A short while ago the following conversation took place between me and MOH:
MOH "Meant to tell you that James Arness (of Gunsmoke fame) has died"
ME "Oh right, how old was he?"
MOH "He was 88"
ME "Oh, not that old then!!"
What??? The man WAS 88. Strange thing though when you yourself are approaching the 80 mark and MOH is already 81 that 88 doesn't seem all that old at all. I guess when I was about 50 I'd have said "Oh well, he's had a good innings" and left it at that.
Perhaps we all consider ourselves immortal but underneath know we are not and thus my reaction.
I am not sure if others will see the humour in the above but it did strike me as really very funny. I am just so glad MOH and I could both laugh about it. You have to laugh or otherwise at times you might shed a few tears instead and that would never do.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
HOW GOOD IT IS TO HAVE A GOOD MEDICAL TEAM
Approaching the age of 80 as I am brings with it (in my case anyway) various medical problems and I have always felt that one must feel at ease with, and confident in, any medical people one has to deal with about any medical problems.
I have had some really good GPs over the year and if I've found one I am not comfortable with then I change to another that works. The one MOH and I have right now is a fantastic fellow with whom we both feel very comfortable and in my case he is good because he does have a great understanding of muscles, tendons and joints. He is a doctor with an AFL (Aussie Rules)football club here in W.A. so deals each week with those type of problems. He also deals with other problems we have and tries his hardest to solve any of those problems for us. He was wonderful when I had shingles on my face last year.
Our endocrinologist is a professor but there is nothing lardie dah about him and he is just so easy to talk to and you feel that you can ask questions and receive straightforward answers. My diabetes (after 15 years) had decided the tablets I was taking were not doing there job any more so when I saw the professor last Wednesday I heard the dreaded words "It's time for insulin". Coming from him it didn't sound all that bad!! Fortunately MOH has been using insulin (3 times a day) for nearly 18 months now so I didn't need any instructions from a diabetes educator as I have at home with me someone who wields a pretty good needle. I only have to have the insulin on retiring and it's great not having to do it myself. That man of mine is so good to me and I love him so much for all the things he does to help me.
Our podiatrist is a good chap too (MOH only goes once a year to have his feet checked) but I go every 8 weeks cos I can't reach my toenails..not just my size but my joints won't let me do it... but John is very thorough and when he massages my feet at the end of the visit with Sorbolene...mmm it is a great feeling.
We also have a terrific dermatologist we visit each year as this being a very sunny country can play havoc with our skins. MOH and I are fortunate in not having much in the way of skin problems although MOH did have a small skin cancer cut from his ear a year or so back. I have had a type of laser treatment to stop my face having that rosy glow and it has done the trick very well (I must admit it hurts a bit....feels like an elastic band snapping on the skin). We see him again in July and are quite looking forward to it.
Now..about eyes. MOH has glaucoma and see his opthamologist every 6 months for testing and they get on well together without any problems. Me? I too have visited him several times and I just don't feel confident with him. I rang recently to see when I was due to see him next and they didn't even have a bring up for me which I thought was bad. He had sent me to an optician who was very good but the spectacle firm for whom he worked did not perform very well at all. I had to go back 4 times for the lenses to be changed and they are still not right. My daughter (Kakka) recommended an optometrist she and her family have been seeing for 20 years or more so I made an appointment to see him last Thursday. He was an absolute delight but was full of surprises. I have cataracts and the fellow MOH and I see when asked what was the prognosis about my cataracts said in a flippant manner "Oh we may have to do something in one or ten years". That did not go down well with me. I know these things are unpredictable but...really. On Thursday I was asked if I was averse to having a cataract operation to which I said "No of course not. Why?" The reponse was that both my eyes needed to be done and I have been referred to an opthamologist who I will be seeing next Tuesday. I just hope I find him as reassuring as my visit to Mr P last week. I am interested to know what this doctor will have to say about it all.
I know this has been a little longwinded but I feel very strongly about the medical care we receive. We must feel comfortable with those that care for us and we must always ask questions and receive reassuring answers and not be fobbed off in any way. I know doctors have hard decisions to make and it must be unbelievably bad to have to tell someone they don't have long to live so I feel for them about that. Nevertheless whether it is an ingrown toenail or something more serioius like diabetes etc., we patients need to know what is going on (after all they are OUR bodies) so never hesitate to ask appropriate questions.
P.S. I forgot my wonderful physios....one lady in particular who manages to keep me mobile most of the time and the other who has set up this lymphatic massage which has stopped my feet being waterlogged following my 2 hip replacement ops. MOH and I do this massage between us each evening and with the use of pressure knee highs it has been magic. I takes a while and can be a little tiring but well worth it. It's only leg and foot massage so nothing compicated.
We don't get out and about much these days so I guess a lot of our outings are to medical appointments etc but it always pays to feel good about anyone in that field you are about to see. I now feel confident about all who care for me and MOH for which I am very thankful and grateful.
I have had some really good GPs over the year and if I've found one I am not comfortable with then I change to another that works. The one MOH and I have right now is a fantastic fellow with whom we both feel very comfortable and in my case he is good because he does have a great understanding of muscles, tendons and joints. He is a doctor with an AFL (Aussie Rules)football club here in W.A. so deals each week with those type of problems. He also deals with other problems we have and tries his hardest to solve any of those problems for us. He was wonderful when I had shingles on my face last year.
Our endocrinologist is a professor but there is nothing lardie dah about him and he is just so easy to talk to and you feel that you can ask questions and receive straightforward answers. My diabetes (after 15 years) had decided the tablets I was taking were not doing there job any more so when I saw the professor last Wednesday I heard the dreaded words "It's time for insulin". Coming from him it didn't sound all that bad!! Fortunately MOH has been using insulin (3 times a day) for nearly 18 months now so I didn't need any instructions from a diabetes educator as I have at home with me someone who wields a pretty good needle. I only have to have the insulin on retiring and it's great not having to do it myself. That man of mine is so good to me and I love him so much for all the things he does to help me.
Our podiatrist is a good chap too (MOH only goes once a year to have his feet checked) but I go every 8 weeks cos I can't reach my toenails..not just my size but my joints won't let me do it... but John is very thorough and when he massages my feet at the end of the visit with Sorbolene...mmm it is a great feeling.
We also have a terrific dermatologist we visit each year as this being a very sunny country can play havoc with our skins. MOH and I are fortunate in not having much in the way of skin problems although MOH did have a small skin cancer cut from his ear a year or so back. I have had a type of laser treatment to stop my face having that rosy glow and it has done the trick very well (I must admit it hurts a bit....feels like an elastic band snapping on the skin). We see him again in July and are quite looking forward to it.
Now..about eyes. MOH has glaucoma and see his opthamologist every 6 months for testing and they get on well together without any problems. Me? I too have visited him several times and I just don't feel confident with him. I rang recently to see when I was due to see him next and they didn't even have a bring up for me which I thought was bad. He had sent me to an optician who was very good but the spectacle firm for whom he worked did not perform very well at all. I had to go back 4 times for the lenses to be changed and they are still not right. My daughter (Kakka) recommended an optometrist she and her family have been seeing for 20 years or more so I made an appointment to see him last Thursday. He was an absolute delight but was full of surprises. I have cataracts and the fellow MOH and I see when asked what was the prognosis about my cataracts said in a flippant manner "Oh we may have to do something in one or ten years". That did not go down well with me. I know these things are unpredictable but...really. On Thursday I was asked if I was averse to having a cataract operation to which I said "No of course not. Why?" The reponse was that both my eyes needed to be done and I have been referred to an opthamologist who I will be seeing next Tuesday. I just hope I find him as reassuring as my visit to Mr P last week. I am interested to know what this doctor will have to say about it all.
I know this has been a little longwinded but I feel very strongly about the medical care we receive. We must feel comfortable with those that care for us and we must always ask questions and receive reassuring answers and not be fobbed off in any way. I know doctors have hard decisions to make and it must be unbelievably bad to have to tell someone they don't have long to live so I feel for them about that. Nevertheless whether it is an ingrown toenail or something more serioius like diabetes etc., we patients need to know what is going on (after all they are OUR bodies) so never hesitate to ask appropriate questions.
P.S. I forgot my wonderful physios....one lady in particular who manages to keep me mobile most of the time and the other who has set up this lymphatic massage which has stopped my feet being waterlogged following my 2 hip replacement ops. MOH and I do this massage between us each evening and with the use of pressure knee highs it has been magic. I takes a while and can be a little tiring but well worth it. It's only leg and foot massage so nothing compicated.
We don't get out and about much these days so I guess a lot of our outings are to medical appointments etc but it always pays to feel good about anyone in that field you are about to see. I now feel confident about all who care for me and MOH for which I am very thankful and grateful.
Monday, May 30, 2011
WHEN OUR CITY WAS A SAFE PLACE TO LIVE
Heard talk today about council rates possibly being raised as the cost of street lighting is due to rise and it is the local councils that pay for street lighting. Now people are afraid our street lights will be turned off early.
Thinking about that I then realised that years ago all street lighting in the suburbs was turned off at 1a.m. and yet we were safe and felt no need for our streets to be lit after that time.
I know our city has grown a lot since then but what has happened to the population that a need is felt for streets to be lit up right through the night? It seems the world has gone to pot when folk are fearful of venturing out in the dark for fear of something bad happening to them.
My years on this mortal coil are numbered as I am nearing age 80 but my concerns are for my children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren as well as other citizens of this beautiful state of ours. What sort of world are they moving into? I have no answer and I doubt anyone else has either. It saddens me as I remember the past and attempt to look into the future.
Thinking about that I then realised that years ago all street lighting in the suburbs was turned off at 1a.m. and yet we were safe and felt no need for our streets to be lit after that time.
I know our city has grown a lot since then but what has happened to the population that a need is felt for streets to be lit up right through the night? It seems the world has gone to pot when folk are fearful of venturing out in the dark for fear of something bad happening to them.
My years on this mortal coil are numbered as I am nearing age 80 but my concerns are for my children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren as well as other citizens of this beautiful state of ours. What sort of world are they moving into? I have no answer and I doubt anyone else has either. It saddens me as I remember the past and attempt to look into the future.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
I ACTUALLY DID A LITTLE WORK OUTSIDE
The area around our back door (under our patio) was getting really grotty so I decided the geraniums in pots should be pruned and put round the side of the house near the lavender where they would get more light..they were growing too rangy so I pruned them first.
Of course had to ask MOH to move the pots for me but when they were gone I picked up the broom and actually managed to sweep up all the leaves and pop a few simple potted plants in place of the geraniums and it's looking so neat and tidy now.
All this probably only took me about 20-30 minutes (with an occasional sit down in between) but I did it and it made me feel good about myself. I can't bend down much or lift anything that weighs more than a couple of kilos but I DID SOMETHING I've not done for a good while.
This may not seem much of an achievement but to me it was and with the advent of this cooler weather I am hoping to get the rest of the area out there really looking good over the next week or so.
Of course had to ask MOH to move the pots for me but when they were gone I picked up the broom and actually managed to sweep up all the leaves and pop a few simple potted plants in place of the geraniums and it's looking so neat and tidy now.
All this probably only took me about 20-30 minutes (with an occasional sit down in between) but I did it and it made me feel good about myself. I can't bend down much or lift anything that weighs more than a couple of kilos but I DID SOMETHING I've not done for a good while.
This may not seem much of an achievement but to me it was and with the advent of this cooler weather I am hoping to get the rest of the area out there really looking good over the next week or so.
FOR PINKPATENTMARY JANES
I have been trying to respond to your comment but it won't have it for some reason. I've tried the help section but it is all too complicated for this non-technical mind to take in. I've been able to comment on my own blog in the past but not any more!! I can comment on blogs that belong to others OK so what the heck is happening.
What I just wanted to say was how much I appreciated the comment you made and it in turn made me glad I had written the second post so quickly after the first as that first one was all doom and gloom wasn't it (apart from the appreciation of the rain).
I know young people today have lots to contend with but I somehow feel that perhaps we oldies have a little more spare time in which to ponder our woes which overall is not all that good for us.
When there is just the two of us perhaps one doesn't want to worry the other too much so we bottle up our feelings a little too much. All my friends have left this mortal coil (far too soon many of them) and the one that is left has had tragedies in her own life recently so she is not the one I can use for a shoulder to cry on.
Perhaps I shouldn't use thig blog to express how I am feeling as it is not my intention to worry others.
What I just wanted to say was how much I appreciated the comment you made and it in turn made me glad I had written the second post so quickly after the first as that first one was all doom and gloom wasn't it (apart from the appreciation of the rain).
I know young people today have lots to contend with but I somehow feel that perhaps we oldies have a little more spare time in which to ponder our woes which overall is not all that good for us.
When there is just the two of us perhaps one doesn't want to worry the other too much so we bottle up our feelings a little too much. All my friends have left this mortal coil (far too soon many of them) and the one that is left has had tragedies in her own life recently so she is not the one I can use for a shoulder to cry on.
Perhaps I shouldn't use thig blog to express how I am feeling as it is not my intention to worry others.
Friday, May 20, 2011
P.S. TO MY PREVIOUS POST
After writing the previous post I went in and had a muffin and cup of coffee that MOH had prepared (it was delicious too) and my little cat came in from outside and asked to be brushed (she does that every day) which she and I both enjoy.
I then sat for several minutes and stroked said cat (they say it is good for our blood pressute) and realised that yes, it IS all worthwhile.
MOH and Precious cat both need me even if I'm not very useful and I need to be here for them and regardless of all the grizzles I have about myself they put up with me very well so my thanks to them for bringing me back down to earth.
MOH will rub Dencorub into my back before I go to bed tonight and I'll help him with the drops he puts in his eyes for glaucoma and earlier in the evening we will both do the lymphatic massage which has brought my feet and ankles back to normal size.
We've managed quite well so far so whatever the future may bring we'll get through it together as long as we have each other. Lets hope it stays that way for a few more years.
I then sat for several minutes and stroked said cat (they say it is good for our blood pressute) and realised that yes, it IS all worthwhile.
MOH and Precious cat both need me even if I'm not very useful and I need to be here for them and regardless of all the grizzles I have about myself they put up with me very well so my thanks to them for bringing me back down to earth.
MOH will rub Dencorub into my back before I go to bed tonight and I'll help him with the drops he puts in his eyes for glaucoma and earlier in the evening we will both do the lymphatic massage which has brought my feet and ankles back to normal size.
We've managed quite well so far so whatever the future may bring we'll get through it together as long as we have each other. Lets hope it stays that way for a few more years.
A DAY OF MIXED FEELINGS
I am blue!! It is not the weather as I love the sound of rain on the roof and goodness alone knows, we need it and so much more too. I am a winter person so the wind and the rain and cloudy skies are my friends.
Why am I blue? I am getting so tired of not being able to do THINGS. OK I can stand and wash dishes and cook meals even if the old back starts to howl after a few minutes but it's the not being able to carry things or bend down in the garden etc. etc. I begin to do something and have to sit down again so I sort of give up and do nothing which I realise is wrong but that's how it is. I see so many things that I once used to do and know darned well I can't do them now no matter how much I want to. I know I still have two legs and two arms and can see and hear (fairly well) andall that but the frustration does get to me.
On top of that for some unknown reason my diabetes has taken quite a sudden turn for the worse. I have increased one of my pills to the maximum and it doesn't seem to be making a tad of difference. There is nothing else I can take now except insulin. My MOH has been injecting insulin for his diabetes for over a year now and it doesn't really worry him but then he doesn't have any other real problems, and certainly not physical ones although he has slowed down a bit and does less now. Even he gets a little frustrated at times and seems to think that at 81 he should still be doing what he was doing at 30.
We see our endocrinologist on 1 June and before that I have to have a blood test and I dread to find out what my glycated haemoglobulin will be. Fortuanately I always ask that a copy of the pathology results be sent to my home so I am forewarned before I see the professor of the results.
I am keeping my fingers crossed and hoping beyond hope that insulin is not going to be the answer. I guess I will have to be philosophical about all this but too many of these problems begin to make you wonder..is it all worth it?
Why am I blue? I am getting so tired of not being able to do THINGS. OK I can stand and wash dishes and cook meals even if the old back starts to howl after a few minutes but it's the not being able to carry things or bend down in the garden etc. etc. I begin to do something and have to sit down again so I sort of give up and do nothing which I realise is wrong but that's how it is. I see so many things that I once used to do and know darned well I can't do them now no matter how much I want to. I know I still have two legs and two arms and can see and hear (fairly well) andall that but the frustration does get to me.
On top of that for some unknown reason my diabetes has taken quite a sudden turn for the worse. I have increased one of my pills to the maximum and it doesn't seem to be making a tad of difference. There is nothing else I can take now except insulin. My MOH has been injecting insulin for his diabetes for over a year now and it doesn't really worry him but then he doesn't have any other real problems, and certainly not physical ones although he has slowed down a bit and does less now. Even he gets a little frustrated at times and seems to think that at 81 he should still be doing what he was doing at 30.
We see our endocrinologist on 1 June and before that I have to have a blood test and I dread to find out what my glycated haemoglobulin will be. Fortuanately I always ask that a copy of the pathology results be sent to my home so I am forewarned before I see the professor of the results.
I am keeping my fingers crossed and hoping beyond hope that insulin is not going to be the answer. I guess I will have to be philosophical about all this but too many of these problems begin to make you wonder..is it all worth it?
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