Good Luck, Tom and Mike!!

Two of my boys are going under the knife this week. Both are surfers whom I met online as a result of this knee. Tom is having surgery as I type this. His knees are jacked up to the point that both are being replaced. I applaud that. Most people prefer to do one at a time. My mother, whose knees were replaced eight years ago, also did both at the same time. People like them are truly incredible. I don't know that I could take that kind of pain.

On Friday, Mike goes in for fusion in his neck. Whatever it is that ails him, it's prevented him from surfing. It's time to get that taken care of.

Both of these guys helped me soldier on as I've recovered from my knee surgery. All three of us are surfers. All three of us are surfers with bad joints. I swear when this is all said and done, we're going to finally meet and paddle out together. Pain-free.

When am I going surfing again? August. That's set in stone. That's a promise. Ain't no half-steppin'! I'm no longer content to sit. No matter what I do, the knee is still going to hurt. I'm not far enough along in the healing process to be without pain on a regular basis. Since that's the case, I'd just as soon be doing something I love while I'm in pain. My range of motion is still somewhat limited, but I've decided I'll work with what I've got. I have neither the time nor the patience to wait for my knee to catch up. I've not given up on it by any means. I still see the massage therapist and the physical therapist once a week for my range of motion issues. I'm swimming. I'm riding the bike on the stationary trainer daily. I'm lifting weights. I'm doing all of this because I want to get back on a surfboard. Well, it's time. I figure a few more weeks of healing will be good enough. Then I'm paddling out, dammit. This week I'm moving boards back into the Woman Cave. Hell, I may even paddle out before the month is out. I don't know. I just know I'm done. Surfing involves a lot of sitting in cold water. Neither of those things will hurt this knee. I can pop-up. I can stand. I can stand with the knees bent. The only problem I see is a wipeout on a sizable day. So I won't go out on a day like that. I'll have to start with the smaller rollers and work my way back up.

But I am paddling out in August. That's a promise.