Gosh, I wouldn't blame anyone if they stop reading right there.
So! What I thought would take 15 minutes took an hour, what with their insisting on weighing me (I don't want to talk about it) and taking my blood pressure (which I made them do twice, because I didn't like the first numbers) and the doctor's ordering x-rays of my back and hips before she would put in the referral.
Did you know you have to take off your bra to do a lower back x-ray? I was not happy.
Anyway, all that took an hour (which really isn't bad, considering the x-rays) and then I had to run out of there to pick up David from school; and my dinky cellphone, which only rings when it WANTS to, missed the call from the doctor, who left a voicemail telling me there were apparent "arthritic changes" in my back.
You know, I knew that already. I could feel it. But hearing it? Really depressed me. So now I am being forced to focus on the fact that I have become an arthritic, overweight person by age 50. Oh, and the triage nurse, adding insult to injury, gave me a little present.
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| Personally, I don't want to read anything that contains the words "fecal sample." |
That's a DIY stool collection kit that I send off to a lab so some lucky technician can search for microscopic traces of blood in my poop. Everyone who is 50 gets one. Aren't we lucky?
Sounds like you need some chocolate.
ReplyDeleteI take it that the word 'colonoscopy' didn't come into the conversation - as that's the word that made me leave the doctor’s office at 50 and not go back for 7 years.
ReplyDeleteI know - I'm surprised I didn't hear it. Maybe because they were too busy trying to persuade me to schedule a mammogram and a Pap smear...
DeleteOh for real? I'd be so disheartened.
ReplyDeleteI bet *everybody* has "arthritic changes" in their back by age 50.
ReplyDeleteI hope I didn't come across as callous. I'm just trying to say that you're not alone in this aging process we're all going through.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to be in a similar boat by that age, I'm sure. My knees already act as accurate barometers. Hope they can help, even if it sucks that you need it.
ReplyDeleteOof. Sorry.
ReplyDeleteMy recent appointment involved an extra super squishy mammogram that still has me a little traumatized. There are times I seriously wonder if I should throw caution to the wind and just never return to the doctor again unless it's an emergency. Life might be better that way. (Potentially shorter, but better!)
ReplyDeleteWell at least you aren't the person at the lab who has to open those envelopes every day.
ReplyDeleteummm that sounds like fun.
ReplyDeleteI got my blood test results back from when I had them done a bit ago. I was pretty happy with my results. Only one "bad" grade lol.
The amount of medical crap involved in getting older is profoundly daunting. Bleh.
ReplyDeleteGirl, we are falling apart. Both shoulders are out of whack, so I can't sleep w/out Advil. Now off to schedule a mammogram. Yippee!!!
ReplyDeleteI hear you, I sympathize with you, and, more than that, I am right there with you. I've been the physical therapist lots this year so far.
ReplyDeleteDecrepit is being told at age 50 that you have an arthritic hip. Sheesh, really? Old much?
ReplyDeleteThat sounds just horrible. No way to sugarcoat it, friend.
ReplyDeleteBut on the upside, cnn recently reported that knitting helps with anxiety. So more validation to knit constantly now.
ReplyDeleteWe're all getting there. My back has bothered me for 27+ years. I fell off a ladder when I was picking peaches. One side of the step ladder sunk into a groundhog tunnel while I was balanced on the top step. I never went to the dr then. It has gotten to the point now that I may go see the chiropractor again. Usually I have only needed to see him when I was pregnant. Hey, it only took me 20 years to decide to get my hernia repaired last December. :)
ReplyDeleteIs that envelope in lieu of a colonoscopy? Cause I would definitely be interested in THAT idea!
ReplyDeleteAging is not for sissies.
ReplyDeleteI'm 48 going on 70 these days, so I definitely "feel" your post.
Oh, there are a lucky few of us, though... I got a flyer from the community hospital, that had just invested in a lot of expensive equipment, touting their abilities now as a cancer center (yeah right. With Stanford half a dozen miles up the road), and after noting my name and address told me I was now over 50, y'know, wouldn't want to lose you too soon (or words to that effect). It was imperative that I schedule my colonoscopy today!
ReplyDeleteSomeone SO didn't do all their homework.
Oh, I know how you feel! I just found out I have osteopenia (precursor to osteoporosis) and have already shrunk an inch. Talk about feeling old. Hope you find some relief for the arthritis (maybe that can be poured in a glass? wink.) And hope all came out ok in the poop sample.
ReplyDelete