I have Finally Felt My Age

I am a believer in accepting life as it comes not bothering to fudge on my age or attempt alterations to my body to hide the aging process. I was doing pretty good with this philosophy until I reached my 70th birthday being confronted with aging problems roaring its ugly head.

I hike at least six miles each week; plus whatever I do in the garden hacking and hauling for hours at a time. I have been pretty smug about the fact that I could still do whatever I wanted without suffering aches and pains that seem to be normal for many of my friends. Well 70 dumped on me big time with an arthritis blow up across all the knuckles on my right hand. I was only digging and hacking out 200 lbs of rock from where I wanted to plant a rose bush. Then number two old-age rot happened. My left knee had ached a bit. I was beginning to worry what it possibly could be the reason. After a month of feeling the discomfort, I made an appointment with our most loved Dr. McDougall to check it out.

Almost a week before the appointment, I was attempting to stand up after doing some garden work at ground level. My whole knee seemed to fall apart hurting to the point of nausea. I could visualize a legiment or other long rope of sorts, snap across a bone causing everything to let loose. I actually have no idea what really happened, but I do know what my mind saw as I crumbled in pain.

A good neighbor gave me a knee brace to use. I believe it is why I can still walk a bit without that knee crushing in on itself like it did on Saturday. I immediately started with ice/heat and Aleve knowing how important to not just lie in pain doing nothing for the problem. After two days of total boredom, I took myself to our local medical clinic to start the process of healing. The doctor I saw simply said to get myself to a orthopedic doctor of my choice. I am on my way to Medford on Friday to save myself from being a disabled senior citizen. I want myself to show up again. I imagine that I might be facing surgery; which holds only hope in my mind. I want to get it done, get it done now and return to my mobile life. No, Scooter Store, I am not ready for you yet.

I am insanely bored here on the couch waiting to start a journey back to health. I somehow have lost my concern for the blown out knuckles that hurt in the middle of the night or when I pick up that cup of coffee early in the morning. I can function with pain. I cannot function without being able to weed, hack, haul and plant new life. My happiness is directly connected to the connection to earth that I have cultivated loving every particle of dust, pebbles in my shoes, and blisters on my weeding hand. I feel humbled in the knowledge of how truly tragic it is to loose yourself in random disabilities that are often part of old age. I foolishly believed I would escape the fate of way too many. I imagined myself hiking through my 80's, gardening to the day I died and walking down the driveway to pick up the mail forever. I know I mistreated my knees while riding motorcycles because of the down time I often had not keeping my shining side up.

I will keep you updated by another recital of crap that happens no matter how hard you try to keep it from showing up. In two days, I will see what the cure will be. I will work hard to be back as soon as I can manage..