Structural failures, pressure losses and other disasters

I too am of that age where I'm due for a major overhaul. Nothing I've broken ever has worked exactly right thereafter, but most of it still does the job.

My grandmother used to complain about the dim lights in restaurants, and we used to chuckle. Now as I work in my shop, I do a lot of squinting, and never seem to have enough light.

Low pressure, sticky valves. Why don't they make this stuff last?

Well at least I'm taking pills every morning to ward of that old person condition -- oh you know.... what do they call it...

A full list exceeds the allowed space. I am not proud of this. It is simply the fact.

'88 gave me a $30K ankle. '96 ended a series of $10-20K USD knee surgeries with a spectacular $60k Titanium knee (high tibial osteotomy, with upper head adjustment) and now that I am uninsured I have partially torn a ligament in my elbow (lifting 100lbs of test equip hand over fist up a 200 ft refinery emissions stack in 45 mph gusts 85 degree F air temp, 1300 degree stack temp).

I asked my doc a while back what he thought. He said, and I quote, "Mr. Rummel, it does seem that at this day, your mis-spent youth has, in fact, caught up with you"

I asked if I could take up some light jogging. To which he said, and I quote "Sir, I wouldn't run check the mail if I were you"

I really feel my corpse should be worth more.

Anyone who develops an autoimmune condition or severe asthma (which is also an immune reaction) may end up taking cortico-steroids such as prednisone. This class of steroids will not build your muscles but in addition to controlling the condition for which it was prescribed but it may also cause glaucoma, weight gain, and osteoporosis which results in weak bones so now I am a 61 year old grandfather with the bones of a post-menopausal grandmother. Last week the doctor said that I was not ready for a knee replacement, yet.

Prednisone can also cause its own version of roid rage, it is not really a rage but it does not make a positive contribution to your personality. When I was on heavy doses of prednisone my kids would pass the warning, "Watch out, Dad is on his PMS pills again."

Another interesting side effect of taking prednisone is it will cause the adrenal glands to shut down causing Addison's disease which is fatal if untreated. The treatment is 10 milligrams of prednisone daily, a true case of "more of the hair of the dog that bit me.'

The net effect of the bone weakening is that I always use a cane to make sure that I will not lose my balance and sometimes I use a walker. A fall for someone with osteoporosis is much more likely to result in fractured or cracked bones. For the record the bone weakness problem showed up in my mid fourties so osteoporosis is not just for older women.

I did break my left elbow when I was 9 years old. The sled that I was on got into an argument with a telephone pole at the bottom of the hill. The sled and I both lost.

My story seems to lack character compared to some of these. They may have a common element, but not sure. Lately we have been hearing a lot about the importance of vitamin D and that most people fall far short of obtaining natural levels in their bodies. Bones need it to absorb enough calcium, apparently.

My present condition was caused by lack of knowledge for sure. My feet have suffered a great amount of diabetic deterioration because I was not thinking that a diet very high in carbohydrates like white flour and sugar was bad, especially considering that they used to form the base of the food pyramid. I realize now that these are not natural diet constituents.