I haven't been posting much lately because I'm so caught up in trying to navigate through a maze of health problems that my Honey and I are experiencing as we have gotten older. Many of you have already navigated through your health problems or are navigating through them just like we are and so you can understand when I say it all gets a little overwhelming at times, stressful, and just down right depressing too. It's not just the health problems either, it's waiting (sometimes for months) to see the Specialists that can diagnose your problems and let you know what your options are in bringing these health problems under control, etc. I liked it much better when one Doctor handled most things and you very rarely needed to see a Specialist. On Tuesday I will finally see the Allergy Specialist and go through testing once again. I am hoping to take allergy shots to build up immunity to the things I am allergic too...which is basically everything that grows outside. I'm tired of not being able to enjoy outside time anymore and there are inside things that give me problems too. Plus the medications I have been on have side effects of triggering my heart palpitations and since they aren't really working well anymore, we will have to find alternatives in this. Besides my Honey having Macular Degeneration which is causing him to lose his vision, he also now has high blood pressure and test results last week showed his PSA level is higher than normal so he will be seeing a Urologist in June to see what is causing this. With his brother fighting prostrate cancer for the past couple of years this is something that we are concerned about too. When I started having irregular heart beats I had a really hard time dealing with this and found myself "afraid" to do anything that might trigger a heart attack. Now that I have seen the Heart Specialist and had tests to rule out heart disease, etc. I am feeling more peaceful about things and realize that I have a life to keep living and I can't let these heart palpitations keep me from living my life. It seems though that our health problems just started popping up in our lives and now we both are trying to navigate through the maze of them. As many of you already know....and we are learning...this isn't fun and it certainly isn't without stress. But it is part of getting older and so we are going to have to learn to live with these things just like we have had to learn to live with other problems during other seasons of our lives. There is one blessing that I am praying my Honey will have the courage to see it through. When we see our Primary Physician for his test results on Wedneday, he is going to tell her he wants to quit smoking. Here in Louisiana there is a Trust Fund that pays for medications, counseling, etc, whatever he will need to help him beable to do this, so it won't cost him anything money wise...but he will need courage and will power to stay strong in his desire to quit for good. There's lots going on for us health wise right now and we are slowly but surely finding answers and learning how to navigate through these health problems that have come forth as we have gotten older. I know we are not alone in this and that many of you are dealing with your health problems too. It helps to share our struggles in this area so I hope you don't mind my sharing ours.
Not at all Babs - it does help We are all rooting for you and your Honey and Brother and always here for you too xx
I went through what you are going through and waiting for the verdict of doctors and when they said that they don't know what caused it but they have a surgery or pill that can fix it. I stopped with the doctors if they don't know how can they fix anything. I am healthier now than when I was 40 living a great life. When they tell you they don't know what causes it in a way they are telling you they don't know how to fix it.
From my prior medical knowledge/experience, a pill or surgery may just be the only way to go. Of course I'd rather take a pill than have surgery, but sometimes surgery overrules a pill. I've had a hip replacement and a rotator cuff surgery on each shoulder. I now have a type of arthritis in all three areas that can/does flare up.
I still say, during retirement, money is the biggest key word. Money sure can make retirement so, so much easier. It helps with health problems and a bunch of other things.
Cody only wish you could come here all the people who had arthritis in this area no longer have it. People who have had other problems also disappeared. This is the people who changed their diet and went for nutrition. Amazing
Maybe helps some but rich people also die from cancer, heart disease etc..even the best care can't save your life if you have something diagnosed too late or a heart attack or aneurysm and not near a hospital etc.
You say these things @Martin Alonzo but where is the proof? http://global-disease-burden.healthgrove.com/l/75887/Rheumatoid-Arthritis-in-Dominican-Republic
As we age we are going to develop some health problems no matter how well we eat, exercise, and stay stress free. Our human bodies were not made to last forever and they will have wear and tear, and break downs in one area or another the older we get. There's no escaping that for any of us humans even if we have all the money in the world.
It's not so much Martin that the Doctors can't find out what is causing something or help you manage things. It is more that it takes forever to see the Specialists to get the help you need.
I think that may depend on where you live...I've never had a problem getting in for any tests I needed. My abnormal ekg was sorted out in about 2 weeks max, maybe even sooner.
Chrissy I am having a hard time understanding you if you were to invite me to your place Iand I show up in the USA I am there.
It might have something to do with where you live Chrissy. My Honey's PSA is at an abnormal level and the Urologist's Office called yesterday and told him his appointment would be June 13th. Once he is an established patient he should not have to wait so long if he needs to see the Urologist again. But I don't think he should have to wait until June 13th to see that Specialist.
It was tough for me to realize that things aren't going to just go away if I wait them out, as they did so often when I was younger. There were many times when I would hurt myself, or come down with something, but I knew that it would get better by itself eventually. That's no longer the case. Things just don't go away anymore. Even with doctors, they seldom go away. Like @Chrissy Cross, I have noticed over the years that wealth and the ability to afford the best in medical care doesn't seem to help that much, given the very wealthy people who are dying of cancer, heart problems, and other things, I don't know that it matters that much.