Medical / Car Question

[OldPhart]

Hi - I am having arthroscopic meniscus repair on my left knee (clutch leg) and am wondering if anyone who has had this surgery can tell me how long my Bullitt will be resting in the garage while I recover? I was planning to schedule this after I put the car up for the winter season (early Nov.) but the discomfort is interfering with my sleep so I am moving the surgery up thus interrupting my toy car driving time... Bruce

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[Bikeman315]

Hi Bruce, sorry to hear that you need surgery. Being that is arthroscopic figure a ballpark number of 4 to 6 weeks. There are a lot of ifs but with a successful surgery and rehab you should be able to get some more drives in before sleep time.
Best of luck. Ira

 

[Bear_Stang]

The number 1 thing about rehab is to go to it. Most people who should be going to rehab skip it and pay for it for the rest of their lives.

The number 2 thing about rehab is to stick to it and not rush. Give someone yer keys so you dont get jonesing for a drive. 4 weeks and 6 days of rehab is not the same as 5 weeks of rehab. Any excess stress added to the joint before you are at the right strength can set you back a surprising amount.

Once your PT and OT (if needed) sign off, you should be good to go. But not a moment before. Remember their estimates will have variance but they will be crunching the data on a daily level. It is likely the OT will be able to crunch your "can use a clutch" numbers a bit better, but any motor head PT should be able to ballpark it quite well.

I pray your therapy time is short and you can get back into the stang asap.

 

[OldPhart]

The number 1 thing about rehab is to go to it. Most people who should be going to rehab skip it and pay for it for the rest of their lives.

The number 2 thing about rehab is to stick to it and not rush. Give someone yer keys so you dont get jonesing for a drive. 4 weeks and 6 days of rehab is not the same as 5 weeks of rehab. Any excess stress added to the joint before you are at the right strength can set you back a surprising amount.

Once your PT and OT (if needed) sign off, you should be good to go. But not a moment before. Remember their estimates will have variance but they will be crunching the data on a daily level. It is likely the OT will be able to crunch your "can use a clutch" numbers a bit better, but any motor head PT should be able to ballpark it quite well.

I pray your therapy time is short and you can get back into the stang asap.

Hi - Thanks to you and Ira for the rehab info. I had shoulder surgery in 2012 and faithfully did the PT (no OT) resulting in a return to full shoulder range of motion. Seven years later all is well. I too know guys who scrimped on the follow-up therapy because they didn’t want to do the co-pays - big mistake. I at least managed to get a little over 3 grand on the odometer since getting the Bullitt at the end of April, so I’ve had some fun. In a way, I probably owe the Bullitt some credit because this damage occurred a year and half ago from a trip and fall on concrete. The recovery was slow with ongoing discomfort, but no major pain. I had an x-ray which was negative. The real pain started this summer after driving the car for a few months, possibly due to using the clutch regularly (up shifts and down shifts), along with heavy duty clutch on the GTO. I use the Bullitt as my daily driver and have been using these two vehicles almost exclusively this summer. At age 77 there’s no reason to scrimp on putting miles on the cars as my family will probably be hiding the car keys on me at some point in the future. This increased pain prompted me to request an MRI. Perhaps without the increased clutch activity I might not be getting this repair which is likely best for me in the long run. Obviously I wish the MRI had been done following the negative x-ray last year, but that’s life. It just goes to show that we have to be our own advocate in healthcare as in other aspects of our lives... Bruce

 

[GreenS550]

I got rid of my 2011 GT after the supercharger and then I foolishly put a bit stiffer clutch in. Was really killing my joints. Then bought the auto '15 GT. Now I'm back to the Bullitt and my knee is good. No surgery. We're pulling for you to get back in the saddle, buddy.

You're very wise to put your health first. I've had many clients that had the surgery and the recovery was really about 3 months. That's not bad.

Take it easy!

 

[OldPhart]

I got rid of my 2011 GT after the supercharger and then I foolishly put a bit stiffer clutch in. Was really killing my joints. Then bought the auto '15 GT. Now I'm back to the Bullitt and my knee is good. No surgery. We're pulling for you to get back in the saddle, buddy.

You're very wise to put your health first. I've had many clients that had the surgery and the recovery was really about 3 months. That's not bad.

Take it easy!

Thanks Bob. There was a cancellation and I’m getting taken care of tomorrow a.m. Hopefully I’ll be recovered before the local roads get salted so I’ll get a bit more driving time on the Bullitt, but I won’t push it. There’s always next year. There are good family genes so I expect to be around for for a while. I’ll be 78 in January and maybe in two years I’ll be one of the few (hopefully not the only) 80 year olds still tooling around in a Bullitt... Bruce

 

[OldPhart]

Thanks Bob. There was a cancellation and I’m getting taken care of tomorrow a.m. Hopefully I’ll be recovered before the local roads get salted so I’ll get a bit more driving time on the Bullitt, but I won’t push it. There’s always next year. There are good family genes so I expect to be around for for a while. I’ll be 78 in January and maybe in two years I’ll be one of the few (hopefully not the only) 80 year olds still tooling around in a Bullitt... Bruce

“Clutch leg on the Mend”. All supposedly went well - like he’s going to say “We sure botched this knee job”. Surprisingly he said I could start “clutching” in about 3 weeks and to just not overdue it. That’s good news and I’ll be judicious in that endeavor. He also gave me some exercises and said if things progress well that I shouldn’t need PT - more good news. Thanks again for your support. I posted recently in another thread that a nice benefit of being a car enthusiast is the comradery (sp.) that accompanies the hobby and this forum is an example (well, at least most of the time).. Bruce

P.S. I’ll likely do some PT sessions to verify that I’m doing the exercises correctly and progressing properly just to be sure...

P.P.S. Vicodin and Irish beer - a great combination!

 

[SVTchris]

Happy to hear things went well.

I had the same procedure and my advice is to use ice packs in 20 minute increments throughout the day, especially after your exercises or other activity, even if it doesn't hurt or appear to be swelled. I also found that I had to review my seating position and focus on my clutch leg geometry making sure I was pushing my leg straight down on the clutch pedal so as to not put unnecessary lateral stress on the knee joint.

Good luck and I hope you are back in the saddle soon.

 

[OldPhart]

Happy to hear things went well.

I had the same procedure and my advice is to use ice packs in 20 minute increments throughout the day, especially after your exercises or other activity, even if it doesn't hurt or appear to be swelled. I also found that I had to review my seating position and focus on my clutch leg geometry making sure I was pushing my leg straight down on the clutch pedal so as to not put unnecessary lateral stress on the knee joint.

Good luck and I hope you are back in the saddle soon.[/QUOTE

Thanks Chris... Bruce

 

[OldPhart]

Hi - I am having arthroscopic meniscus repair on my left knee (clutch leg) and am wondering if anyone who has had this surgery can tell me how long my Bullitt will be resting in the garage while I recover? I was planning to schedule this after I put the car up for the winter season (early Nov.) but the discomfort is interfering with my sleep so I am moving the surgery up thus interrupting my toy car driving time... Bruce

Well, it’s been 4 weeks since my arthroscopy and to quote that famous singing cowboy Gene Autry, “I’m back in the saddle again”. I can’t recall what kind of horse he had but I doubt it was a Mustang. It feels great, but the end of our western New York driving season is unfortunately rapidly approaching. “Happy trails to you.............“ Bruce

P.S. Speaking of a singing cowboy, how about those singing coyotes in my avatar?

 

[OldPhart]

Hi - Well, here I am a year after the arthroscopy on my clutch knee and I'm 2 weeks post surgery and recovering from a complete knee replacement. I was bone on bone, so not much choice. Six months after the arthroscopy I tried an injection of Synvisc with minimal improvement. Elective surgery was not an option until this fall because of Covid so my driving season was a bit compromised. The Bullitt clutch was not too bad, but the GTO clutch was a killer and it mostly sat in the garage. I think I put about 4000 miles on the Bullitt. I'm hopeful that all will be well next spring as I will do the necessary physical therapy over the coming months.

Other than to give an update on my medical issue, the real reason for writing is what I've observed recently. Because I'm housebound I decided to break the boredom by occasionally watching some car videos on YouTube - you know, crazy police chases, etc. I realize I'm an old Luddite but I was quite surprised to see what people are doing with their cars - street racing at night, donuts in shopping mall parking lots. Of course all kinds of cars are participating, but I notice a lot are Mustangs, Camaros and Dodge Charger /Challengers. These are expensive cars to be wrecking in parking lots, not to mention the cost of insurance. I guess there is a lot more money out there to drop on toy cars and recreation than I realized. I enjoy my Bullitt, but treat it as if it were a prized possession. I pay cash for my cars so I've got plenty of money, but I can't think of my purchases as disposable items to be abused like that. Tires aren't cheap either, but you wouldn't know it from the videos. I have to admit that this was an eye opener for this old guy. Values sure have changed... Bruce

 

[Bear_Stang]

Bruce,

I am glad to see that the operation went well!

Youtube is dangerous and many of the kids you see running around in parking lots and whatnot are likely not paying for their vehicles. There are a couple 25= year olds that do a bit much in their vehicles for some views, but a lot of what you are seeing is the sub 25 group. There are a few videos from "cars across texas" that highlight this. One of my favorite videos is when a young kid has to call his dad because he just ran over someone's car... #PRICELESS.

Most of us on this forum treat our cars like fun investments... As such, our values have not changed, and in a few years, those kids will start to value their vehicles (or what is left of them) a bit more.

 

[Bulldog9]

Hi - I am having arthroscopic meniscus repair on my left knee (clutch leg) and am wondering if anyone who has had this surgery can tell me how long my Bullitt will be resting in the garage while I recover? I was planning to schedule this after I put the car up for the winter season (early Nov.) but the discomfort is interfering with my sleep so I am moving the surgery up thus interrupting my toy car driving time... Bruce

Having had 4 open knee surgeries, 5-6 arthroscopic and now (just last month) a total joint replacement, I think 4-6 weeks at the longest, and you will be good. Thankfully this is a super light clutch with easy engagement.

Do you PT! Ice and Elevate as much as you can the first 4-6 weeks. If you doc doesn't give you one (is common now) Look into an Iceman machine. Is less than $175 and WELL WORTH IT.....

 

[Bulldog9]

Hi - Well, here I am a year after the arthroscopy on my clutch knee and I'm 2 weeks post surgery and recovering from a complete knee replacement. I was bone on bone, so not much choice. Six months after the arthroscopy I tried an injection of Synvisc with minimal improvement. Elective surgery was not an option until this fall because of Covid so my driving season was a bit compromised. The Bullitt clutch was not too bad, but the GTO clutch was a killer and it mostly sat in the garage. I think I put about 4000 miles on the Bullitt. I'm hopeful that all will be well next spring as I will do the necessary physical therapy over the coming months.

Other than to give an update on my medical issue, the real reason for writing is what I've observed recently. Because I'm housebound I decided to break the boredom by occasionally watching some car videos on YouTube - you know, crazy police chases, etc. I realize I'm an old Luddite but I was quite surprised to see what people are doing with their cars - street racing at night, donuts in shopping mall parking lots. Of course all kinds of cars are participating, but I notice a lot are Mustangs, Camaros and Dodge Charger /Challengers. These are expensive cars to be wrecking in parking lots, not to mention the cost of insurance. I guess there is a lot more money out there to drop on toy cars and recreation than I realized. I enjoy my Bullitt, but treat it as if it were a prized possession. I pay cash for my cars so I've got plenty of money, but I can't think of my purchases as disposable items to be abused like that. Tires aren't cheap either, but you wouldn't know it from the videos. I have to admit that this was an eye opener for this old guy. Values sure have changed... Bruce

AH, I didn't read the whole post, saw this after I posted. Being that we are showing...... lol.

Day of Surgery, this dressing stayed on a week.

The Day I removed the dressing

Hope your recovery is going well!

I'm at 6 weeks and feeling great.

Like you, I'm not interested in smoky burnouts. I don't want to end up on YOOTOOB..... lol. I did that in High School and college, but once I started autocrossing and driving euro cars, I tend to keep things just to the point of breaking traction.

 

[Tacswa]

I had meniscus repair back December of 19'. I waited for surgery a little over a year after I injury. Got to the point it bothered and hurt me to much. Got about 2 months of relief then back to feeling like it never got fixed. So back to the doc I went. Apparently the meniscus injury can accelerate the onset of arthritis, so my knee was at a grade 3-4 on the arthritic scale. Going in for a series of gel injection next month hoping for some relief. Doc did say knee replacement is in my future.

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