It has been an annoying few weeks, and I’ve put writing on the bottom of the list. Today, I thought, if you want life to go back to normal, then why not do the normal stuff you do … such as write? I’m telling you, friends, the brain is a dangerous thing.
Speaking of dangerous things, I’m told by my sister, who is not a doctor but plays one on the Internet, that Advil isn’t good for us older adults. We do use with caution, but still, Dale calls them blue buddies. I mentioned this to one of my golf partners, and she said, “Advil is my favorite drug, and I’ve tried most of them.”
So, it has been a mix of Tylenol and Advil, but even then, sparingly. Ice. I won’t go into all the gory details, but I messed up my knees trying to be the athlete I was in my 30s. I’m in less pain than I was even a week ago, so that’s good.
The same golf friend, who was a teacher, often quotes a children’s book called, That’s Good, That’s Bad. It comes up a lot in golf. Let’s see how it works here.
I messed up my thumb pushing my golf cart up a hill. I was distracted for a moment, and the cart rolled back toward me, sort of squishing my thumb. The result was an ugly cyst-like thing. That’s bad.
The cyst hurts occasionally but not all that much. That’s good.
I finally got an appointment with a hand specialist, and he said it’s an arthritic cyst that can pop up at any time for no good reason. Or it can be the result of an accident such as mine. He said it could go away on its own. That’s good.
But it might not. He could surgically remove it, but there’s a good chance it will come back since the underlying cause – our friend arthritis – hasn’t gone away. He recommended I do nothing, but if and when I get tired of looking at it, to go for the surgery. That’s bad.
I’ve been using cannabis cream on the cyst, and it looks smaller to me. Virtually no pain. That’s good.
I was diagnosed with osteoporosis two years ago but didn’t go back for another bone scan until this month. I wasn’t going to go at all, because after a lot of reading, I’m deeply suspicious the whole thing is a racket dreamed up by the people who make the scanning machines and the drug companies. That’s bad.
But I’ve been taking vitamins A and K for two years, and I wanted to see if it made a difference. That’s good.
My numbers were overall quite stable. That’s good.
However, my primary care physician said I might want to consider medication. That’s bad.
There’s a lot of nasty stuff associated with bone density drugs, so my hope is to avoid them. But then I thought, maybe it’s time to hear what experts have to say about the latest and greatest in bone density treatment. My doctor referred me to an endocrinologist, and I made an appointment for January 18. That’s good.
Except when I arrived, they said my appointment was for July 18. That’s bad.
The receptionist was quite sympathetic, and I said don’t worry about it, I wasn’t all that excited to be here anyway. She laughed. That’s good.
Then there’s the curious case of Donna’s favorite sock. I recently purchased three pairs of wool socks that are really great for keeping my feet warm during cold-weather walks and long rounds of golf. That’s good.
Late one afternoon, I was getting ready to take a shower and took off my workout clothes, draping them over the hamper. They were still reasonably clean – passing the sniff test with flying colors – and I figured I could wear them again the next day. I left the socks on the floor by the hamper. In the morning, one of my socks was gone. That’s bad.
At first, I sort of blew it off. Like, oh, I must have misplaced that sock. But then I started a legitimate search and rescue. I went through every item I have worn in that past month to see if it got stuck in a sleeve or leg. I checked the washing machine and the dryer. I checked Dale’s stuff. I’ve gone through all my drawers, to no avail. That’s bad.
I thought, well, it would be atypical, but maybe our cat Riley had a sudden hankering for a tasty sock. I checked under all the beds, his treehouse, anywhere he might have stashed it. I warned Riley he was in big kitty trouble if he messed with my sock. But it appears he’s innocent. That’s good.
Dale suggested poltergeists are responsible. This would be the first sign of them, and I’ve actually Googled this, but it’s not looking like poltergeists steal socks. That’s good.
That’s the end of my little rant. My knees are on the mend. My thumb is fine. My bones are hanging tough and on hold until July. I’ll live to write another day. That’s good.
But my sock is gone. That’s bad.
You wrote a new post – that’s good
It’s been awhile – that’s bad
I’m glad you are having a balance.
I think that’s what good/bad is all about — balance!
This made me laugh! Glad you are feeling better.
Thank you. Always happy to deliver a laugh.
I love your perspective on things, Donna! Here’s to continued healing and less pain.
Continued healing and less pain for all!
The whole hand surgery thing freaks me out. I was all signed up and had an appointment about five years ago for this magical solution, but then I ventured into a detailed conversation with the surgeon. What he described was like something from The Onion. I cancelled and have been just living with it since (your recommendation for Penetrex has proved helpful – Thanks!) It also reminded me of my ex’s experience. After months of extremely extensive tests including invasive things like a spinal tap, the doc sat him down and said: “It might get better on its own; it might get worse. Or, it might stay the same.” I just stared at him. He offered medication but not much else. Sigh.
A friend had the same kind of cyst, and she had general anesthesia for the surgery to remove it. No, thank you! Plus, as you said, it’s your hand. Be careful. I’m alternating Penetrex and cannabis cream. Seems to be working.
It is the foundational tenet of a new religion (that’s bad) and I read it on your blog. The gospel of Donna (that’s good).
Good/bad — maybe the foundational tenet of life?
I’ve mysteriously lost socks but had them turn up somewhere in the house years later! Don’t give up hope. The problem is usually by the time I find them I’ve gotten rid of the mate.
I was diagnosed with osteopenia a year ago and offered the medication. I too did a lot of google research and I’m not convinced this whole osteopenia/osteoporosis thing is not a scam. I am just going to keep exercising, take my supplements, (try to) eat healthy and hope for the best. Not sure I will ever do another dexa scan. I’m 71, something is going to get me sooner or later.
I’m still on a quest to find that sock.
Your comments about osteopenia/osteoporosis hit home. I’m also not convinced it’s not a scam. And I’m liking your approach. No more scans. Just do the best you can.
If you haven’t read this, it’s an eye-opener:
https://www.npr.org/2009/12/21/121609815/how-a-bone-disease-grew-to-fit-the-prescription#:~:text=Osteopenia%20Vs.&text=%22I'd%20heard%20of%20osteoporosis,result%20in%20disabling%20bone%20breaks.
Glad you’re still blogging Donna…that’s good.
I think Riley hid the sock…that’s bad. Naughty kitty.
Riley? Please say it ain’t so. I’ll have to think like a cat and see if I can figure out where he stashed it.
Damn socks! I have a stray one and have given up trying to find its partner. And I have no cat to play and Himself has much bigger feet than me, so I can’t blame him 🙂
I recently went for a first step appointment in the knee replacement process. The first thing the guy (a physical therapist) asked me is “do you know what the potential drawbacks are?” “Ummm, no… ” replies I. So he enlightened me. And said he wouldn’t do it until and unless it was really painful and debilitating, which was a whole different perspective to the surgeon who did the previous repair.
Anyway, I’m focusing on losing weight (which can’t hurt) and doing more gentle exercise (which will help) while I ponder on it. I have at least 6 months to ponder before they pull me off the list, so…
And anyway, my cataracts are on the top of the surgery list, so my knee has to wait its turn! I hope your knee is behaving itself and feels back to normal soon.
This getting older thing really is a mess. My cancer surgeries were no picnic, and I’m hoping to make it to the end without additional interventions. That said, you do what you have to do.
Hope those cataracts get fixed soon!
I was glad to see you had enough “that’s good” to balance the “that’s bad”! Great post!
It really is a balance, isn’t it? Who knew it wasn’t just about golf.
First of all, I’m completely convinced the cat hid the sock. You just haven’t founf it yet.
Secondly. I totally get you mistaking your July appointment for January. Who’s given an appointment eight months out? Five months ago I thought I ought to see why my feet are slowly going numb. It took me three months to get into the neurologist. She took a lot of history but decided I needed a special test that I would have to come back for. Four MORE months out. Each morning when I awaken I check to see if my feet are still attached.
I have stopped making fun of countries with socialized medicine with their long appointment waits.
OK, I was a little surprised I got in so soon with a specialist. Jan looks a lot like Jul. I guess you’ll have to go to the emergency room if you wake up and your feet are no longer attached. That’s probably your best option.
As for the sock, I have an update, but I’m saving it for my next post. A hint though — someone has been falsely accused.
I also do not believe in the whole osteoporosis deal. I was diagnosed with op years ago after a DXA scan. I was surprised because I exercise a lot and I refused the meds. My thinking is that atypical femur fractures and jaw necrosis are not “side effects” of bisphosphonates. A side effect would be something like esophageal irritation (an actual side effect of bisphosphonates), which has nothing to do with the way the meds work. Femur fractures and jaw necrosis, OTOH, are catastrophic flaws in the mechanism of action of the meds. I did continue to get scans for several years and kept getting pressured to take the meds, which I kept refusing. I finally decided to opt out of the whole “Osteoporosis Industrial Complex” and stopped getting scans. I think the only thing of value that you can do is to try to avoid becoming frail by exercising and eating well. You may be interested in this video about how even the supposed benefits of the bisphosphonates are exaggerated: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTtgyPQWICI
Thank you so much for your perspective and for the link to the video. I’m headed over there to watch it now. I like your approach and will probably follow suit. I’m tired of beating myself up when I do all the right things. Thanks again!