Played Airsoft Today!!!

[23109VC]

I have a 10 year old son.  His good friend at school began playing airsoft with his dad....and all my son has talked about was wanting to go try it with his buddy.  So we setup a day to go with his friend, and the friend's father, to play airsoft.  Today was the day!

the last time I did anything like this was when I played paintball a couple times in college... about 20 years ago.  There is a place about 30 min from our house that has fields setup, equipmenet you can rent...  it was a nice place, and not horribly expensive.

My hip has been feeling really good lately, so I was pretty sure I'd have no problem doing it... and I was right.  Most of the fields were relatively flat..althogh there were a few minor hills that you had teo climb up, and ledges to jump up / down.  I did all that with no problem.  What was reallly great was just the fact that for most of the day, my hip never even crossed my mind.  My son and I just had a really great day.  the place as very safety focused...everyone in our group was nice, and  while I do have a nice welt on my back from one hit.. overall we both had a great time.

It was fun to just be able to go out and run around with him... do something he wanted to do.. share it with him, and not have my hip holding me back making me miserable.  I ran around buildings, crawled in the dirt, jumped up, sprinted a bit here and there...  I was able to do stuff that I would NEVER have been able to do just 10 months ago.  tonight, as I'm typing this, my body feels beat.. i'm really tired..  but in a good way.  the nice thing is.. my hip isn't hurting.  10 months ago if I had even tried to do this, my hip would be throbbing, and I would have taken 3-4 Aleve / tramadol / etc just to not be in agony.  instead, I feel great, and will lie in bed, feeling tired, but feeling relaxed and peaceful in bed... 10 months ago the hip woudl throb no matter what position I laid in the bed...

I'm not dying to run out and play airsoft tomorrow.. but it was fun and I'm sure my son will want to go do it again.  He's already after me to buy him an airsoft gun...     It will be nice to be able to do something with him, that is somewhat physically demanding, a neat father/son activity - and be able to just do it, enjoy it, and not even think about my hip.  I really went most of the day, and my hip didn't even really cross my mind.. and that says a lot about how good it is feeling. 

Now that I'm home, and can reflect on what I did today, and how good I feel.. I sure do appreciate what Dr. Gross did for me. 

If you've never tried airsoft.. try it.  It reminds me of paintball but I think it was more fun.  the guns are extremelyh realistic looking and feeling, and if you enjoying playing Call of Duty on your PS3... airsoft is like doing it in real life.  Also, wearing all the gear we wore, carrying a heavy gun all day, getting hot and sweaty.. but knowing it was all pretend...BUT still being scared.. gave me even more respect for our men and women in the armed forces..who do the same thing, but for REAL, with life and death consequences.

If any of you are reading this who are suffering with hip pain... wondering if you should get your hip fixed... please don't wait as long as I did to get if fixed.  I probably postponed surgery a good year or two because I was nervous about the surgery, worried about the "what if's", etc.  Now, having been through it, and realizing how relatively painless it was, and how it has given me my life back - I wish I had done it sooner. 

[WTW15]

Sean - Great to hear!  As you described moving about without pain - or even thinking about your hip, and I sit here with that aching - it just reinforced my decision.  Thanks.  BTW - did your team win? 

[23109VC]

the games lasted roughly one hour.

We managed to play 3 games while we were there.  I think our team won 2 out of 3 - but honestly, it was really difficult to define winning and losing.  The rules at this place generally allowed players who were "shot/killed" to "respawn" and resume playing after a certain time of waiting...so even if you were shot and had to call being "hit"... you were basically back in the game in 5 minutes or less...    I think as a beginner.. I was more focused on trying to avoid being shot and shooting other people...and dind't get as much into the tactics of the game...  I can see how more advanced players could focus more on the winning / losing aspect.... to my son and I it was just fun.

it was nice to be pain free.. I have pretty much been pain free for a while now... but I really feel the past few months is where even the little stuff like start up pain and twinges have reallly gone away or become extremely rare.  I still think about my hip on an almost daily basis.. mostly when I do stuff that I knew I couldn't used to do... I swear every morning when I squat down to tie my shoes I think 'wow, no pain"..   but during the day, as I go about my job, and other activities... I pretty much don't even think about it.

i know what you mean WTW15....  the aching.. that really sucks.  I was at the point where I couldn't even get into my car without aching.  my left hip was the one that hurt..and as I would get into my car, I had to use my arms to physically assist my left leg into the car or else it would hurt.  i was on Aleve or other NSAIDs.. daily.  I'd often take 4-6 aleve per day to function.  ONE time I tried to stop taking it.. by the end of the week I phsically could NOT MOVE my hip without feeling the most horrific pain I have ever felt.. I woke up on day 7 and coudl not get out of bed.  it was that bad.  that was the first thing that made me really worry about my hip....  i popped a handful of aleve and several hours later I was ok... but without meds, I was screwed.

i haven't taken an aleve in months...

getting my hip fixed was great.  it is not a "little bit better".. it is TRANSFORMED better.  if I had woken up one day and my hip felt the way it does now, I would consider it a miracle....  it is that mch better.  get your fixed!