Knee Surgery - Bike May be For Sale

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mcgovern61

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Joined
Dec 3, 2009
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Location
Kingsport, Tennessee
My Bike Models
Former '82 GL1100 "The Slug"
Last December I tore the meniscus in my right knee. It is a complex tear at the root (back of the knee). No surgery to repair and the ortho docs had me do several rounds of PT and rest. I had been doing PT and progressing well. Then I slipped again (down steps) and it went right back where I started. :head bang:

More PT. I cannot get past stage 1 without pain and instability. This is now effecting my job. I cannot walk even short distances. Back to the Ortho doc. The arthritis is not helping the situation. They do not want to replace my knee yet. On April 19, they are going to scope my meniscus and try to remove the piece that is torn in the back in the hopes of stabilizing the meniscus and stop it from sliding forward (getting bone to bone contact at times).

If the surgery works, I should be up and walking after PT in about 6 weeks total re-hab time. If it doesn't work, then the knee needs to be replaced. :cheeky:

I do have to think about my physical future and arthritis doesn't get better with age. My Wife and I have discussed this many times. Riding the bike isn't the issue. Holding the bike up when stopped at a light and backing up at any point are really hard on the meniscus tear. I considered the trike or add on kits. They help keeping the bike upright, but it would be twice as hard to try to roll backward when needed.
 
At this point, I have been having trouble even getting down on the floor to work on the old girl. My garage is too small for a lift table or even a bike jack. We are seriously considering selling the Slug, her trailer and all of the camping equipment.

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I am a boat Captain by trade, but have not owned my own personal boat since my first boat was stolen an sunk. My Wife and I had our first date on that boat! We are considering a boat again after all that has been going on around here the last 10 years.

These past few months have been really hard with physical issues, my Mother-in Law in assisted living and then suddenly developing a non-operable brain tumor. We moved her in with us on hospice in November (day before Thanksgiving) and she passed on January 5, 2018 at 77 years old.

Now, looking at knee surgery and seeing how many limitations I have been facing, we decided we can take a boat out for a ride and not look back for a while. She has 2 discs removed from her neck and cannot ride on the bike for more than 15 minutes. We really want to spend quality time together and we just cannot get that with the old girl. :crying:
 
Here was my boat back in 1983. It was a 1956 Chris Craft 24' Semi-Enclosed sedan model. I had done quite a bit of work on her. I got it for $50! Seized engine, sinking, rotten wood and had to take her as is, where is before she sank at the dock. :hihihi:

I did! Replaced the bad wood, re-fastened, caulked, grabbed an engine and off we went!

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Funny thing is.......I did not have a car or truck back then. I only had my Suzuki GN-400 to do everything.

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Got the old girl in the water. here is a pic of the painting job halfway done. (I did clean the paint off the glass afterward.)

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It is a long story about getting stolen, but she was taken, sunk and pretty well destroyed by a bunch of drunk kids (teenagers that lived at the house where the dock was).
 
Within the last two months, another 1956 Chris Craft 24' Semi-Enclosed sedan came up for sale in Connecticut at a very good price with a custom trailer.

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A simple single engine 6 cylinder day boat (I had a slant six in mine). Easy to run, easy to repair, inexpensive to operate. The boat is ready to go in the water without any real work (other than varnish). It might be just what the Wife and I need after these past few years. We can do it together, enjoy our time, cruise the Delaware River, Delaware Bay and out to the Atlantic ocean where we had our first dates!

We are considering changing the color scheme to this:

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I think that would be pretty cool and, once again, we can do it together.
 
Damn Gerry....that's a tough row to hoe there...
Hope the docs can do something to help, whether you can still ride afterwards or not. Boats can be fun too!
Best wishes to you brother. :yes:
 
Sorry to hear about your need for a change, but switching to a hobby you and the wife can do together is a smart move. Best of luck on the stairs, PT, and the new boat!
 
Maybe a marinised 6cyl GW Engine would still keep the Honda legacy alive!! :smilie_happy:
In all seriousness Gerry it sounds like you both deserve some quality time together and a “new” boat could be just the thing. :yes: I know that if you have knee replacement surgery there is a good chance that you would ride well again but that is only a half solution where the boat will be a family solution. :good:
 
Gerry - sorry to hear about your dilemma, but your health and happiness with the Mrs is paramount. We only come this way but once that I know of.

Boats are great pastimes as well. Had a 30 foot Uniflite that I brought back from the dead, and lived on a 40 foot Bayliner Bodega for 5 years. Here's a picture of my ex and daughter in the 1000 Islands at anchor before the winter make over. Daughter is playing the pipes on the bow, it was truly magical.
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The nice thing is that boats are like bikes, just a little more room.

Don't leave entirely, you have a lot of expertise and experience to pass on.

Fair winds and following seas my friend.
 
Thanks for the comments guys! Even if we sell the Slug, I will still be around. This is a great forum and still have a passion for the 1100's. I will keep you guys posted after surgery what happens then.
 
The surgery was on April 19th. 3 days on crutches and now slowly been weight bearing and walking. The procedure was to carve the back of the medial meniscus where it was torn. Doc found a lot of loose body cartilage between the bones and cleaned it up. I am not having the pain I had, but still a bit if I twist or push backwards (think sitting on the bike and trying to push the bike backwards). I get my stitches out next Friday and then physical therapy.

We have taken the step forward to finalize the price on the boat and the last step of that is to verify there is a slip available at the marina. If all goes according to plan, we will be getting the boat next weekend. :yes:

The boat is a 1956 Chris Craft 24'. We finally got the Hull Identification Number (HIN) and it is SE-24-007. That means this boat was the 7th boat built in the 160 boat series of this model. Not just a classic, it is an antique! But to afford the boat, we may still need to sell the Slug and the trailer. :crying:
 
We got the boat and transported it to Cape May this weekend!

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Funny thing is, we needed to rent the pick up in the 2nd pic from Enterprise in order to tow the trailer down from Connecticut. My Wife was out and I had to ride the bike to pick up the pick up! :hihihi:

My knee still has major issues (and the ride in that truck re-triggered my back issues! :shock: )

But for now, we will be keeping the bike through the summer, but will give serious consideration to selling at the end of the season or next spring. For now, I need to tow the Tag a Long trailer down to the boat with tools and supplied to get her in the water! :yes: :moped:
 
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