Survival and Emergency Preparedness

I am way past retirement age, have no underlying medical conditions, not on any regular medication, concluded medical and dental exams in January in anticipation of the epidemic, and do rehab exercises for years, every day of the week. Didn't work. Heavy medical emergency. Faced with the usual choices. Elected to avoid surgery for a few months through a combination of medicine and PT. The PT people are excellent today. My HMO has great ones. The latest guy worked at Chapel Hill for 9 years and got a phd without a dissertation.

Never overlook getting examined by a competent PT. Rehab knowledge is greatly increased since WW2 when the first real efforts were directed in getting injured people up and functioning.

I can't boast about laps swim, repetitions. I built my own equipment and use it at home. So today, when I have had to change the routine, this is what I do. When the pain subsides, I walk out side and use my equipment and do the exercises that PT recommended. When it hurts too much or I am exhausted, I do something else during what some one would call "the recovery period". then some more exercises.

The point is that I make it convenient to do the rehab. I don't get in the car, drive to the gym that may or may not be functioning or require an appointment (they closed down again two days ago in my county).

Update. Dealt medically with back pain since the last posting. Did not use surgery.
1. Consulted with Kaiser medical doctor and physical therapist.
2. Received new exercises and temporary medication - resulting in elimination of back pain.
3. When ready, went through progressively heavier shoes in my exercise routine. Now, I wear, ALL DAY, Swiss mountain climbing boots that weigh 2.4 pounds each. Picked up in Switzerland 40 years ago.
4. Some day, I will be past repair. Just not yet. Satchel Page, the baseball player, said "never look back, you will see someone catching up to you."