I just turned 50 a few weeks ago and I can tell you, the last 18 months have not been kind to me. Until July '07 I was pretty smug about my level of fitness and my general lack of aches and pains. Then one day (after having spent a few hours climbing at a gym in Durham) I felt a little twinge in the knuckle of my left index finger. The twinge turned into pain and I went to an orthopaedist specializing in hand problems. The steroid shot I received was particularly painful (the doctor tapped a much too long needle into my joint) and, in the long run did nothing to help. Unwilling to give up the rock gym and my daily trips to my other gym, I soon developed pain in my left wrist. When the orthopaedist suggested another steroid shot I decided to visit another doctor. The replacement is a terrific doc at Duke and he tried like hell to figure out what was wrong (without once mentioning a steroid shot). After several MRI's and Xrays we decided to give it some time and see what happened. About two weeks later my index finger swelled up, hurt worse and wouldn't bend. I went back to the doctor at Duke and three days later I was in the hospital having a "major dissection" of my left hand. Doctor Goldner cleaned things up and I fully expected to be pulling hard in the gym again but that just never happened. What did happen is that I now have a crooked index finger, a rheumatologist who, during my first visit, confirmed that I have arthritis and, in addition, discovered a swollen thyroid gland and so I now also have an endocrinologist.
So, as I pass the half-century mark my smugness is gone and in its place I have three doctors who are trying to keep things from getting worse. Oh, and during my visit to the dentist yesterday I was told that I need two crowns.
The silver lining in this cloud is that for the first time I'll be able to take an unreimbursed medical expense deduction when I do my taxes this year.
The morning read for Friday, May 3
2 hours ago
6 comments:
Blue Dog, some things in life are out of our control. Don't let age get you down - 50 is the new 40, and if you have taken care of yourself the way it sounds, then you could have another 50 left. These things are part of the body getting older, and we all have to deal with something like this at some point in life. Realizing that the body is not immune to aging is step one, doing your best with what you can control is the rest. Keep your mind sharp and a positive attitude and focus on what you can control. Don't focus on what you can't do anymore - look at it as an oppurtunity to grow. So you can't climb? Teach others to climb. So you can't type? Learn to manage without typing. Difficult, maybe. Impossible, no way. Hang in there and make the best of even a negative situation. Think of the guys with no legs that run marathons - they did not let it prevent them from reaching their goals - the mind is more powerful than any limb.
Swingtrader - thanks for the comments. You're right; I just have to play the hand I've been dealt and do what I can.
50 is old. get ready to die and i don't mean that in a mean way.
OMG i am so sorry for my earlier comment, i was drunk and lonely :(
Middle age motto:
Life sucks and then you die.
life sucks and then you die
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