The older I get, the more things are falling apart. I like making lists, so here’s one of my body failing me. In no particular order…
My neck. I’ve had trouble with it for at least 20+ years. I’m not sure how it started but it doesn’t help having a rather long, thin neck. I had MRIs done about 20 years ago, along with a treatment of massages and physical therapy. The therapist said I’m lacking muscles on one side and assigned some exercises to try to build them up. After a year, I gave up and just try to deal with the off and on pain.
My back. I know exactly when this started. In the late eighties, I was managing a nursery in Tualatin, Oregon named River Valley Gardens. One day I sold several fir trees that probably weighed over a hundred pounds each. The buyer couldn’t help lift them. So I loaded them into their van by myself. I felt something pop in my lower back on the last one. I could hardly straighten up and walked like an old man for a week after. Every since then, about once a year, my back will go out and I’ll have to stay in bed for a couple days to a week. Some times, the pain is excruciating but it always eases up eventually. I’ve been to chiropractors a few times without much effect.
My left collarbone. I broke it about 10 years ago, in a bicycle crash. It was almost healed when I tripped over a friends dog and fell on my face. Then it never healed properly and the doctor recommended installing a permanent metal clamp to hold it in place. I declined because I didn’t want that in me. So I can no longer lift as much weight and sometimes wake up in pain, if I roll over wrong in bed.
My jaw. Every since I got braces, in my early thirties, my jaw often slips out of joint, usually on my left side. It can be pretty painful and difficult to get back in. Then, about 10 years ago, it completely locked up on that side. Turned out that a tendon had tore loose and had wedged into the joint. I had surgery done to reattach the tendon. That was successful. However, I was given too much sedative and slept the day away in the surgery center. Finally they gave me a stimulant to wake me up and it sent me into seizures. Apparently I’m allergic to something in that cocktail of 11 ingredients. After some tests, my doctor said that it appears there is now some damage to the back side of my heart. But not anything to be deeply concerned about. 😦
My right knee. This seems the big one for me at this time. I started having pain in this knee about 10-12 years ago. I could no longer run or squat with heavy weights. After a month long trip to Thailand (I was in constant pain while there), I went to the doctor. There was X-rays and MRIs done that were inconclusive. But the surgeon decided to do exploratory surgery and discovered the meniscus was shredded. So he removed most of it. Since then I’ve dealt with almost continual pain, usually minor, but occasionally fairly bad. Some days I can hike 10 miles with a light backpack, others I can barely walk because of major pain. Right now, it is about as bad as before I had that surgery. Hoping that I don’t need the knee replaced!
My right abdomen. I think I did this the same time that I first hurt my back. I have had a sore spot, right at the bottom of the ribcage, ever since then. It is always a low grade pain there and sometimes it flares up to much more. The doctor called it an ab strain, but it has never went away in 25 years. Sometimes it swells up and I have to push it back in.
My left big toe. I’ve dropped heavy things on that toe several times and even lost the nail once. The nail curls under on the left side now and often gets infected. There will be some blood, pus, and pain for some time. Then it eases up for awhile and seems healed up. The doctor has called it an ingrown nail and did some trimming. But it’s still the same.
My right elbow. I broke it during that bike crash 10 years ago. Every since it had felt like there is gravel in the joint. The pain is constant. It ebbs and flows. It’s worst when I’m in bed and holding a book.
My right wrist. Related to above. I broke it in the bike crash too. I can barely write anymore because my hand gets painful cramps. I find myself frequently making a fist and relaxing it, trying to ease the tension. Sometimes, my fingers will kind of lock into positions by themselves.
Acid reflux. At times it has been bad enough to make me vomit or have to sit up all night, for as much as a week straight. It is an occasional thing, coming and going. It started 8-10 years ago. The doctor tested me with radioactive dyes and X-rayed me after I drank the radioactive medicine. I definitely have it, according to him. What seems to help me most is, keep my weight down, don’t eat much late in the evening, and to take Prilosec (the 3 week program) when the problems start. Also to always sleep with my head higher than my feet. Not always easy to do, when sleeping in a van and moving to a different spot each night.
Enlarged prostate. This just started a few months ago. Taking pills each day cuts down the need to pee several times a night. But doesn’t eliminate it entirely. And I don’t like that the pills seem to be decreasing my sex drive considerably. If I had my druthers, I think I’d rather have surgery to eliminate the problem.
My left ear. This is the most minor one. I accidentally nicked the top of my ear while shaving my head a year ago. It was been tender every since. I often wake at night because of pain from laying on that side. Just doesn’t want to heal.
Arthritis. My doctor says this is primarily due to all the injuries and broken bones in my life. Cold and dampness seem to cause most of the pain. Though sometimes it appears to just be a weather change that causes it. Barometric pressure, maybe? This ties in with all my individual points of interest.
Occasional migraines. These don’t happen often, luckily. When they do, I generally try to sleep them off. They are probably due to my skull fractures and concussions over the years. I do get milder headaches, which are usually from being on the internet too much on my phone.
I think that this pretty much sums up my physical troubles. I’ll save my psychological, emotional, and financial problems for another day. I may add to my list later, or hopefully delete things from this list. Time will tell!
iggyvandweller 