When life takes a hard left turn

[ironlion269]

Hey fellow pneuma-nuts, been some time since I posted. As with all of us, 2022 was a year of defining moments for me. It began with terrible migrating joint pains that led me to a rheumatologist who confirmed I suffer from rheumatoid arthritis. A month later that expanded to RA and Lupus, two similar yet distinct autoimmune diseases that attack joints, muscles, and select organs. By late Fall I added a left hip replacement to my changing health profile. That surgery led to a severe infection in the hip and three more surgeries in the following five months. I now sit on a new set of hardware emplaced yesterday morning and I pray this is the final phase of this turn in my life.

My thoughts of looking for pesting permissions died a slow death as the full extent of my new limitations has become clear; weakened hips and legs and permanently swollen hands do not lend themselves to rambles around farm yards and standing sessions with shooting sticks.

In the end I've found that my airgun collection needs to be adjusted to focus on internally powered airguns: PCPs and CO2s. Multi-pumps and heavy target guns are beyond me now as are low end plinkers with heavy/non-adjustable triggers. Time and again the vagaries of growing older reorder my priorities, going even so far as choices in which airguns can stay and which have to go. I didn't think these kinds of challenges would come so soon in life, but it's a fallen world we live in.

So on we go, already deep into 2023 and all that life brings. I hope you all are prospering in health, home, and every endeavor you embrace. And of course I hope you are shooting straight and safe. Aim small, miss small...and remember that your foundation, in shooting as in every aspect of life, must be firm and trustworthy. May God bless you all.

 

[Ranchibi]

I am so sorry for those aliments...life is TOUGH and I do hope you can find some solace in shooting a nice PCP. Hopefully someone will develop a medicine or other that will help alleviate those symptoms.

 

[Treefrog]

Damn...

Really sorry to see your troubles have come on you so heavily. Hoping that you can get as much joy as possible from what you have.

J~

 

[Mike_Lenardon]

I'm right there with you. The 4th will be 2 weeks straight in the hospital. 2 surgeries and a bucket full of new stuff that wants to make me feel like giving up. Well I'm to ornery for that.
We have to hang in there. There are to many people to hang with. And a whole bunch more to meet and educate.
Don't ever give up, you will amaze your self.
Mike

 

[RM.510bigbore]

God bless you!!I understand..... May 2023 be a better year....hang in there......

 

[Chukar60]

You have my heartfelt sympathy.
Mrs. Chukar is going through misery now dealing with either covid long hauler or side affects of a Covid vaccine and two boosters. Either way, she is in bad shape and I see it first hand every day. I have a new found empathy for anyone suffering medical maladies.
Keep your eyes and your life forward. There is always a path.

 

[maxtrouble]

Getting old is not for sissies. Every day is a gift. Carpe diem.

 

[Gerry52]

Really sorry for your challenges! God bless back atcha airgunning brother!

 

[beerthief]

You have my heartfelt sympathy.
Mrs. Chukar is going through misery now dealing with either covid long hauler or side affects of a Covid vaccine and two boosters. Either way, she is in bad shape and I see it first hand every day. I have a new found empathy for anyone suffering medical maladies.
Keep your eyes and your life forward. There is always a path.

i know what your going through , my wife caught that Flu (w??)that was going around last december then on top of that she caught covid on a flight home. 6 weeks later she started to get better another two weeks and all was back to normal .

 

[iAMzehTOASTY1]

I hope you get well soon

 

[boscoebrea]

Resilience and the mind-body interactions, positive thoughts, and blessings.Been a caretaker for years, dog in me.
Looking forward to your future posts and how your shooting has helped you overcome the chit you had and have to put up with.
Thank you for your post and positive reinforcements, God Bless you.

 

[ctshooter]

Sorry for your ailments. I'm not there yet, but I have more and more aches with each passing year. Guess beating my body up with Spartan mud races for 10 years might not have been the best of ideas.

 

[L.Leon]

@ironlion269, and @Mike_Lenardon, hang in there gentlemen, please know that you are not “alone”. We all suffer through the inevitable assaults living and aging puts on our bodies. This wonderful forum and Airgun shooting hobby helps temporarily assuage that. Post up, keep shooting and more importantly, don’t give up.

 

[Chukar60]

i know what your going through , my wife caught that Flu (w??)that was going around last december then on top of that she caught covid on a flight home. 6 weeks later she started to get better another two weeks and all was back to normal .

I don’t want to divert from the OP’s thread too far, but she is on month 4. Finally she is showing some signs of getting better.

 

[BackStop]

When life takes a hard left turn​

Turn your wheel to the right and use the accelerator to manage the turn.

Sorry, just something I did when racing on winding/curving dirt roads.

Best of luck to you!

 

[rcs9250]

Many people would get quite depressed with what you have, are going through, and will be going through. But reading what you wrote paints a picture of some positiveness and willingness to fight and do the best that you can. God bless you and keep fighting, keep as active as you can. Keep your mind busy too so it keeps you distracted from what you’re going through. You are in my prayers sir. All the best to you.

 

[kayaker]

ironlion269 Welcome back to the forum, as far as the GOLDEN YEARS I'll leave that one alone. Been there with a core decompression to the hip first year, then a hip replacement the next year, then a hip revision the next year. Following with cancer then the next year I found out I had rheumatoid arthritis and the last one was essential tremors ( had brain surgery with probes put into my head because they were so bad). It's a short road to recovery with the hip as you'll be getting rid of that walker or crutch's within a couple of weeks and feeling better. Take one day at a time, things will turn around and try to stay active as much as you can. I know the pain and don't be afraid of a few motrin or a pain pill. God bless, hope your feeling better soon.

Mike_Lenardon My wife calls me a ornery old cuss lol, hope you have a speedy recovery !

 

[Windmill01]

Heck Peter I told you a while back that chasing that grandson of yours in the back yard would wear you out, now look what’s happened. Mate I’m so sorry to hear about your health issues, you will get through this.
As for having to go over to the dark side well at least you can keep plinking away your troubles.
Stay strong my friend.
Gary

 

[Bigragu]

IronLion- sorry to read about life’s bad turns. All I can suggest to you is create a bucket list of the things you feel are still attainable to do come hell or high water, and do it. Plan out all the steps, and reading your post, it already looks like your making adjustments to stay within this great hobby.
Yes, it’s unfortunate that we(I say “we” because I’ve had a few members share with me in private all their physical ailments, and I’ve come to realize there are others dealing with more trouble than I am, physically) can’t do ALL the things we once did, or even do things that peers the same age as us are still doing. It’s just the cards that were dealt, and we just have to methodically find our way around things. There are many ways. One of the ways I’ve found is to surround yourself with positive, inspirational folks, like I’ve met here on the forums. Great guys, and they know who they are. As I’ve gotten to know them, yes, physically they are at a 10 to my 6, but they have their own dealings with other things in life. EVERYONE has some form of challenge, and the ones that “find that way” around things to move forward, well, those are the ones that inspire me to move forward myself.

I’m gonna leave you with one of my favorite lines from the movie waterboy- YOU CAAN DOOO EEEETTT!!

 

[Filnez]

So sorry to read what has happened to you. Autoimmune diseases can really turn life into misery. I have CIDP, which stands for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy; it's a multiple sclerosis spectrum disease in which the immune antibodies cause damage to the peripheral nervous system instead of the central. You never think about how many people are affected by autoimmune diseases until you start meeting them at the neurologists and hospital and begin to read about all the different types and the ways that they affect us.

Good luck with continuing treatments of your RA and lupus. That's an extra kick in the nuts having two autoimmune diseases simultaneously to cope with.