As the title suggests this is the last you'll hear from me. I'm sure it's getting boring reading about my workouts. It's probably been more informative for me than for you.  When I read some of my earlier posts I can hardly remember going through what I wrote, of feeling those feelings. I wish I had done this during my first replacement, so I can see how much further I am on the recovery timeline.

I remember in my first post saying that if you're my age you either have had a joint replacement or know of some on who has. This point was brought up to me during Homecoming two weekends ago. I saw one of the guys I coached with and he has had two replacements, also done by my doc. Later while leaving and stuck in traffic, my wife and I and a friend, who has had both her hips replaced, saw a woman we went to school with and who I worked with. As we were talking I laughed and said that right now there were 4 replaced hips and 4 replaced knees right here. Six of the replacements were done by the same doc.

Can you even imagine all the people who have had replacements? Now think of all those same people without them. I know that for me life would be hell. At 57 I'd be all crippled up. My stomach and liver would be shot from taking all those pain meds and anti-inflammatory pills. As I have said before, this is the most successful and repeated surgery going.

Before the surgery I was really not looking forward to all the recovery. I was at a point where I was enjoying life with my first hip replacement. I knew what to expect, and I wasn't too fired up starting from the beginning with the second replacement. Those thoughts were totally wrong. Sure there was the initial recovery from the surgery and the first few days at home, but the rest of the process was so much easier than the first time. It kind of makes me wish I could have delayed it, so technology could evolve further.

My main goal, besides pain relief, was to recover so that when football coaching jobs opened up I'd be ready to actively coach in Spring Ball. That is usually in late March. I know I'm ready. Last weekend I went to the school where I coached most recently for the final home game of the season. It was great seeing all the players and coaches and the support staff. What I really wanted to see was how I reacted on the sidelines.

The game I went to in Saginaw, Mich., a few weeks ago, I was in the press box away from all the action.  This game I was on the sidelines following the ball, making coaching points to some of the players, and strategy suggestions to the head coach. I had to move often to keep out of harm's way since the sidelines can be a dangerous place. I had no problems at all; it was as if I'd never had the surgery. The only thing that bothered me was when it was over and I sat down. I was stiff and a little sore doing that. However that went away after a while.

I'm glad I did the surgery when I did, and now the only thing that I may face is a revision. That is when the prosthesis wears out. Before my first replacement (1999), Frank (my doctor) told me that the average life span is 15 years but with the (then) new technology it should last longer than that. So I hope I won't need to have that replaced for maybe 20 years or so. That would make it 2019 and I'd be 70 years old. Revisions now take a little longer to perform than replacements but have the same outcome. So when I'm ready for my revision then, I'm sure Frank will be on the cutting edge of science and it'll go just a well as my other replacements. Who knows I may never need a revision. One thing for sure is I'll still be working out at the highest level I can!