

Welcome back, bud.

@tour2ma said:
But I fixed both by somehow royally fucking up my right shoulder over the holidays. The hip and knee don't seem near as bad now.

You went the Major Payne route; "A little something to take your mind off that pain".

gumby73

Welcome Back Cal, Happy New Year & you have not missed a thing. My advise, start with JM goes to Vegas than the painkillers before the Jimmy's presser. You will thank me later . Good Luck rehabbing that knee & the name Billy is already taken in any re-rehab ..

sisky fringo

"You only hurt where you hurt the worst!"

welcome back farmy Cal.