Peroneal Tendon Injury

I have had an ongoing injury for the past 6 months. Basically, after 3-4 hours of being on my feet my right ankle would begin to swell and would become aggravatingly painful. I was very limited to the amount of physical activity I could do. This began late in the fall of 2008. Finally in June of 209 I had an MRI and my injury was diagnosed as a Peroneal Tendon tear. In early June I went to see and orthopedic specialist. He recommended surgery to repair the tear along with realignment of my heel, which involved breaking the heel and moving it over. He thought this misalignment may have caused the damage to the tendon. At that point we scheduled this whole procedure for early in December.

Later that month I was talking to a friend who had recently had his ankle reconstructed after an accident at work. He recommended that I try his Orthopedic Specialist Dr. Lahr in Gaithersburg. I set up an appointment with him and went the following week on the 19th of July and brought my MRI's to Dr Lahr. He diagnosed the same Peroneal Tear and recommended the tendon repair surgery. I felt much more confident about Dr. Lahr. The way he moved and adjusted my ankle gave me the feeling this guy new his trade. He felt my feet were not misaligned at all at strongly advised against any realignment type surgery. The sooner you get the tendon surgery the better. It would only continue to tear more and get worse. We scheduled the surgery for August 4 at 5pm at Shady Grove Hospital. I had all the pre-op stuff done the next week.

I had the surgery don at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital on August 4. I was not allowed to eat anything after midnight on the 3rd. That was pretty hard since the surgery was scheduled for so late in the day. Maureen came home form work early and we left around 2 and arrived at the hospital around 3pm. I was very nervous about the whole thing since I had never even been admitted to a hospital. Maureen was a big comfort for me and eased my worries just by being there with me. After I had signed all the forms and paid my deductible the took us in and got me all prepared for the surgery. It was a fairly long wait, over and hour and a half before the anesthesiologist came to see us. He asked all kinds of questions about my health. About 15 minutes after that Dr. Lahr came by with some final word for the 2 of us and then the anesthesiologist came back and gave me the "happy Juice". Amazingly, I do not remember a thing after that until I awoke in the recovery room like 3 hours later. I was in a good bit of pain and they had doped me up good on Dilaudid. It took a couple more hours for me to come down off that before they would release me to come home. Maureen has been a wonderful help since my mobility has been limited. She has made sure I am comfortable and helped with the medications and getting me in for my follow up appointments. Dr. Lahr says the surgery was very successful and my recovery is progressing along nicely. I will be getting out of the cast on September 15th and then will be in a boot along with some physical therapy for another couple weeks. After that I believe it will be up to me to to continue my rehabilitation to get my ankle strengthened and back to where it was .

Watching the Ted Kennedy service yesterday reminded me of My Uncle Bob's Memorial Service at Arlington National Cemetery in early December 2008. It was the first time I had ever witnessed a burial at Arlington. It was a very moving experience. The horse drawn carriage, taps at the grave site, and the 21 gun salute. My uncle Bob was a true American hero. I think of him often and miss him dearly.

Robert Loys Sminkey

September 3, 1931 - July 25, 2008

A Memorial Service will be held on December 4, 2008 at 11:00 AM in Ft. Myers Old Post Chapel at Arlington National Cemetery.

Robert Loys Sminkey, 76, of Leonardtown, MD died Friday, July 25, 2008 at St. Mary’s Hospital in Leonardtown. Commander Sminkey was born on September 3, 1931 in Philadelphia, PA he was the son of the late Loys Albert and his wife Dorothy. He is survived by his wife Jacqueline; his mother Dorothy of Rochester, NY who will shortly be the glorious age of 96; his children Robert of Summerville, SC and Sue Drew of Beverly, MA; his brothers Bill of Rochester, NY and Don of Bowie, MD and his grandchildren Jonathan Drew of Austin, TX and Kimberly Drew Chicago, IL. The 31 year Navy veteran retired from active duty in 1979, ending a distinguished Navy career. Commander Sminkey enlisted in the Navy in September 1948. His enlisted service as a Quartermaster included sea duty on board USS Sea Leopard (SS-483), USS Burrfish (SSR-312), USS Sennet (SS-408), USS Guavina (AOSS-362) and a shore duty tour as an instructor at the Submarine School in New London, CT. In April 1958, Commander Sminkey was ordered to Officer Candidate School in Newport, RI and upon graduation was commissioned an Ensign. He subsequently served in USS Becuna (SS-319) and then in USS Sea Robin (SS-407). He reported to the Fleet Intelligence Center at Port Lyautey, Morocco for duty as Underseas Warfare Officer in March 1963, and the following year transferred with that command to Jacksonville, FL. After completing navigator training at Dam Neck, VA in 1965, Commander Sminkey made four deterrent patrols as navigator in USS Francis Scott Key (SSBN-657) and then served as executive officer in USS Threadfin (SS-410). From 1971 through 1976 Commander Sminkey directed the operations of the Mediterranean Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarine Force for Commander Submarine Flotilla Eight and Commander Submarine Group Eight at their headquarters in Naples, Italy. Commander Sminkey was further assigned as Assistant Operations Officer, Force Navigator and Trident Program Manager on the staff of the Commander Submarine Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet in Norfolk, VA. Commander Sminkey completed his career as the First Commanding Officer of the Naval Submarine Support Base, Kings Bay, GA on 6 June 1979. Commander Sminkey’s awards include 3 Navy Commendation Medals, 2 Navy Good Conduct Medals, 2 National Defense Service Medals, the Navy Achievement Medal and the Navy Occupation Service Medal with European clasp. Bob Sminkey kept himself very busy upon retirement and relocation to St. Mary’s County. He was an active member of The Maryland Society Sons of the American Revolution, Thomas Stone Chapter, St. Mary’s County Genealogical Society and the United States Submarine Veterans of WWII. He enjoyed researching and writing countless ship’s histories for the organization’s website. A Memorial Service will be held on December 4, 2008 at 11:00 AM in Ft. Myer’s Chapel at Arlington National Cemetery with Interment to follow.

Uncle Bob at King's Bay Directing some of the Sailors.

Another shot from King's Bay with my Aunt Dot and Grandmother.

Ted Kennedy

The lion is no more.

I spent a good bit of the day following the National coverage of the Ted Kennedy Funeral.

There are so many things to say about Ted Kennedy. He was caught cheating at Harvard when he attended it. While expelled, Kennedy enlisted in the Army, but mistakenly signed up For 4 years instead of 2. Daddy fixed ir for him. He was assigned to Paris, never advanced beyond the rank of
Private, & returned to Harvard upon being discharged. While attending law school at the U of V, he was cited for reckless driving 4 times, including once when he was clocked driving 90 MPH in a residential neighborhood with his headlights off After dark.. Yet his Virginia driver's license was never revoked. In 1964, he was seriously injured in a plane crash & hospitalized for several months. Test results done by the hospital at the time he was admitted had shown he was legally intoxicated. The results of those tests
Remained a "state secret" until in the 1980's when the report was unsealed. And then on July 19, 1969, Kennedy attended a party on Chappaquiddick Island in Massachusetts and offered to give a ride home to Mary Jo Kopechne. Kennedy steered the car off the bridge, flipped, and into Poucha Pond. Another cover-up by the family. Kennedy has held his Senate seat for more than forty years. He authored or Argued for legislation that ensured a variety of civil rights, increased the Minimum wage in 1981, made access to health care easier for the indigent, Funded Meals on Wheels for fixed-income seniors, and is widely held as the "standard-bearer for liberalism".. In his very first Senate roll he was the floor manager for the bill that turned U.S. Immigration policy upside down and opened the floodgate for immigrants from Third world countries..
Since that time, he has been the prime instigator and author of every Expansion of an increase in immigration up to and including the latest Attempt to grant amnesty to illegal aliens. Not to mention the pious grilling he gave the last two Supreme Court nominees, as if he was the
standard bearer for the nation in matters of "what's right".

He is known around Washington as a public drunk, loud, boisterous, and very disrespectful to ladies. JERK is a better description than "great American". "A blonde in every pond" is his motto.

Flawless was he not. Who is? But he climbed mountains to better the lot of middle-class Americans. Such selfless public dedication shall be sorely missed.

"....to speak for those who have no voice; to remember those who are forgotten; to respond to the frustration and fulfill the aspiration of all Americans seeking a better life in a better land....for all those whose cares have been our concern, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dream shall never die."

Edward Moore Kennedy, August 12, 1980

About

I decided to create this blog basically so I could track things and keep a record of my thoughts and ideas and things that are going on in my life. Please be patient as this is my first attempt at blogging.

I am a husband and father of three. I work 2 jobs and have many hobbies and interests. I enjoy going to Yard Sales, The Redskins, Fantasy football, Golf, working out with weights, playing guitar, and following the US Stock Market.

This picture of my wife Maureen and I was taken in the fall of 2005

Links

Some of my Favorite Blogs

Business and Stocks:

Seeking Alpha - A free provider of stock market opinion and analysis
24/7 Wall ST. - Insightful Analysis for US and Global Markets
WantNot.net - Having it All for Less

Self Improvement:

Awakenings - Simple Solutions for Life's Problems
Mark and Angel Hack Life - Practical Tips for Productive Living

College Life:
College and Finance - Financial and General College Advice for Students and Families