How Many Steps Each Day?

This is one of those Fitbit contraptions.   I have several friends who own one and they gleefully announce how many steps they have taken every single day.

If I had one, my goal would be just the opposite.  I'd be using it to limit the number of steps I take each day.   

No, I'm not lazy.  I just need to conserve every time my knees take one step forward.  As I move closer to the inevitable knee replacement surgery which I am guessing will be next year, my daily goal is to get through each day with as little discomfort as possible.

You've read here before about the two goofy joints that connect my hamstrings to my calves.  The right knee got damaged on the first day of gym class in my senior year of high school.   Ideally, I would have been in a specialist's office the very next day.  But my parents tended to rely on our family internist. Regardless of the scope of the injury, Dr. Weisberg prescribed the same treatment for everything: an Ace bandage and lots of Tylenol.   Thanks to this neglect, my right knee has endured years of abuse.  Capping off the brutality, it endured a kneecap fracture two years ago.

My left knee was fine until about 8 years ago when I turned it coming out of a Broadway show, courtesy of one of the many potholes New York City streets features.   That tore the meniscus and it ultimately had to be removed.

So that's the gimpy history.  Both knees will probably be rehinged in my lifetime, but the right one is the more immediate recipient of new hardware.  I just need to wait a little longer.

How does one manage that?  Well, for starters, I visit my personal trainer Peter twice a week and he keeps me mobile.  When the time comes for surgery, I will recover faster than most because the rest of my body is so strong.  And, thanks to a couple of friends who have offered to stay with me while I recuperate the first week or so, I will be well taken care of.

But we need to get to that point.   And, as Peter tells me, it's like I have a finite amount of steps I can take everyday before the discomfort settles in.   Another good analogy is that, every morning, my knees start with a full tank of gas.   I need to manage that amount until I can refuel overnight while I sleep.

I do indeed have a process and a regimen that I have begun to follow religiously.

The first thing I do every morning is a thorough two-minute massage of all the muscles in my legs with this thing.

Compliments of Peter, I roll this stick over all parts and sides of my legs.   It totally loosens the muscles and gets me going.

After a shower, I dress.   And regardless of the wardrobe of the day, my knees will be adorning these things underneath.

My left knee gets a patella strap that holds the muscles around the knee in check.   The right knee, of course, needs more TLC and requires a bigger brace.  I don't go anywhere without this stuff on.

My days are pretty routine with a lot of time on a computer.   But I make a point of getting up every fifteen minutes for a quick stretch.   I also do regular leg swings which keeps my hip joints open and, let's face it, all these bones are attached in some way.  

A quiet day is easy to get through.   Every evening, at some point, finds a ice pack around both knees for about ten minutes each.  But there are other days I need to prepare more diligently for.   Those times when I have a Dodger game or a Hollywood Bowl concert or any activity that requires some walking.

On those days, the hours before the event are usually spent being extra still and an additional dosage of ice.  Places like the Bowl or Dodger Stadium don't necessarily have the mandatory banister I need for climbing stairs.  So I got myself a nifty cane that collapses like magic like something out of Harry Potter.  Hey, it's what I have to do until the time comes when the knockout juice is attached to my arm via an IV.

This is my life and my situation right now and I don't let it hinder me or my personality in any stretch.   Luckily, most of my friends bear with me through this unfortunate nonsense.   It's all about conserving my daily fuel.   And counting the steps I take.

I'm off to the kitchen to get a piece of fruit.   Sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen...

Dinner last night:  Steak and pan roasted tomatoes.