This past week or so has been pretty good for me. I was lucky enough to pass my Texas P and C adjuster exam, which has currently landed me in San Antonio for this week. Now I am brewing a cup of coffee and staring out of my 7th floor balcony to look over the city. Not a bad set up.
Work was slow this week leading the way to a restful Wed thru Fri. Working a combined 2 hrs for those three days. I went shopping earlier this week and bought a bunch of new cloths with the company bonuses. I have figured the trick to a pleasant shopping experience. Let me first start off by stating...I am a male. This means, I don't like to shop, I feel uncomfortable foraging for sales and competing with the latest trends for my age. When I must go shopping, I look for ten minutes max, try on the one thing I need, and then leave the store. I don't linger, I don't converse with the staff, I get in, get out, and get back to the sanctity of my home. Pretty typical for me, and I like it that way. But, this week was different. In fact, I think I have found the only way to shop. Find a girl to go with you. She picks out the clothes, tells you what looks good, and steers you away from the wardrobe regrets. It's a big step to put your money and your style into her hands, but if you trust her, then you come out looking great. Which I think I did. So, next time I have to go shopping I am bringing reinforcements.
But, the real downer of the week was coming to terms with the fact I am getting old. I always thought the process of getting old was going to be gross, but easy. You know, the longer recovery periods from nights out, being excited when you buy new appliances, or those newly discovered patches of back hair. But, I was not expecting aches and pains.
Through my life I have played 9 years of soccer, 4 and a half years of inter colligent sports, and many a night of stupidity at a Fraternity house. All of these with no major injuries and only a couple of scars. But, now, in only three weeks of church volleyball, I have injured myself twice, both pretty badly. The first was to my big toe. I jumped up and landed, with all my weight, on my left big toe. It hurt for almost two weeks. Then just last week, I made a beautiful point saving dive on the court to keep the play going. Unfortunate I landed on my right knee. That took me out of the games for the rest of the night. The next morning I couldn't bend my knee. It hurt to walk and it took me four or five attempts to get up from a sitted position. I started popping advil and called the doctor. By the time appointment arrived, I could walk and bend it some, but it still hurt like hell. The doctor took the x-rays and with a pensive "hmm" started to poke and prod my knee. The questions you dislike the most from the doctor is "Does this hurt?" Because you know, even if that spot doesn't' hurt, you will eventually get to the area that does, and when the doctor doesn't have to ask you, but can see from the grimace on your face...he knows he has hit medical gold.
The doctor told me I have a possible tear in my medial meniscus. He then explained to me what that was...which I have forgotten by now, but I think it is the area where the rounded portions of the leg bones meet and for a cup. He said, it didn't look severe enough to send me to another doctor, but told me it would hurt for 7 to 10 days, and if it didn't feel better then to call him back. I was told to not run, jump, play racketball, or basically do anything athleticlly fun. Which stinks, but I guess it is best to follow his orders and avoid surgery. So I guess this gives me a doctor's note to be lazy. I can dig that. He then gave me a bunch of free meds and sent me on my way. Four days later and I am not having any more trouble sleeping from the pain, but I tackled a mountain of stair yesterday and I can feel the effects.
Getting old I can handle. The added responsibility, the waning metabolism, the shifting of goals, all of that is fine and and acceptable to me. But, the deterioration of the body is not something I want to deal with. A buddy of mine told me that he wakes up every day with something new hurting. Not something I am looking forward to. But, I guess it is better than the alternative.
2 comments:
I can tell you about the histophysiology of the cartilage in that area if you would like. Okay, well maybe I can't but I did take a test on that today.
David: you ain't seen nuthin' yet.... take it from someone 50 years older than you are! Still, you have my sympathy: just "do what the doctor says, Sonny".
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