Ferret's slowing down.

[max]

Thanks for the fine update Ferret, it all seemed so sudden but you must have gotten some good medical advice.
Been following your experience in the background and after years of being busy and riding very sporadically i have taken up riding the cb's with a passion, every time the weather is stable and sunny enough i seem to make use of it and after some years still can't get enough of it.
Also use my ( image stabilized ) helmet cam to capture the best footage of all the rides and enjoy watching those from a harddrive on the big screen tv with the stereo filling ( and i mean FILLING ) the room with music and the odd beverage, works fine when it's raining outside too!

My point is that this footage is meant to entertain me even if i cannot ride anymore in the future and is a vivid reminder of the fun we had, always make the best of the situation we're in and congratulations on the considerable progress, we all enjoy it when things work out for you!

Aloha from the south pacific.

[the Ferret]

Max, lol thanks, yes there has been a number of doctors working on me. Rheumatologist for the arthritis, Gastoenterologist for the colitis, Orthopedic specialist for the knees, besides my family physician (takes a team to keep old people going it seems lol) Getting the right combo of pain relievers seemed to be the key. A lot of stuff I can't take orally becuase of the colitis, so they had to get creative. So happy with the results so far. Back riding on a daily basis and at least at this point do believe I will be able to ride to the CB rally in early Sept in West Virginia, and on the Men's Fall Trip to central Kentucky where we held the rally last year, in late September, and if this keeps up (knock on wood) might even get to ride past my goal of 70. However that is putting the cart in front of the horse.

It's still one day at a time, and being appreciative of the good days I have.

[GoldOxide_imp]

Thanks for the fine update Ferret, it all seemed so sudden but you must have gotten some good medical advice.
Been following your experience in the background and after years of being busy and riding very sporadically i have taken up riding the cb's with a passion, every time the weather is stable and sunny enough i seem to make use of it and after some years still can't get enough of it.
Also use my ( image stabilized ) helmet cam to capture the best footage of all the rides and enjoy watching those from a harddrive on the big screen tv with the stereo filling ( and i mean FILLING ) the room with music and the odd beverage, works fine when it's raining outside too!

My point is that this footage is meant to entertain me even if i cannot ride anymore in the future and is a vivid reminder of the fun we had, always make the best of the situation we're in and congratulations on the considerable progress, we all enjoy it when things work out for you!

Aloha from the south pacific.

Perfect Max.

When I am in my rocking chair, maybe drooling uncontrollably, maybe not, I wish to feel and re-live those riding moments. Good for da soul, ... take it to the grave.

[offroadfx4_imp]

Good deal ferret!

I have my appt in the morning with with an ortho hand specialists for my thumbs.... he may send me to rheumatologist but if he comes up with any miracles I'll let you know.

[the Ferret]

Ok offroad, keep me informed and good luck!

[Bazbro_imp]

Spot-on, Max!

I've now arrived at that "in-between" moment on my life when I cannot physically do what I used to (much like Ferret, I suppose?). I wish I had video'd some of my great rides, to re-watch over and over again now that I'm not able to do as much riding.

My best holidays EVER were two three-week motorcycle tours of California and the Rockies. My ex-wife video'd the Rockies holiday and it's a great visual reminder, but... apart from photos it's the only video I've got.

So, moral of the story, guys... get out, ride more, and film the best of your rides for "memories" and future enjoyment. I just wish that I had.

[emptysea]

Mickey - Glad that you're feeling better and able to ride more. I'm still hoping to get down to your area this fall and hope that we will be able to spend some 2-wheeled time together then.

[the Ferret]

Looking forward to it Sea. If health holds up, I will be gone Sept 2-6 for CB rally in W Va and Sept 16-20 for Men's Fall Trip in central Ky.

[Cormanus]

Offroad, others would also be grateful for any medical miracles you find.

[offroadfx4_imp]

Went to the ortho hand specialist today. Basically I have CMC OA which is:

Thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) joint osteoarthritis (OA) is the second most common form of hand OA, affecting between 20% and 30% of the general population.

I did get x-rays showing areas of concern.

3 Treatments (outside of physical therapy...I'll discuss later).

1. voltaire arthritis gel like ferret got, anti-inflammatory....2-4 grams 4 times/day
2. steroid shots of cortisone, that can only be repeated a couple of times
3. surgery...they basically remove a bone and tie two bones together

1. I did get the voltaire gel....you even get a little plastic ruler to measure out a 2 gram dose
2. I passed on the steroid shot for now....they do use ultra sound to guide the needle, but sounded like no fun
3. surgery, while sounding drastic was promoted as a common cure. The physical therapist said she had been doing research on the success of this type of surgery called a CMC Tightrope. She said she has seen and provided physical therapy to over 50 of these this year. She couldn't say 100% recovery to no loss of motion or strength but said she thought it was minimal loss. She did say the ability to "pinch" is is reduced.

Official Diagnosis



Surgery Recommended:



Surgery with bone removed and "buttons" on both sided of the bones....the OT said it was like a really heavy fishing line.



Physical Therapy had a couple of unique treatments.

1. First was moving the thumb up and down, in and out while gripping a baseball with a resistance band wrapped around your hand.
2. They had me dip my hand in "hot wax" and it was hot, 4 times...then wrapped my hands in plastic to hold the warm moisture in as long as possible.
3. They made me some custom braces that I'm suppose to wear at night and other times if i can.

Here is the hot wax machine, she said you can catch them on sale at bed bath and beyond about Christmas time for $25. Felt really weird, made me wonder if I have been missing this in other parts of my 43 yr marriage LoL.



Here are the braces....pretty cool they can heat this stuff up and mold it to your individual body parts. They are pretty comfortable. I can see wearing them at night without any problems.







The most important thing is the doctor did say I could continue to ride motorcycles!