Lake Cams  |  Lake Levels  |   Events Calendar

• Places To Stay
• Things To Do
• Fishing
• Boating
• Local Guide

Hello from the Excel Storm Cat 230.

Rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated. I had my left hip replaced on July 12th and surgery went well. Three days later I was back in the ER with some sort of reaction to something. I did find I was allergic to the adhesive on the tape my wound vacuum was stuck to my incision with. While I was pretty much out of it, I do vividly remember the tape and blistered skin being pulled off my thigh. Tests were inclusive as what else happened but I went a couple of days not really knowing what was happening. To say this scared the dickens out of my family would be an understatement. It took several days for the fog to wear off.

I was walking well just a couple of days after my surgery and had very little pain. Being that this was the fourth joint replacement in 4 years, we knew the drill and had our house set up to accommodate my limited mobility. I started physical therapy within a week of the surgery. Kudos to Dr. Derek Morgan and his staff at MCCH and to the staff of the Outpatient Physical Therapy at Marshall County Hospital. They were all wonderful!

Once I was back on my feet, I got around to doing some outdoor items I had put off. During these, I picked up a tiny seed tick on the back of my neck, right at my hairline. It went unnoticed for a few days until I developed a large knot on the back of my neck. This led to a round of meds that kept me from being in the sun. My tick panel blood work tests were all negative. I made the decision then to just take it easy until after Labor Day.

That's where I'm at. I appreciate all the phone calls, texts, e-mails and those who have stopped me in a store or church to make sure I'm OK. It humbles me to know I have so many who truly care. I will be booking trips again as soon as the Labor Day weekend is over. I'll be contacting those who have tried to book trips first.

I've only been on the lake a couple of times since my surgery and didn't even take a pole with me. That will be changing as soon as the remnants of Hurricane Ida clear out.

Be careful out there! Keep an eye out for those who won't watch for you. This is the last big boating holiday of the summer, let's make it a safe one.

Welcome to our slice of Heaven.