Facing a Personal Weakness

I have a confession to make. I am one of those guys who believe there is nothing I can't do. So far I have managed to power through a lot of situations that seemed insurmountable. I have said so many times that sometimes you have to Conan the Barbarian through a problem. If I couldn't Conan through, I would then stop and think my way through the issue. Raw power and determination were always the first choice.

The History

I know there comes a time for everyone when they have to face having to slow down at least some. I am having to face that a lot sooner than I had hoped. Several years ago I had a motorcycle accident and broke my ankle in five places. The accident happened on a Thursday. When I woke up Friday morning the doctor came in to check on me. My first question was, "When am I getting out of the hospital?". He asked me why. I told him that college started Monday and that I would be in class. I was in class that Monday, but a few weeks later I had to go back in for more surgery. Some of my skin had died and the doctor feared infection. 

During this my third surgery, the doctor had to cut out all of the dead flesh, which of course left a hole in my ankle. They then cut a piece of meat off of the top of my foot, rolled it up and stuck it in the hole. Then they took a skin graft from my thigh and covered where they took the meat. As I recall, I was in the hospital for 10 days.

Here is where they cut the meat off the top of my foot. This is several years later.

Here is where they had to fill the hole. You can still tell that it was fairly traumatic, even after all of these years.

Major difference in ankle size.

At this point I would be remiss if I didn't give a shout out to my instructors. They were great. A laptop was brought to me and my instructors took turns bringing me my assignments. Through all of this mess, I didn't fall behind on my school work, thanks to my teachers going the extra mile for me. I spent a month in a wheelchair, another month on crutches, then an additional month in a walking boot. 

At every step of the way I have refused to accept limitations. My doctor told me I would never run again. For six years I proved him wrong. He said my mobility would decrease. Nope. He expected me to gain a lot of weight. Nope. Basically, he thought I would give up. I am sure that is something he has seen far too often. He has taken to calling me Wild Man and has told me numerous times how impressed and surprised he has been by my determination and longevity. 

My doctor has told me that my ankle would continue to degenerate. This one he is spot on. I can no longer run, but for the most part I can do anything else. My average pain level increases each year. Winter, heavy activity, and changes in barometric pressure cause increased pain and swelling.

Due to a reduction of flexibility in that ankle, one of my calf muscles is a good bit smaller than the other. My wife says that no one notices but me. 

Steep inclines, ladders, and climbing have become much more difficult. I have also experienced some nerve damage in that foot so I have to be extra careful.

The Update

After a very difficult week, the pain in that foot went from bearable to interfering with my everyday life. I finally went to the doctor again. Now, I feel I must tell you I am probably not the best patient. I don't like restrictions, I don't like being told I can't do something. I also am not a fan of most of the prescription pain killers. I am sure my doctor has been frustrated with me more than a few times. But he has learned the way I am over the years. 

This time was bad enough that we agreed on a cortisone shot in my ankle. This was the first one of these I have ever had. People have told me horror stories about these injections. Some have even said the pain of the shot was worse than what they were trying to fix. This was not the case for me. The most uncomfortable part was when they were pushing the medicine into the joint. I could feel the joint being forced apart. My ankle felt better instantly, but the doctor told me that was probably the local anesthetic and that it would wear off later that day and the cortisone would take up to two days to completely take effect. So far the injection has helped some, but it is in no way a miracle help.

The Prognosis 

At every step of the way my doctor has tried to be honest with me, even when I was determined to defy logic. He has told me since the very beginning that I would eventually have to have a permanent fix for my ankle.  About four years ago, during another difficult period with my ankle, my doctor referred me to a specialist to learn if ankle replacement might be an option for me. I was actually a little excited about the possibility of getting full range of motion back.

The specialist looked at my x rays and looked at me and said that I was too young and too active for all current technology. He said that I would wear an ankle replacement out in as little as six years and I would have to have it done again. I will have to tell you this was more than a little disheartening.

With this information in hand I had come to the realization that I only have two options for me in the future when it comes to my ankle. An ankle fusion or an amputation. Yup, that is all I have left.

The Options

Amputation

Now, I know there are a lot of people who are astounded that I would even consider this option and there are even more that might question whether or not a doctor would perform this procedure. After all, right after my wreck the doctors did everything they could to save this foot. When I was in the emergency room my foot was at a 90 degree angle of where it should have been. My bones were sticking out of my skin. The circulation to my foot was jeopardized. The doctor (same guy) told me if they set the foot right then, there was a good chance of infection, if they waited and made sure that everything was cleaned well with the compound fracture I might lose my foot. I told them to save the foot.

I have talked to my doctor about amputation. He told me that he understood my thoughts about doing so and that he would refer me to someone who would do that if that was my choice, but that he wanted me to have all of the information first before making that decision.

I find it interesting that prosthetics technology has out paced joint replacement, interesting but not surprising. Prosthetics technology always advances in conjunction with a military conflict. I know that sounds bad and please believe me when I say I support our men and women in uniform. But military conflicts cause people to be injured, injured people are opportunities for organizations to push the edge and create a name for themselves. These companies tend to do a really good job for soldiers and young athletes, but not too well for everyone else or at least this is the opinion of my doctor.

Benefits of amputation are no more ankle pain and once I learn how to use a properly fitted prosthetic, there will be little to no mobility loss. I have had medical professionals encourage me to take this route.

Drawbacks of amputation are the time it takes to learn to use a new limb, working with a company to make sure the prosthetic is properly fitted, and phantom pain.

Phantom pain is pain that feels like it originates from a part of the body that is no longer there. At one time doctors believed that these pains were psychological, but have since discovered that these pains are a result of the brain and spinal cord trying to communicate with nerves that are no longer there. These pains can be quite intense.

Ankle Fusion

The technical term for this is ankle arthrodesis. The goal of this procedure to to stop joint pain caused by arthritis. There are a couple different ways this can be done. One is a full ankle fusion. This requires the installing of screws and a metal plate. This stops all movement from the ankle down with the exception of the toes.

Full ankle fusion

The others are all variations of a partial ankle fusion. The extent of the damage determines which procedure is required. This can be done with screws alone or may also require a metal plate. The one my doctor is leaning toward would require three screws. This stops all movement in the affected joint and allows for the body to build bone around the screws. This basically allows the bone to grow together.

Partial Fusion and the one my doctor is wanting to do on me.

 The fusion my doctor wants to perform on me is very similar to the one above. I would still have flexion in my lower ankle and in my foot. Basically the part of the ankle that does some of the side to side would still be able to function, but very little of the up and down would be preserved. The partial is preferable to the full fusion just due to mobility. I will still have to learn how to walk with the new limitations, but it will not be as dramatic as an amputation or a full fusion.

How does this stop the pain?

In my situation, my ankle joint was so badly injured that the cartilage that used to cushion the jar of each step has gone bye bye. Currently every time I take a step, I have bone scraping on bone. A fusion stops this scraping, plain and simple.

Current Maintenance

I have already told you that I have refuse narcotic painkillers on a regular basis. I have seen too many people get hooked on that stuff and they cannot come to terms with their addiction because after all it was "prescribed by their doctor". To be honest I am not a fan of pills of any type. For the most part my maintenance is simply a brace or a work boot. These restrict movement of the joint and thus slow down the deterioration. Though interestingly enough the brace seems to increase pain and the doctor doesn't understand why.

Most of the time as far as pain management goes, I use either herbal remedies or over the counter stuff. Chondroitin and Glucosamine have been proven to reduce arthritis pain even though they aren't sure how or why. Its a pill and I have had to force myself to take them in the past. The brace I use is an ASO stabilizing brace in a size medium. Willow tea can help a bunch as well.  Willow tea has a compound in it that our bodies turn into the original aspirin. Be aware willow tea can cause stomach upset so take with a little food. If things turn bad quickly I am not above taking some aspirin or ibuprofen, I do not like acetaminophen. 

The Timeline

When I first had the wreck, my doctor told me we would probably have to look at a more permanent solution, either fusion or ankle replacement, by the time I turned 55. This was before he found out how active and stubborn I am. By last year ankle replacement was no longer an option and the time frame was reduced to hopefully when I turned 50. This year the timeline has been reduced even further to 47 or 48. So I guess you could say my unwillingness to quit has sped up the process of having to do something different, but to that I would ask, would you really be willing to sacrifice enjoying your life in order to prolong inactivity? Not me. I am going to go until I cannot go anymore then go another mile or two.

I have known people my whole life that talked about living with pain everyday. I never could comprehend what they were talking about. Even though I do have physical pain everyday now I still cannot understand the hopelessness that many of these people portrayed everyday. I do not think about the pain unless it gets to the point that I cannot ignore it. Even when that occurs I either power through or find a way around. It is challenging to have physical limitations that your mind are unwilling to accept, but I would rather have to deal with that problem than to have my mind accept limitations that are really beyond what they should be in an attempt to avoid pain.

Please do not think I am diminishing anyone's struggles, I know there are people who hurt much more than I do and still work their way through, I also know that there are those who do not hurt near as bad as I do that have given up. A strength of spirit can overcome a weakness of body.

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Opportunity Knocks

Have you ever been presented with an opportunity that you knew was a good idea? Even though you knew it was a good idea, did you still experience fear? Fear is a powerful and persistent thing for many people. For some fear can be paralyzing. For the most part I consider fear to be an enemy of progress and growth.

Are there times that fear is necessary?  Fear throws all of your senses into overdrive. If you see a car heading straight for you, fear can quicken your reaction time. In acute unexpected situations fear can be beneficial, but in my opinion that is about it. We are going to talk about a couple of opportunities that my family have and cover one of the ways I help make a decision when it seems tough.

I am not saying you should take every opportunity, even if it is a good one, it might not be good for you. I am saying that you should never make a decision based on fear unless an immediate action is required i.e. getting out of the way of a speeding car.

Opportunities do not have to be business or money related. I have had the opportunity to get 2 bushels of apples for free. Big opportunity.

Opportunities are all around us. Some are in your face and some you have to search for.

My family has two opportunities that have recently started to materialize. First, my wife has registered to become a CPR instructor. Second, my dad has been presented with the opportunity to grow pork for a regional restaurant chain.

Both of these opportunities have initial up front costs. Both have the ability to choose their own paycheck. Both have major responsibility and benefits.

CPR Instructor

My wife has talked about becoming a CPR Instructor since she was in the respiratory program in college. There is a little fear involved. In order to become an instructor you have to take an online course and find somewhere that has an instructor course. You cannot take the instructor course until after you have completed the online portion.

Once you have completed both the online training and the instructor class an instructor must watch you teach a course. This is the part that my wife is most concerned about. Sometimes she gets stage fright. I know she will do well. 

We will be buying a set of CPR mannequins and printing my wife some business cards. Once everything is complete my wife can start scheduling classes. She will be reaching out to people who have not been properly served.

I am so excited for her. I know she will be 

great. Look for more details coming soon.

The Pork Business

My dad has been working toward self reliance for a couple of years. He has been doing the truck farm thing and has done well, but it is a lot of work and not a big return. He never complained, but with the changing regulations he has found it more difficult.

How he landed the opportunity to produce pork for a growing restaurant chain, I don't know. What I do know is he is only going to use a portion of his land and the restaurant wants 10 hogs a month.

This will provide my dad with a much needed income stream while still allowing him flexibility to work toward a more self sustainable life. It is a big deal.

Evaluating an Opportunity

How have you evaluated an opportunity? Do you write out checklists, pros and cons, or just go with your gut feelings? Unless you just go with your gut feeling, in some way you think about the advantages and disadvantages of an opportunity. Some advantages as well as some disadvantages are more important than others. You cannot just make a list of pros and cons, count the number of items in each list and come up with an answer. A simple list doesn't take into consideration the gravity of each individual pro and con.

If you are looking into buying a new piece of property, there may be one or two things that if a property does not have them, even if the property is perfect in every other way you will pass on the purchase. Things that are that important are called deal breakers. They "weigh" more to you than all of the other things combined. This concept is called a weighted average.

Here is an example. We are going to look at the possibility of me starting wilderness survival classes. Something I have seriously thought about doing for some time. For this example I am going to rate each pro on a 10 point scale. 10 being critically important and 1 being a consideration, but not very important. Ready?

Pros: 

• Being my own boss again (8)
• Being able to work outside (7)
• Teaching something I love (10)
• The ability to set my own schedule (9)
• My children could participate if they chose (6)
• I could decide how much I wanted to earn and work toward that goal (4)
• Build local respect (4)
• Networking with people interested in the same type things as I (5)
• I will need an apprentice (5)

I could go on, but you get the point.

Cons:

• Liability insurance (9)
• Having to deal with difficult students (8)
• Working with a state run park (6)
• Communication challenges due to weather (4)
• Cost of equipment (6)
• Cost of operation (6)
• Dealing with state and local regulations (8)
• Being away from my family if they choose not to participate (7)
• I will need an apprentice (4)
• Dealing with attorneys for solid waiver. (7)
• Dealing with allergies of others (3)

Okay just looking at these two lists, to me it looks like it is almost dead even. But is it really? I have not done the math a head of time so we will find out together. There are 9 pros and 11 cons. If we simply count the pros versus cons, I will not look into teaching any farther. But is that wise?

Now to the math. If I add the ratings of the pros together the sum is 58 and the sum of the ratings of the cons is 68. Only 10 apart. If I stop there it looks like the math tells me not to teach these classes. However, if we take into consideration their weight it looks a little different. 58 divided by 9 gives us 6.44 and 69 divided by 11 gives us 6.18. Wow, that is pretty close, but by the math I should consider offering these classes. The difference of 0.33 or one third of a basis point is statistically significant. 

The numbers above may change as I do more research, but the fact that the pros have the upper hand in intensity has encouraged me to do just that. If the cons would have had the majority after the math that idea would have had to set for a while. 

Do I do this for every decision? Heck no! Somethings I just look and decide, others I consider more intently. I want you to have additional tools to help you decide when opportunities come your way. There are lots of different ways to weigh a decision.

Opportunities are all around you. Get out there and find one or more that will help you achieve your...

Rural Dreams and Homestead Wishes.

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Getting Prepared for Beginners #10 Medical

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. This article is provided to get you started thinking about being more prepared. I do not give medical advise and no attempt is made to diagnose or treat any illness or injury.

I hope by now you have realized that I am not a person who preaches beans, bullets, and band aides. Being prepared for the things that are most likely to occur is so much more than that. I have found that medical preparedness is an area that an individual either does nothing or goes way overboard.

Unless you have medical training you do not need a trauma kit, but everyone should have some basic over the counter supplies. Aspirin, ibuprofen, and allergy medicine should be in everyone's supplies as should some type of bandages and topical salves.

Take time to educate yourself on basic first aid. Everyone should know CPR, how to make a splint, and how to apply a tourniquet. Hopefully you will never need these skills, but odds are high you will need some of the skills taught in the CPR course. I have personally assisted in the Heimlich maneuver.

There are lots of herbal remedies that can be made from plants that grow around you everyday, but if you don't know what you are doing you can cause more harm than good. A plant may be a great medicine if prepared properly but if it is not done correctly that same plant could kill someone.

There are several very good books that cover everyday medical needs. You can cover the basics. I know you can.

How much medication should I keep on hand in case of an emergency?

 Several times I have referred the the governmental preparedness site www.ready.gov and their recommendations for basic preparedness. Today I am going to reference another governmental agency. The Center for Disease Control. According to the CDC emergency preparedness guide you should keep a minimum of 7 days of medication on hand in the event of a crisis. I like this recommendation a lot more than the 3 days suggested by ready.gov.

Pain Medications

Pain medications are generally not thought of as life sustaining. They may help you maintain a better quality of life, but normally you will not die if you don't have them. Prescription pain medications tend to be fairly highly regulated due to the likelihood of abuse. In fact, narcotic based pain relievers cannot be refilled until after a certain length of time. This means you will either not be able to have a surplus on hand or it will be more difficult to obtain a surplus. If you are in an emergency situation and you take regular pain medications realize there may come a time when you will simply have to deal with it. I am not saying this is easy and I actually even hate to have to write that, but this situation has been caused by people abusing medications.

Maintenance Medications

Maintenance medications are prescribed for long term chronic illnesses like asthma, diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. These are the medicines to not have them could endanger a person's life. These types of medications are much less likely to be abused. To the best of my knowledge none of the true life sustaining medications produce a "high".

Due to the fact that maintenance medications are for many people required to sustain life and few of these medications are abused, many insurance companies will fill a 90 supply. Only one catch. You have to talk to your doctor and ask them to write a 90 day prescription. This action alone will help insure you do not run out of the medication you need.

I also mentioned a very important thing you need to do. Talk to your doctor. If need be refer them to the CDC website and tell them you are trying to build an emergency kit as suggested. Ask your doctor what you should do it an emergency strikes and you are out of medication. I may be that you will have to temporarily adjust your diet or activity level. Your doctor may have other suggestions that will help you get through an emergency.

Documentation

Now for the singly most important thing you can do for your medical preparations. Have a file will all of your pertinent medical information in it. You can have a file one your phone or other digital device, but I suggest very strongly that you have a hard copy.

Things that should be in this documentation package include ALL of your medications, any conditions you may suffer from, ALL known allergies, and contact information for your primary care physician.

If an emergency occurs you may have to leave your home. A little planning can help insure you get to live out your

Rural Dreams and Homestead Wishes

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More Posts in this series:

#1 Why Prepare

#2 The Preparedness Mindset

#3 Priorities List

#4 Getting to My Family

#5 The Backpack

#6 Food Storage

#7 Basic Energy

#8 Water
#9 Security
#10 Medical
#11 Travel and Communications
#12 Fuel Storage
#13 Keep It Quiet aka OPSEC
#14 Building Community and Helping Others
#15 Skill Development (Home)
#16 Don't Fear the Reaper

#17 A Case for Long-Term Preparedness

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Wild Edibles #5 Queen Anne's Lace or Wild Carrot

Disclaimer: Some wild plants are not only edible but delicious. Other wild plants will kill you if you eat them. Be absolutely certain what a plant is before you eat it. Plant varieties differ from region to region. When in doubt, consult a local expert.

There are at least two species of Queen Anne's Lace in the United States. One is native and one was imported from Europe. Both varieties are also known as Wild Carrot. Wild carrot is a biannual plant. This means that it produces flowers and seed in the second year. The first year wild carrot is characterized by small growth. In Queen Anne's Lace early stages of growth it is very difficult to tell apart from a garden carrot. The fern like leaves when crushed smell just like carrots. In the second year Wild Carrot can grow to about 4 foot in height and has a very characteristic umbrella shaped flower head.

Caution: There is a poisonous plant that looks very similar to Queen Anne's Lace. It is called Poison Hemlock. A small amount can kill a full grown man. Here are this things to consider when trying to tell them apart. One. Wild Carrot has fine little hairs all up and down the stem. If the plant you are looking at does not have these hairs leave it alone. Two. Every part of the Wild Carrot smells like a carrot. You can roll the leaves in your hand, if it smells really bad it is poison DO NOT LICK YOUR HAND!!!!!!! Wash your hands well as soon as you can.

As Food

Nearly every part of this plant is edible. The only part of this plant that is not edible is the stem. The root of the wild carrot is most tender in the first year. During the second year it develops a woody core, which must be cut out for best eating. The second year even after the woody parts are cut out the root is still very tough, cooking can make the root more palatable. The root can be used is stews, soups, or even just boiled. If you have really tough teeth you can eat the root raw.

The leaves can also be eaten raw or cooked, and can be used in all the ways garden carrots greens can. Oh in case you didn't know you can eat the greens of garden carrots as well. The tops of the wild carrot can be eaten in a couple of ways. The tops when fresh can be deep fried or sauteed. As the flower matures it closes up and resembles a bird's nest. The bird's nest is this plants way of protecting the seeds. The dried seeds can be used to add a carrot like flavor to many dishes.

As Medicine

Again every part of this plant can be used for medicinal purposes. The leaves and root of Queen Anne's Lace can be dried and used as a tea that has been used to treat kidney problems including kidney stones, bladder problems, water retention, and to reduce uric acid a primary cause of gout.

Oil from the seeds has been used to treat severe diarrhea, indigestion, and intestinal gas. Seed oil has also been historically used by women to help start menstruation.  

There have been records of this plant being used to treat heart disease, cancer, internal parasites, to calm the nerves, and heck a tea made from the dried leaves has even been used as an aphrodisiac. 

NOTICE According to the Carrot Museum the seeds of Queen Anne's Lace should not be used by pregnant women.

Below is the YouTube video on Queen Anne's Lace 

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Other Posts in this Series: #1 Wood Sorrel, #2 Wild Strawberry and Woodberry, Wild Edibles #3 Dove's Foot Geranium, #4 Broadleaf Plantain