Upcoming Total Knee Replacement

Hello everyone! I've received so many emails from folks that have followed my first total knee replacement (TKR) asking about how it's doing, so on and so forth. My right knee I had replaced on January 7, 2009 is doing great! I don't even think about it and it feels super when I run! The problem now is my left knee! 22 years ago I was in a very bad farm accident and my left leg got all ripped apart. I had a wonderful surgeon in Dr. Richard Schmidt of Minneapolis and he did a wonderful job of putting my leg back together again! For 21 and a half years it was doing great! I knew this time was eventually coming for a new knee. It really started getting bad about 6 months ago so I went back to my orthopedic knee doctor here in Austin (Dr. Matt Heinrich) They went in and cleaned it out, even received a injection but nothing seemed to help as it was down to bone on bone. So, tomorrow, September 29 I go in for my new left knee. If it turns out anywhere close to how my right one has, I will be tickled pink! Needless to say I'm very nervous but also looking forward to getting rid of the pain and be able to get out and really enjoy the great outdoors once again! I am in GREAT hands with Dr. Heinrich! I will try and keep everyone posted the best I can! Take care all and have a great day!

Dick :-)

Not to good about keeping my blog up to date!

Hi everyone! So sorry for not being real up to date on my blog, I think I sometimes have to many "irons in the fire"! My new knee was one year old on January 7, 2010 and is doing great! My back surgery in early August was a success but is still not feeling like it should. I just need to be patient as my doctor says it can take up to a year to get all good and healed. If you would like to keep a better track of me with regular updates, you can follow me on Twitter or become a friend on Facebook. Have a GREAT and HEALTHY 2010! :-)

Back surgery update

I had my 6 week after surgery checkup this morning and the doctor said everything is looking real good! I'll be honest, it has not felt the best, especially trying to sleep at night, but like I was told, it has been only 6 weeks and these take up to 1 year to fully heal, plus I've been perhaps pushing it a bit. The doctor said I was way ahead of schedule, so that is good news! I just need to have paitence! I've never been to a doctor that is so on time! If you have a appointment at 8am or 4pm, I could set my watch to him, he walks right in the door right on time!

New Balance Elite Dealer Conference

A big thanks to Dave Shelbourne and New Balance for having Jill and I out for the Elite Dealers Conference in Boston. We got to visit with some of the top specialty running store owners in the country and also sell books (Duel in the Sun and Staying the Course) and promote the Dick Beardsley Foundation, thanks to everyone who dropped by our table to say hi!

On Wednesday night, 150 of us all went to the Boston Red Sox baseball game at Fenway Park. Wow what a historic place!

In the pre-game ceremonies, I was led onto the field and was recognized for the 1982 Boston Marathon that Alberto Salazar and I battled in and also for the Dick Beardsley Foundation! It was a total surprise and I was very honored to have been recognized! I found out that my wife Jill and Dave Shelbourne were in on this and had been working on it for a couple of months. Thanks Jill and Dave, and also a big thanks to the Boston Red Sox organization! :-)

8 month knee replacement and recent back surgery update

Sorry for not getting my blog updated as quickly as I should! My new knee is doing great! There is now nothing I can't do on it and for that I'm so very blessed! Three weeks ago I had to under-go back surgery. I had back surgery in 1994 and they had to fuse my sacrum along with L-5 and L-4, that surgery came about because of hurting my back in the farm accident and a car accident, it was doing fine until last fall. Over the winter months it kept getting worse and worse, this past spring Jill and I bought a new mattress thinking that might be the problem, that didn't help. I started getting some chiropractic help but that also did little good. So about a month ago I went to a orthopedic back doctor here in Austin and they took a x-ray and even I could see what was the matter! The L-3 vertebrae was completely bone on bone, no space at all!

Over the past couple of years they came up with a less invasive surgery called XLIF, instead of going through the front or back to get to the spine, they go through the side. They use small instruments, make two small incisions, and only have to cut through one muscle which makes recovery much quicker. In 1994 I was in the hospital for 12 days, this time I was in overnight! They had me up walking within 2 hours after I woke up in recovery!

My back pain was gone, the muscle they cut through still hurts a bit, but that is healing up nicely and is getting better every day. I'm back running again it feels good! Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I could run a marathon next month, but this new procedure was incredible!

New knee....check, Lower back fusion/disc replacement.....tomorrow!

My new knee is doing super, I'm running about 50 miles a week and it feels great, my lower back on the other hand has been bothering me since last September and has become worse over the past few months. We bought a new mattress, thinking that would help, but it didn't (it's nice though, so that worked out). Sleeping has been the worst! Anytime I move or roll over it wakes me up and I moan so loud it wakes my poor wife Jill, the other night even our son Christopher could hear me moaning from his bedroom! I finally went to the orthopedic doctor, they took x-rays and the area of the spine between L-3 & L-4 is bone on bone, no space at all! I had a MRI yesterday and that confirmed the regular x-ray. Jill and I met with the doctor this afternoon and my only option is surgery. I had major back surgery/fusion in 1994 as a result of the farm accident and car accident I had. It has not given me any problem until last September.

The good news is, the doctor had a cancellation and I'm scheduled for surgery tomorrow morning and they have a less invasive procedure they do now that speeds up recovery time and I should only be in the hospital for a day maybe 2 at the most. I'm looking forward to getting back out running and cycling in the not to distance future! Take care and have a great day!

Dick

6 month new knee update

It has been 6 months today since I had my total knee replacement and things are going really well! I continue to do exercises to build the strength back in my right leg and it's making good progress! I'm running 45-50 miles a week now and will keep it at the range for the next few weeks. As the leg has strengthened my pace continues to get faster, I have even run in a couple of 5k races just for fun. I continue to bike when I'm at home and yesterday I gave my knee a good test and biked 106 miles and the knee felt fine, no problem at all!

I will be doing the Gut Check 212 bike race across South Dakota in early August with my best friend Mike Dunlap, Mike does the first 200+ miles and I do the last 186 miles so yesterday was a good test! I get asked a lot if I take any supplements for my knee, the answer is yes and I think it has helped! I take a multi vitamin, 1500mg of Glucosamine/Chondrotin, a Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc supplement, and nuBound, which is the best, in my book, as a Recovery Supplement, as it helps with your immune system and helps with body tissue repair and maintenance.

For all you folks with a TKR or are having one done soon, hang in there especially during those first few weeks after surgery, it will get better and you will be doing things you never thought you could do again! Take care and have a great day! :-)