MGB: My Twilight Adventure

It all started about a quarter after 5:00 when I decided to look for an exhaust leak on my B. I started the car, lay on the driveway, and looked under it for the leak. I determined that one or both of my exhaust donuts had gone bad. Now comes the fun part, I started to get up. It was then that my left knee decided not to work in the same manner as the right one. I lay on the cold driveway unable to get up and it suddenly occured to me that the old adage " If I had known I was going to live this long I would have taken better care of myself." was true. My wife wasn't home, my cat could only look through the front door and give moral support and I had no cell phone signal. I realized that I couldn't remain on the driveway because it getting cold and dark very quickly. I finally managed to get hold of the car door and pull myself up enough to get into the drivers seat. At this point beads of sweat are really starting to roll from my forhead, its amazing how pain can make this happen. I sat in the drivers seat and cursed the day I had ever gotten on a motorcycle, since this was what caused the knee injury that makes all this pain possible.

After I rested a few minutes I decided I would try to get inside where I could at least stay warm. I held to the windshield frame and got myself in a standing position. Then holding onto the fender I managed a painful hop to my front steps. At this point I gave thought to sitting down and scooting up the steps on my butt. I realized after a little thought that I would only have to stand again when I got up the steps so I took a deep breath and slowly and painfully struggled up the six steps to the front porch. I had made it inside after only 45 minutes, a journey of about 20 feet. I finally sat in a chair in my kitchen and tried a technique I remembered from long ago to put my knee back in. I grasped my left pant leg, gritted my teeth and crossed my left leg over my right. As soon as I managed to this the pain ceased. The knee still has some swelling this morning but no pain.

So how was your day!

DAMN..........better than yours.......I have a similar B story for a later date...

eat lots of ice cream.........its good for the swelling.................

John, did you think of any good jokes to tell us while you were lying there doing nothing?

Ouch!!!! I can feel your pain John. Two years ago I ended up on my back on the driveway after trying to get on my motorcycle. My left leg twisted and folded....lot of pain! It was very early in the morning and my wife was away. I thought about trying to get up but my knee was saying "NO"! My cell phone was in the tank bag but I couldn't get upright enough to reach it. After about 15 minutes my neighbour from across the street heard me moaning and came out to investigate. The short story.......ambulance ride, 10 hours on a gurney in Emergency, lots of morphine, late night surgery, leg imobilizer, articulated brace, crutches, cane, physio and about 6 months out of my life. I'm blaming this little driveway ballet move as why my four and one-half restoration/v8 MGB conversion is not on the road yet.

Hope you're mobile soon.

Saturday a friend from church, my wife and I built a handicap ramp for a couple from Church. He's in pretty bad shape and she can't get him up the steps. So we built the ramp. I can't walk straight because my lower back is killing me. My youngest daughter keeps saying "Come on old man". Thanks kid. I can barely get out of bed in the morning.
but it could be worse.

Ouch, ouch and triple ouch.

I hope it soon improves.

Sucks to get old doesn't it? I haven't had anything like the above happen yet but right right hip is starting to indicate it wants replacing sometime down the road, I'm getting lots of crunches and pain from it. :(

[quote="The Wiz"]
Sucks to get old doesn't it? I haven't had anything like the above happen yet but right right hip is starting to indicate it wants replacing sometime down the road, I'm getting lots of crunches and pain from it. :([/quote]

It's better to be old than the alternative. :) I think there may be a knee replacement in my future and I am told that it is much worse than a hip replacement.

[quote=Kyreb1862]

It's better to be old than the alternative. :) [/quote]

That I will not argue with!

[quote=Kyreb1862]

I think there may be a knee replacement in my future and I am told that it is much worse than a hip replacement.[/quote]

My wife had a new knee in her teens, that one has worn out and she is not looking forward to getting it replaced, she probably needs the other one doing at some time too. :(

Hey! Getting old ain't for sissies.

[quote=balloonist]
Hey! Getting old ain't for sissies.[/quote]

As my old Boss used to say "Get tough or die."

Is the car still running?

Hope you get feeling better soon!

[quote=smirkinwill]
Is the car still running?

Hope you get feeling better soon![/quote]

The cars only 32 so naturally its running better than me. I'm the one that needs a suspension rebuild. :)

Motorcycle wreck 31 years ago. I was on a big honkin' Suzuki 50 and plowed into the side of a car that had run a red light. Flew across the roof of the car about 40 feet and landed feet first. Knee went one way, body the other. Had major reconstructive surgery and was told it would last about 15 years. I made 31 before I had a total knee replacement 5 weeks ago. Yep, if I had known then what I know now, I would never have gotten on that damn motorcycle. I would have quit smoking a whole lot sooner than last February. I was doing great with the new knee, but had a heart attack last Friday. That sucked. Now I have to have another stint put in next week. I hope like hell that puts an end to all my woes for a while. I have a 78 B that I was in the middle of restoring, a bunch of new parts ready to install and can't work on it till I am better. The others I have can only be started because I can't get in the LBC's.

Gettin older stinks, but is a hell of alot better than the alternative.

John, have you looked at replacement surgery? I kind of like the feeling of titanium. It makes me feel like I am worth something, at least to a recycler. Just kidding. I met a 68 year old lady at therapy that had both knees replaced in the last two years and she plays tennis 3 times a week.

Bill

John I hope you get to feeling better. My back finally ease off this afternoon.

Dang, John. I feel your pain as well! Switched to MGs many moons ago when a bike slid out from under me in a wet run off. Rode it to stand still thanking good lord for heavyduty crash bar the whole way. Forgot it was still in gear and running as I kicked free. Boot toe caught between frame and spokes ... gave me a wrenched knee that will probably need replaced one of these days. I don't get under anything anymore unless there is something close to pull myself up on.

Kreb -

Sorry to hear of that. I was cringing as I read that, because I figured you worked that hard to get to the front door, only to find a locked door and your keys in the B.

I'm finding almost impossible to get out of my B in the garage when the top is up. There isn't quite enough room to swing the door fully open, my body won't bend over fully to clear my head from the roof, and my left leg (knee) isn't strong enough to push myself upright to standing. I think I'm going to install a "trapeze" like handle on a rope attached to the ceiling of the garage positioned so I can grab it and pull myself up and out of the car. (It's all due to my ostomy, abdominal band binder and weight. Just can't "fold" myself enough any more. )

[quote=BumbleB74]
Kreb -

Sorry to hear of that. I was cringing as I read that, because I figured you worked that hard to get to the front door, only to find a locked door and your keys in the B.[/quote]

That would have been the straw that broke the Camel's back. Luckily the door was unlocked because I wasn't ready to leave yet and I always carry two sets of keys, one for the B and one for the Jeep, both with house keys on them.