In May of 2012 we left for a two month vacation in our 30 foot 5th wheel camper. Our trip took us to Kansas City, Minneapolis, Green Bay, Buffalo NY, Montreal, Quebec City, West Virginia, various places in between and back to Palm Coast, in all just short of two months. On the third day out we visited Lookout Mountain Tn. where I was barely able to walk the grounds of the Civil War battlefield because of the pain in my left knee.
Everywhere we went I was only able to do only minimal setting up and taking down of the camper, at least I still could drive, thank god for cruise control. Throughout our vacation my wife and our dog got to see a lot of beautiful things, while I got to see the inside of the truck. It was a pain to get in and out of the ¾ ton truck, (big step up).
We would pull into a campsite for a couple of days and the knee would feel better but as soon as we packed up the camper and hit the road the knee would drive me crazy. In Manitowoc Wisconsin I bought a cane which I used for the remainder of the trip, it helped a lot but after a couple of weeks my left hip started hurting as much as the right knee.
The final straw was going to Crystal River State Park, Fl in August, to visit some friends who were camp hosts there. One afternoon we all floated down the Crystal River in tubes. a beautiful trip except that my daughter had to help me in and out of my tube, which was no easy task as well as a bit humiliating. Then while the rest of the folks walked briskly back to the truck I hobbled in extensive pain the half mile back to the parking lot.
At this point I was 60 years old and the only think I could do that did not hurt was sitting in my Lay-z-Boy. Through all this I have not mentioned that I love to play golf and during our vacation I played golf once and it was a pitiful exercise.
Everywhere we went I was only able to do only minimal setting up and taking down of the camper, at least I still could drive, thank god for cruise control. Throughout our vacation my wife and our dog got to see a lot of beautiful things, while I got to see the inside of the truck. It was a pain to get in and out of the ¾ ton truck, (big step up).
We would pull into a campsite for a couple of days and the knee would feel better but as soon as we packed up the camper and hit the road the knee would drive me crazy. In Manitowoc Wisconsin I bought a cane which I used for the remainder of the trip, it helped a lot but after a couple of weeks my left hip started hurting as much as the right knee.
The final straw was going to Crystal River State Park, Fl in August, to visit some friends who were camp hosts there. One afternoon we all floated down the Crystal River in tubes. a beautiful trip except that my daughter had to help me in and out of my tube, which was no easy task as well as a bit humiliating. Then while the rest of the folks walked briskly back to the truck I hobbled in extensive pain the half mile back to the parking lot.
At this point I was 60 years old and the only think I could do that did not hurt was sitting in my Lay-z-Boy. Through all this I have not mentioned that I love to play golf and during our vacation I played golf once and it was a pitiful exercise.
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I hope you got yours replaced and have moved on with your active life. Good luck!!