The last couple of years, I remember I did not feel old at all although I was already on my late 70's. Four years ago prior to the PD diagnosis of my spouse for over 59 years( this May 8 will be our 60th year anniversary), I felt young, energetic and hopeful. I remember that four years ago, I was not only mentally, and physically fit, but also spiritually fit. The thought of getting old had not occurred in my mind at time.
Today, I do not feel young and although I am mentally and spiritually fit, my physical fitness as of today in now in limbo and in question. You do need the three items namely physical, mental and spiritual fitness not to feel old.
It started about ten days ago. One morning I woke up with a lingering pain on my left knee. On a scale of 1 to 10, I felt it was about a 3 to 4. I can still tolerate it without taking any pain medications. As the days progressed I tried massage, heat therapy and mild exercise. Nothing works, I have to take aspirin.
The other day, I decided to see my family physician. He examined my left knee and thinks it must be a torn ligament in the knee or a start of arthritis, since the pain appears to be aggravated by cold temperature. He ordered an X'ray, prescribed (Naprosin ) an anti-inflammatory/analgesic drug and a knee support hose. The Naprosin and the Knee support seems to help alleviate the pain, but I am not completely pain free.
Today I got the results of the X'ray. No torn ligaments but the start of arthritis. So what is arthritis. Here's an excerpt from www.athritis.org
Arthritis is very common but is not well understood. Actually, “arthritis” is not a single disease; it is an informal way of referring to joint pain or joint disease. There are more than 100 different types of arthritis and related conditions. People of all ages, sexes and races can and do have arthritis, and it is the leading cause of disability in America. More than 50 million adults and 300,000 children have some type of arthritis. It is most common among women and occurs more frequently as people get older.
Common arthritis joint symptoms include swelling, pain, stiffness and decreased range of motion. Symptoms may come and go. They can be mild, moderate or severe. They may stay about the same for years, but may progress or get worse over time. Severe arthritis can result in chronic pain, inability to do daily activities and make it difficult to walk or climb stairs. Arthritis can cause permanent joint changes.
On a positive note: I passed my driver's license renewal for another five years after submitting the results of my vision test from my ophthamologist. I am however restricted to day driving and no extensive freeway driving. This is good enough for me as I only drive to the grocery and drug stores and once or twice a month to the Casino. Although I have no official restriction on Night Driving, I seldom drive at night and will do it only on emergency.
Related Blog: http://chateaudumer.blogspot.com/search?q=aging+gracefully
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