Growing Old

Yesterday I returned to see my doctor. That's two days in a row spending quality time with my “friend”.

I was skeptic about him having the results from the previous day's X-Ray. He looked at his computer and what did he find? The results were in!

He started to look at my shoulder X-ray. Without even reading the report he told me: “When they write that much, it's always bad news!” WHY on earth would you say that to your patient? Read the damn thing first and then tell me what is going on, don't you agree?

After a minute he looked at me and said I have tendonitis. He explained it and showed me the X-Ray. There are calcium deposits between my bones and the shoulder muscle. He prescribed an anti-inflammatory drug and referred me to a physiotherapist. He seemed ready to move to the next problem, but I was not.

“I take Calcium supplement every day, could it have anything to do with that?” I asked him.

“Why are you taking that? Do you eat dairy products?” he answered!

Then I got a lecture why men don't need calcium supplement, women do and bla, bla, bla Darn, I got another lecture. But in the end he said the calcium supplement had nothing to do with my Tendonitis.

I asked him if I could continue to play pickleball.

“NO! From now on, you have to limit yourself to non-violent sport “for the elderly”; bowling not the big pins the ball is too heavy for you, swimming, pétanque” I kid you not, that was his answer. Needless to say, it was not making me happy.

I told him pickleball was a big part of my life. He then told me the problem is the smash. In pickleball you don't smash the ball that often, so after talking with him a little we decided I can play but no smashing; don't tell my opponent that I have a handicap.

My back problem; I thought he said I had Osteoporosis but after looking it up I think he said I'm starting to have a mild case of Osteoarthritis. It is a degenerative disease but I have a mild case. I hate for it to be even a mild case but what can I do!

Of course he didn't tell me much about it, so Internet came to the rescue.

“It can be painful – the pain may result from prolonged immobility” This is exactly what I have, when I move, like walking or playing pickleball, I don't feel any pain but as soon as I stop the pain returns.

“Osteoarthritis can be managed with the use of joint protection (decreasing the amount of work the joint has to do), exercise, pain relief medication, heat and cold treatments, and weight control.”

All of those treatments I have already started on my own, there is nothing else to do. It's going to be a managing the pain strategy. You just can't get your spine replaced :( Now if someone tells me I don't have a good back bone, they will be right!

Nowhere did I find this next treatment but I think I'll prescribe myself a liter of wine a day, repeat if necessary. Ha ha ha!

Tuesday I'm seeing a physiotherapist, I'll know more about my conditions from her. What is important for me to know is what I can and can't do.

Even with those news, the moral is great. I'm 55, so my body keeps reminding me, and I need a lot of reminders to register this number. My brain is still stuck at 13 years old, well maybe 13 and a half!