My daily intake
I have strived to be healthy, but life had other plans, beginning with severe migraines decades ago. A brilliant neurologist put me on a “cocktail” of medications more than two decades ago to tamp those down. Those account for three of the bottles in the photo and I take those every evening.
While dealing with those migraines, a masseuse mentioned to me that I was a prime candidate for bone loss and asked if I’d ever had my bone density checked. I had not at the time, but asked my internist about it, was checked and already had osteopenia (I am now in full-fledged osteoporosis), so began taking medication for it, which helped, but now I take daily calcium (the big bottle) and an additionally prescribed potassium supplement.
More than 40 years ago, I had extremely mild allergies, but living inside our home during renovation more than two decades ago, tipped me over into a real allergic reaction to dust (as well as some pollens), so I take Singulair on a daily basis as well, and can no longer tolerate being on a construction site. Though I’ve been diagnosed with very mild asthma, I’ll take a puff or two of an inhaler for chorus practice or a concert to insure I have maximum lung capacity, as it decreases as we ages.
For some reason, over the past eight years, I’ve been plagued by styes in my eyelids (I’ve had severe dry eye for more than 30 years), which require a lot of hot compresses, but also antibiotic eye drops and pills. I’ve had two in different eyes since February. This time, my doctor has put me on a low dose of doxycycline for three months to try to prevent any further attacks, but now I must be careful in the sun, as I am very susceptible to sunburn. Always something, right?
The indignities of aging are hitting home with increasing frequency these days. I had ankle surgery in late January, which went smoothly. The joint was fine, but loads of inflammation was discovered in the capsule around the joint so I will see a rheumatologist in October to try and discover why. I took none of the prescribed pain-killers, but the recovery has taken longer than I anticipated. Our bodies do not snap back as quickly as they once did. I must learn patience and acceptance but I still want to dance at my 50th Brandeis reunion in September.
Betsy PfauRetired from software sales long ago, two grown children. Theater major in college. Singer still, arts lover, involved in art museums locally (Greater Boston area). Originally from Detroit area.
Happy health.
Amen!
Yes Betsy it’s always something isn’t it!
Dancing pain free at your 50th college reunion is a fine goal, and happily I will see you there – altho as you know I will be consorting with a guy celebrating his (gulp) 60th!
Always something – I had an interesting one Saturday night into yesterday that required a trip to the ER and antibiotic drops. I’ve worn hearing aids for 3 1/2 years now. While taking them out Saturday night, the little plastic tip on the right one came off and stayed embedded in my ear! I could NOT get it out. So on Sunday, off I went to the ER. They were very nice, said they’d seen this before (the physician’s assistant who treated me said it happened to her father too; didn’t that make me feel OLD)! I have VERY narrow ear canals. She had a hard time seeing down them, needed an assistant to hold me ears open and hold the light while she used a very pointed, long tweezer-like instrument to try and grab the plastic, which she had difficulty doing. She scratched my ear canal as she pulled out the tip, necessitating those ear drops, so I don’t get an infection. Always something!
Yep, it’s always something!
You might post this story as a NSOP for the past prompt ER!
Yes indeed, Dana. Now that ear feels weird all the time. Thanks for the suggestion. I will take it under advisement, now that I can get back into Retro!
Sigh. Rosanna Rosannadanna had it right: “It’s always something.” Onward!
I hope you have a fantastic time dancing at the 50th reunion, regardless of how you feel the following morning!
Thanks, Khati. I’m working very hard to rehab that ankle, but I do hope to dance the night away by the end of September.
An excellent catalog of medications AND maladies, Betsy! Not so out of the ordinary these days as we move along the conveyor belt of life (how’s that for a metaphor???). I appreciated your last paragraph (not the last ‘graph forever, I’m sure) and apt description of “the indignities of aging.” Everything takes longer, so I have adopted a mantra that fits nearly every circumstance: “breathe (exhale the past, inhale the present); adopt a Budha smile (a natural expression that results from relaxing all facial muscles); and — finally — move slowly.”
Thank you for this lovely mantra, Charlie. Take it all in, just more slowly – in and out. And yes, great metaphor.
Interesting story, Betsy, and thanks for sharing. I agree about the indignities associated with aging. Like you, I’ve been doing all I can to stay healthy and — most of all — off a walker or out of a memory care unit (not sure what exactly can be done to prevent that, though). Yet different medical procedures have been needed and, along with them, have come the pain pills. They scare the hell out of me, and I try to reserve them for when the pains are too acute. Sometimes, though, the effects and even desire for those effects linger. I’ve sworn off them after watching the excellent streaming series, Dopesick, with Michael Keaton, though. I figure if doctors themselves can get hooked, then there’s danger for all of us.
I had ankle surgery four months ago, Jim, after having all the cortisone injections allowed. The doctors did an excellent job with pain block during the surgery, and wrapping the ankle so tightly that I was deliberately numb for the first 24 hours, then never felt pain for the two weeks that I was in the splint, though they gave me 10 oxycodone. I took zero (though the pain people kept checking on me). I was non-weight bearing during that period. I had a walker and hopped to the bathroom. Other than that, I had to lie with leg up to keep the swelling down and promote healing. After that, I was in a very tight walking boot for a month (and began PT after 3 weeks). I could drive, but even that was difficult, as I had a “level-up” on the non-surgical foot, so I wasn’t too off balance, and the other ankle still didn’t bend, so it did hurt to walk. I stayed close to home, but still took nothing more than Tylenol. I did all my PT (which ended just before coming to Martha’s Vineyard two weeks ago). I am not back in the gym, but the ankle hurts more than it had. Still, nothing more than the occasional Tylenol.
Less than three weeks ago, my husband had surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his lung. It was quick and he was out of the hospital after one over-night, but he was on Dilaudid while in the hospital and they sent him home with NO pain relievers at all! When he had his first check in the following week, both the physician assistant and nurse practitioner were very surprised that he had not been given a prescription for pain relief. We don’t know if that was an oversight or if the hospital was being cautious. But you are right to be wary of narcotics. They can be important to use, but must be used with care. I haven’t seen “Dopesick”, but know that it was award-winning.
I feel your pain and frustration with a growing number of pills in your life. One of my daughters suffered from migraines for most of her life. Her doctor gave her a medication she puts under her tongue and it has been life changing for her. To get insurance to pay, you have to have failed three other migraine meds. Let me know if you want the name of the medication,
Is it Maxalt, Laurie? A previous doctor prescribed it for me and it really worked (though it made me drowsy so I’d take a nap and had to be careful when I used it), but that was YEARS ago. My current neurologist will not use it (he told me why once, a long time ago, but now I can’t remember his reasoning). I use Relpax when I do get a migraine. It works, but takes a long time to kick in. I need a doctor’s override to get it covered by insurance (annually) and it is still pretty expensive. It comes in a sheet of blister packs, in a box, so it was not in my photo and the good news is that I usually don’t have to take it often. I also Botox the back of my head (I can’t stand it in my forehead and I’ve tried it twice over the years – it makes me feel like some prehistoric being with a heavy brow)! I joke that I must have the smoothest skull known to man.