Biden has been President for a day and a half and already Hannity of Fox has declared Biden's first week a disaster, the new Q-Anon Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has filed articles of impeachment against Biden, Texas AG Ken Paxton is gonna sue to stop Biden's administration's 'lawlessness', and the 'rules don't apply to me' new Representative Lauren Boebert has introduced legislation to reverse the federal mask mandate, Ted Cruz is babbling about Biden caring more for Parisians than the citizens of Pittsburg (the very people whose votes he tried to dismiss) by rejoining the Paris Climate Accords and McConnell is already whining and demanding that the new Senate give precedence to the minority's concerns (you know like he did for the last 10 years...not). Well, the Wacky Right may not be happy but the majority of Americans are very happy. Not just happy, relieved, weightless.
And then I went to get my eyes examined today.
The last time I had an eye exam was five years ago and I got glasses in order to pass the eye test to get my driver's license renewed which glasses I lost two years later during the flood and never replaced simply going back to drugstore cheaters. I have felt that in the last year, my eyesight improved. I know longer needed the magnifiers to be able to read my book. Today, the eye doctor confirmed that, my eyesight has indeed improved. But not for any good reason. I have cataracts forming and that's what cataracts do, improve your eyesight until the day your eyesight crashes. Left eye worse than the right eye. I could go ahead and get the left eye done but since they prefer to do both eyes a month apart, I should wait til fall, make an appointment with an ophthalmologist and plan to have cataract surgery next December/January. I kind of expected the cataract news as my sister had hers done when she was about the age I am now and there have been a few times when I have detected a faint gray smudge when looking at a bright sky or a well lit white ceiling. If that was the only problem, not that big a deal.
But...
I also have macular degeneration. Fortunately not the kind that hits and deteriorates quickly so that you have to get shots in your eyes every month. Apparently, my last eye exam a faint spot or two had started to show up in my right eye (I don't remember being informed of this) and now 5 years later my left eye has caught up to where the right eye was then and my right eye has gotten a little worse. This form is a slow degeneration and he figures that it will be 15 years or so at this rate before my vision is seriously affected. Good news is that he thinks by then they will have treatment for it as it's something researchers are working on. And there are steps I can take; wearing a hat and wrap around sunglasses every time I'm outside, eat dark leafy greens every day preferably a cup's worth, and avoid smoke of all kinds. Folks, I like dark leafy greens...mustard, collard, spinach, even beet greens...and we eat them often but if I have to eat a cup's worth every single day for the next 10 or 15 years, that's gonna get old fast.
So three years ago, afib and flutter. This year my blood sugar is pre-diabetic, my teeth are crumbling, and now my eyes are crapping out on me.
Update on the teeth. The broken pieces from two of my front teeth weren't bits of my teeth but old fillings that failed though I don't remember the original restorations. The tooth in between had some decay and a veneer that no longer covered the tooth completely due to receding gums but didn't need a crown, however, if I did all three in a row now he could get rid of the gap that had developed between my two front teeth. So vanity won the day and three and a half hours later I left with three temporary crowns. When I get the permanent ones I will have a total of 14 crowns with at least one more in the future.
They weren't kidding when they said getting old ain't for sissies.
I am so sorry. I really, truly understand having one of those days myself.
ReplyDeletemy problems pale compared to yours.
DeleteOh hell. Ellen, this is not good news. But those of us who have worked our bodies hard are going to face these problems. That's all there is to it.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry that you're having to face all of this. Too much at once. I know you're strong in all ways but this is just a lot.
Keep us posted.
the eye doctor did say that most people reach the stage I'm at around 65 so I got five extra years. I'm not really too concerned. I think the blood sugar will go down and the teeth can be fixed. the cataracts are also supposed to be an easy fix. the macular degeneration did throw me but I've already got my sunglasses and the AREDS2.
DeleteDuring cataract surgery , you may recall, the doctor fried my retina resulting in macular degeneration, the slow kind accelerated a bit from getting fried...anyway Greens are good but PreserVision by Bausch and Lomb-AREDS2 are better. Two a day. Held at bay because of these over the counter pills/vitamins. No shots yet...I go to a retina specialist.
ReplyDeleteNOT the multi vitamins by the same - AREDS 2 are the ones you want.
Deletetotally sucks that your doc fried your retina. it's a worry, but I got the AREDS2 and sunglasses so onwards.
DeleteAt our age, it's always something, and it's never good. Sorry about your vision, I have a cataract in my right eye that's noticeable, but not bad enough for Medicare to pay for it. Aaaargh.
ReplyDeleteI guess I'll find out next fall. it never occured to me that my supplement might deny it.
DeleteI have an appointment on Tuesday next week for my eyes. It's a real pain but it has to be done.
ReplyDeletehope you get better results than me.
DeleteSorry about the medical issues. It must be hard to deal with new problems when you're already coping with the ones you had. Enough already!
ReplyDeletethe teeth can easily be fixed and I know plenty of people who have had cataract surgery and it will be a year before I deal with that. and while my blood sugar was high, it has fluctuated in the past so I've modified my diet somewhat. and I've got my sunglass and the AREDS2 so many people recommended for the MD. I don't feel too overwhelmed but I'm glad I don't have anymore doctor appts.
DeleteI always say that we never know what our bodies doing behind our backs. One day we wake up and we're pre-diabetic, our vision is declining, and our teeth are crumbling. Yikes. I didn't know that you and I are medical twins!
ReplyDeletehell of a thing to be twins with! it could be so much worse.
DeleteGot cataracts but how can you afford the crowns? My gums are receding with dry mouth and yes, I hate getting old. I hear there is a laser they can do for the cataracts. That is what I want.
ReplyDeletefortunately he's giving me a break on the price of the crowns and we have money put away from the sale of our city house after the neighborhood got gentrified and property values skyrocketed.
DeleteThat business about aging is just a mess, honestly. I salute you for your cheerfuzl approach, greens, sure.
ReplyDeleteI am waiting for my cataract diagnosis, after my father and my grandmother had it done and since it's me, I am also expecting everything to go wrong.
well, can't do anything about it except be proactive. my sister is allergic to steroids and that's one of the things they give you in eye drops to help heal after cataract surgery. she couldn't use them and it took forever for hers to heal completely. well, not forever, but twice as long at least.
DeleteWell, I'm glad the immediate eye problem can be taken care of, at least, and the macular degeneration is a slower form. (Looking on the bright side, here!) Glad you got the teeth done. Why not?
ReplyDeletere the teeth, yes, for the first time since I was 16 I'll have decent looking front teeth. and I got the sunglasses and the AREDS2 that everyone says helps the MD so hopefully that will stop it from getting worse.
DeleteEllen, fortunately cataract surgery is no longer a big deal--I've had it.
ReplyDeleteLike yours, my teeth are giving me fits (each one I "save" costs $3,000 for the implant and another $2,000 for the crown. I considered dentures, but the more money I spend, the more I resist "locking in" my losses.
I'm so very sorry to hear that you have macular degeneration. The accumulation of age-related problems has left me with ever less enthusiasm for living to a "ripe old age," although a hundred years ago, I would have already passed the average life expectantly, my current age being 71, at least until March. I look at Biden, and wonder where the hell he gets all that energy when I don't have it now, and I'm considerably younger than he.
"They weren't kidding when they said getting old ain't for sissies."
I guess that's why men die younger. Aside from explosive strength when we're young, you women appear to the strong gender.
Here's to the best for you.
thanks. and I do agree about being the stronger gender. maybe not stronger but more resilient, higher tolerance to pain, more stamina, but I also think that men have their strength and power in the first half of their lives and then tend to lose it as they age while women gain their strength and personal power as they age.
DeleteBiden does seem ageless but I fear the next four years are going to take a big toll on him as it does every president.
Ellen, years ago, I saw a PBS show about gender differences. As it turns out, testosterone is useful in various ways. For instance, it makes men better than women at operating heavy machinery because heavy equipment requires a high level of hand/eye coordination that is partially related to testosterone. For this reason, women who have higher than average testosterone levels (for their gender) are better heavy equipment operators than are women who don't. On the other hand, men who have higher than average levels of testosterone (for their gender) make terrible heavy equipment operators because they tend to be jerky and impatient. As for women's abilities, their type of muscle fibers enables them to squeeze triggers more smoothly than men, and this makes them better with firearms. When I think of strength in women, I think of the things you mentioned. Men are more prone to birth defects, violence, suicide, insanity, and early death when their mates die. For most of my life, I liked being a man because I was strong and physically skilled. Now that I can no longer do so many of the things that I once loved and that gave my life purpose, being a man just sucks. I suppose that the point comes for a lot of men when they reflect upon the thought that there are millions of athletic women out there who could absolutely beat the shit out of them. Why should this matter given that those women have no interest in harming old men? It's because men grow up with the belief that muscle strength is an important aspect of manhood, so when muscle strength diminishes, part of what it means to be a man also diminishes.
DeleteI had new lenses implanted when I had my cataracts removed, and I was astonished by how easy everything was. Of course there was a short recovery time, but it sure was worth it. I had the cataracts removed by laser, and that took all of 15 minutes. The laser broke the cataracts into tiny pieces, and then they used a teeny, tiny "vacuum cleaner" to suck out all the pieces. Amazing.
ReplyDeleteI've heard that people who have cataracts have their eyesight improve dramatically but maybe that's those who get new lenses as well. well, I guess I'll find out about a year from now. I wonder how much worse my eyesight will get by then. it's not noticeably bad now, don't have a hard time seeing although sometimes when I'm working it's hard to get enough light where I need it. never occured to me that it might be something with my eyes. the eye doc said I'd be surprised how bright everything will look after.
DeleteHe's right! While I was recovering, I had to wear sunglasses at the computer for a few days. That cracked me up. It took a full five years for mine to get bad enough to require removal. It's my impression cataracts are slow growers generally. And I'd forgotten about how my vision improved for a time, before I had them removed. It was odd, for sure.
DeleteI don't know where to start, so I'll say your several medical outcomes are not the best, but there seems to be little modern medicine cannot fix, or at least greatly improve. If sunglasses and a hat are your worst impediments, I'd say you were born under a lucky star.
ReplyDeleteI can't help but agree with you. that and add one more pill to the growing number. I have obtained sunglasses and AREDS2. doing what I can. eyesight so far doesn't seem compromised.
DeleteROFL here... sorry, but you are so very right--getting old is NOT for sissies or the faint of heart. Oh my... I didn't know cataracts improved your vision, I thought they deteriorated your vision to the point where you were forced to get them removed. Been there, did that a couple of years ago, but now I have scar tissue growing over the lenses in both of my eyes so I'll have to have them cleaned off with a laser. Joy, joy! NOT. I do look forward to being able to see better. That'll be worth the effort, for sure.
ReplyDeleteeye doc said they improve your vision before they completely trash it. the idea of lasers on my eyes freaks me out, kinda like the zapper in my heart but I managed that.
DeleteAt least you're on top of things medically. Good for you. And none of this seems to have slowed you down so there's that. Your pace us quite impressive to me. Also, your first paragraph here is the best summation of Republican clusterfuckery that I've seen. They are utterly absurd. But yes, the rest of us are feeling so light we might just take flight.
ReplyDeletewell, so far my issues do seem manageable or fixable so I'm doing better than many in the greater scheme of things and I'm grateful for that. when my mother turned 60, she sat her butt down and proclaimed herself old and that she didn't have to do anything anymore. pretty soon she couldn't. I don't want to be like that so I just don't stop. plus I have a high metabolism. if I'm not doing stuff I'll sit there and jiggle though I have tried to suppress that.
DeleteSorry for all of your medical troubles but congrats on the positive attitude! They CAN do so much now to help all of those things so glad you are getting the help you need. My parents had an old friend that would say, "the golden years are tarnished."!
ReplyDeleteStay healthy and stay safe!
doing my best. the macular degeneration sort of freaked me out though I kind of expected the cataracts eventually. eye doc did say that he usually sees my condition is people that are 65 so I'm 5 years ahead of the game.
DeleteYou've just had one thing after another lately! You are so right about getting old not being for sissies. I was looking at my gums this morning & they don't look right to me. Now you know I'm a hypochondriac, but still... I really hate going to the dentist. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteright?! I have one more appointment, bone density scan next month to check the progress or improvement of my osteoporosis which I do not take the med for. been several years since I've had one of those. hopefully results will be the same or better. next time I think I'll spread it all out over the course of a year since this has been like playing whack-a-mole.
DeleteI noticed a steeper deterioration in the past 4 years. My right eye is 10 years older than me. And I'm like chronologically your little bro, so yeah that didn't help did it?
ReplyDeleteMedical issues seem to be a daily annoyance at my age. Politics make me want to go hide somewhere. I have a low tolerance for stupidity
ReplyDelete