Another year comes to an end

Can you believe it?  2011 is over already!

Where did the time go?

Admittedly, I have made wonderful progress this year.

For instance, six months ago I couldn't endure three minutes on the stationary bike.

And now, I'm doing 60 minutes every day!

Unbelievable indeed.

My pain level is way down since I'm doing that biking too.

I mean, I can do stuff that will induce the pain big time.  But for the most part, I've had fewer flare-ups (just as all the experts promised) and when I have had a flare-up, it hasn't lasted as long as they used to (again, just as all the experts promised).

So, that is progress to be sure.

Don't get me wrong now.  I still have the matter of my hips to resolve.

And at the end of January 2012, my left hip will be fixed.  (I'll simply have to endure the rehab and recovery.)

Once recovered from that surgery, I'm hoping that surgery on my right hip can be delayed several years.  I'm basing that expectation on the results I had from the steroid injection in my left hip.

During my "in heaven" phase with those shots, I was good to go -- neither hip gave me grief.  So perhaps once my left hip is doing the job it's supposed to do, my right hip will be able to relax and not have to carry the load.  Hence, it might not present the problem that it has in the past.

Only time will tell.

In any event, as 2011 closes, I'm enjoying much more mobility than I've had in many years -- thanks to my persistence on the bike.  And I'm looking forward to continued improvement throughout 2012.

Wonder if 2012 will pass as quickly as 2011 did?