How many out there suffer from arthritis like me (thankfully not in my hands) or other injuries and what are your coping skills or words of advice when it effects your shooting.
After ten years in my job, I started in my late thirties, the gear I carry has taken its' toll.

My hands and elbows suffer a bit from too many years of turning wrenches on diesel equipment. I find that some of the big boomers are no fun to practice with. I've shot some, including 454, 460, and 500S&W, but I feel like I owe it to whatever critters I'm hunting to be a good as I can be, with the handgun I hunt with. So, I still hunt with a 44. I can shoot 50 or so in one practice session without my right elbow feeling like somebody hit it with a brick. I can't do that with a 460. If I ever get an opportunity to hunt elk, or huge black bears up north, I'll still use my 44, and within it's limitations, be comfortable and confident with it. I guess my point or advice is, find what is comfortable enough to be confident with, and be the best that's possible with it. If that means that like me, you shoot a 44 instead of a 500, just be extra careful with shot placement, if that means that like me, you don't/can't carry an 80lb pack of stuff, whittle down your load until your comfortable with it, and adjust your hunting so that you can still be confident with less gear. I hope some of this makes sense. It's still way early in the morning today for me!

Pain meds and a healthy dose of "Suck it up" every morning.

Choosing to live and embrace life, in spite of pain or injuries is a part of life for me.
I just recently had shoulder surgery from damage that happened 36 years ago, and then another big injury in the same location around 12 years ago. Like many, I just lived with the limitations, plus I didn't know I was hurt that bad to begin with

Sometimes when you live well, your body gets a little worn down.
For those of you who live with pain or push the extra mile to attain a task:
"The Suck"........Embrace It You Will!

Charlie,

In the past four years or so I have had a few life challenges, including:

An abscess in my bowels which demanded surgery.

An abscess in my right calf which needed surgery.

Five total knee transplants, due to complications etc. including infections in the right knee twice (which demanded two separate six week sessions of daily at-home IV antibiotic sessions through a picc line), which I also managed to accidentally tear out at one point.

One of the knee transplants involved removal of the cobalt and titanium prosthetics and placement of two porcelain spacer blocks interlaced with antibiotics; (which I managed at one point later while trying to work ((against the doc's orders)) to break in half); consequently locking up my right knee which put me in a wheel-chair (not to mention THAT pain). And while in the wheelchair I underwent 38 radiation treatments for prostate cancer.

Also during this time period I slipped and fell on the ice and completely shattered my left Tibula and Fibula (a compound fracture of course, lots of blood) which required emergency surgery at 3:00 a.m. (the doc almost had to amputate it but he was an excellent surgeon; he went back in two days after the initial operation and surgically placed some miraculous bone-growth hormone material in the bones, which saved my leg).

Not to mention that the ambulance that responded to that 911 call almost slid off of the icy road. And they also got lost and had to call for a local police black and white to lead them to my house while I went into shock waiting for medical help.

Plus I have managed to tear up my right shoulder pretty good to where I am scheduled to have a Reverse Total Shoulder Replacement soon:
Reverse Total Shoulder Replacement

And most recently, last Friday I was operating my eight ton Loader-Backhoe (full cab with glass windows) on a driveway that was so slick that my client had requested that I order in a sand truck (which I did) but in spite of the sand-salt mix on the driveway, even while in four wheel drive (of course) and moving forward my tractor suddenly started sliding backwards and before I could react and drop the boom, I slid off of a 15 foot embankment backwards but thankfully perpendicular. The machine went damn near vertical (I remember, while everything seemed to be happening in slow motion, that I looked out of the windshield and could see the sky).

One of the things that I was praying for fervently as my body felt weightless was that the tractor wouldn't go over endo-endo. Thankfully the boom prevented that from happening. Prayers work. My 575 backhoe slid down to the bottom and crashed over on it's side. I was knocked out for several seconds and when I came too I was completely disoriented. My first thoughts were that I was alive and my second priority was to shut off the diesel motor. It took me a full long 25 seconds to find the key and shut her down. I still don't know how that ignition switch ended up where it was. I crawled out of the back window. My laborer was 100 feet above me and never knew that it happened until I yelled at him.

Interestingly, the 35 pound hardened steel cutting edge, measuring 14 inches long by 8 inches wide by one inch thick that I keep on the floor of the cab underneath the backhoe controls to switch over to the backhoe bucket after removing the bucket teeth in order to dig under and around natural gas mains, underground power cables and buried telephone lines, went flying around the cab and completely through one of the windows. It never touched me. My compromised right shoulder didn't fare well though.

I gotta tell you: my guardian angel had to work overtime that day, grabbing me by the neck and absolutely saving my butt. The Good Lord told me: "Richter, I have a plan for you. I am going to get you through one more time; but you better get your stuff together."

IMO, one of the bright sides to all this is that I weighed 287 pounds a year ago; this morning I weigh 238.

Chronic pain: ya think?

Arthritis, I have that too.


They say "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

And I am out of pain meds.

Do you wonder why my son Joe calls me a "Bull in a china shop?"

But wait: The day is not over yet!

PS: Charlie, to answer your Q: Ya just gotta Cowboy Up!

Thanks Boot for sharing and your advice.
Your 44 is plenty for the blackies up here if you ever make it up this way. I find myself doing the same these days. Less and less with the big boomers and more and more with the lighter stuff. .
357's loaded with 180's and the 30-30 has a muzzle break.
44 shooting is with softer loads and only the heavy stuff when hunting.

Lots of suck it everyday up Zee but try to stay away from the pain meds as much as possible.

Ernie,
Know what you mean about old injuries and more added on top of it. Same for me also.
Learning to live with it now is a big part of the suck for sure.

Keep shooting and hunting......

Gregg,
You have sure been run through the mill, fell of the horse and dragged many miles down a gravel road and the way it sounds one foot in the grave a few times and have the scars to prove it and you are still soldiering on. Kudos to you sir.

And yes there is a Higher power looking out for you.

As for the cowboy up....Everyday my friend when I put on this body armor and duty belt.

Keep you powder dry and may the Almighty keep your shooting hands steady.

Kind of hate to make a list as it depresses me but,3 broken ribs and beat up and stepped on [Bull], cracked ankle & elbow ,cancer surgery,rotator surgery both shoulders,fell on left shoulder 2 weeks after surgery,found out today fall tore it again. The way I was raised you just get by the best way you can,and do the best you can do.I practice with the small stuff and shoot enough of the big to keep me up to speed. I have matching guns in small and big calibers.A Contender and a new model Blackhawk in small bore feel the same in the hand as there big bore cousins, and the mechanics are the same for each. One just kicks more. Every day above ground is a good day ENJOY IT! Pain just lets you know you are still alive.

Junebug,
I know it is depressing and I feel for ya. By sharing, in my case, and hopefully others it will give each other that needed boost knowing that you, me and others are not alone when it comes to medical problems and our love of shooting and hunting.

Its just one more thing to deal with in our day to day life. Don't have to look around much to see someone worse off. Kind of goes back to the saying. If I had of known I was going to live this long I would have taken better care of my self.

Agree 110%

You could not be more right!!!!!!!!!!!

Yup!