<VV> Leg Update-Little Corvair

[LonzoVair at aol.com]

Hey guys,
I know it's been a while since I filled y'all in on how my leg is doing, so I 
figured I'd do it now while everything is still fresh in my head. I drove to 
Louisville yesterday morning for my Dr appointment, about a 60 mile trip one 
way, and the 64 700 performed flawlessly... I still have to pick a few bugs out 
of the 69 before I feel comfortable doing any trips over 20 miles in her. The 
temps were in the low 40s and the mist and fog brought the humidity up to 
about 140%... perfect for carb icing, and I even expected it, but I didn't have a 
problem at all.... maybe that oilbath set up I put on there helps trap some 
moisture?... who knows...

I'd seen the Dr about 5 weeks earlier and he said "Next time I see you I want 
you to be full weight bearing on that leg, ok?"... so I'd been working on 
getting around with only one crutch, using it on the left side (it's the right 
leg that's been trying to heal)... early mornings are great, no pain, I can even 
take a shower standing up (I had been sitting on a bar stool in the shower 
until some time early last month)... but if I'm relatively active, by lunch I 
need both crutches due to the pain... and even though I have some pain pills 
left, I'm trying to save those for my headaches... the Dr says that Tylenol, 
aspirin, and NSAIDs all slow bone growth, so when I have a headache I try waiting 
it out... if it sticks around for more than a day I pull out the percocets or 
darvocets... the leg pain I can handle, the headaches just turn me into a real 
pain in the butt and no one wants to be around me... then again I wouldn't 
want to be around me either.

With the cooler weather hitting here I had to put my shorts away about 2 
weeks ago, and since this brace is so big (it comes all the way up to my knee cap) 
my regular jeans will not fit over it without cutting about eight inches up 
the leg, so I went out and bought some bibbed overalls, 3 sets... now the brace 
is made from one of my old steel-toe work boots, and I wear a denim jacket 
until it gets in the 20s thereabouts, so here I come, brown workboots, bibs, 
gray t-shirt and denim jacket, looking like the poster child for Tractor Supply 
Company, squeezing out a 64 Corvair sedan... I was wondering why the people 
were staring at me... I thought it was the car...
;-)

Anyway, once in the Dr's office and after the pictures were taken the Dr took 
the X-rays and said "I don't like the way your bone density looks" and he 
showed me the difference in density from the top of my tibia (a bright white) to 
the bottom where the break was (a faded, translucent gray color)... he said 
"Keep both of the crutches nearby, and use them if you have ANY pain... don't 
try to be John Wayne, even though I know you want to be off of them"... it's 
been 6 and a half months since the last surgery, and I asked him when he thinks 
he'll be taking out the rod in my leg. His response was "I normally don't even 
think about that until a year to 18 months after surgery, but it might be 
longer in your case... only time will tell."... Of course thats NOT what I wanted 
to hear, but I figure I've been on the crutches for about 19 months now, whats 
another year? 

He said "Keep doing what you're doing, walking when and where you can, and if 
it swells or hurts just ice it down, just don't over-do it and maybe we can 
have you on a cane by Christmas. Come back in about 7 weeks"...

So there ya have it... I go back on December 12th... maybe between now and 
then I can get that 64 up on the ramp and I can replace that blower motor... the 
heater puts out some warm air when you first start it up, and at highway 
speeds it will take the chill out, but that stop-&-go traffic in Louisville was a 
bit nippy yesterday.... especially when the blower doesn't work.

I want to take this time to thank you guys once again for what you did 
earlier this year. You have no idea how much it helped me and the girls. Your 
selfless generosity will ALWAYS be remembered, and I will thank you guys until I'm 
blue in the face... and then I'll thank you more.... you've all been a great 
blessing to me.
Thanks.
And now we will return to our regularly scheduled discussions of Man Caves 
and How to Heat them.
Later,
Lonzo


Lon Anderson in White Mills, KY
CORSA, Corvanatics, Central Kentucky Corvair
Quart Low Quarterly editor
1961 Greenbrier 110/pg, 
1963 Greenbrier 110/4spd.
1964 700 sedan 95/pg
1969 Monza cp 110/pg