The date for my new hip was changed from Aug 26 to Sept 2, a 1 week delay. As I type this on 8/27, everything is on go. I’ve been waiting for this for several weeks now, i’m eager to get it done. My left hip started bothering me on occassion late last fall. At that time it seemed minor, just maybe arthritis. Then in maple season it gradually got worse, if I turned with weight on my left hip it hurt. It seemed to catch me by surprise each time, and it progressively got worse. I guess I wasn’t paying close enough attention to the fact that it always hurt when I stood on my left leg and turned. Eventually I figured it out and had fewer instances of having that extreme pain, but even without getting the sharp pain I started getting more frequent pain. That’s when I finally went to get it checked out. When they took some Xrays it showed iI had completely worn away all cartillage in my left hip.
The surgeon offered cortisone shots in the joint, pain killers or hip replacement. I chose total hip replacement. After less than a week his office called with a surgery date and sent a heavy folder with it seems everything I had to do and know. The date was set for 8/26/25, but just about 9-10 days out the date was moved out to 9/2/25. I had a final visit with the surgeon yesterday and it looks like 9/2 will be the date.
After the surgery, I should be home either the same day or the next. Then the 6th day after the surgery I start going to PT, (physical therapy), 9/8, then 2-3 days a week for at least 6 weeks, maybe 8, I guess it depends on how I do.
I’m eager to get this over, I have a lot of work to do before the next maple season. I sold my 3×8 evaporator, wood fired, and bought a 2×6 wich will be oil fired, after burning wood to heat my home, then additionally to make syrup starting in 2003. I am scalling back, by then I’ll be 79 and most of my help has gone on, full time jobs, moved out of state, and/or gotten married. My brother in law’s health has gotten bad enough that he can no longer help. Thus instead of trying to do up to 1320 taps, I’ll be down to 250-300 next season, all on vacuum. Being on vacuum, if the season is decent essentially doubles the syrup made. I still have 3 barrels of syrup left, it should keep me in syrup until the 2026 season. Then hopefully a decent season will get me enough syrup to be in syrup another year. The season after that I’ll add more taps, hopefully up to a total of 400+. Then if I need more I have the potential on my land around my sugarhouse for 450-460 taps. Then from there if needed I will talk with the neighbor, back about 45 yrs ago her father planted several rows of maples, some sugars, some reds parallel to my property line, I might be able to lease those which could get me another 75-100 taps, and I could run them all on vacuum directly to the sugarhouse and the vacuum pump I have is big enough to support over 3000 taps on a leak free system, maybe 2000 on a system with a few small leaks but no major leaks. My land has no hills, just small ups and downs. The biggest difference between a high area and a low one is maybe 12-14′ elevation change.
Because my smallest tubing is old enough to need replacing new lateral lines ( from mainlines then tree to tree) all taps will go on new tubing and drops (the tubing from the tap to the lateral line). Every year I have always used new taps , and I change drop lines every 3 yrs. The mainlines unless damaged beyond repairing a section are good for 30 or maybe 35 yrs. My mains were last new in 2011. I won’t likely be able to keep playing in the woods that long!
Now I’m heading to the sugarhouse to get more packed syrup and take it to my one local outlet, then I just take it easy until after surgery. Once I get better enough after surgery I’ll put up a new post. I’ll need to find a booster cushion for in my desk chair, the literature sent me says I should always set with my knees below my seat for a few weeks, this chair isn’t that adjustable I think, I’ll have my son raise it to verify. It appears it would need to raise at least 3 maybe 4″.