Monday, January 3, 2011

GETTING OLDISH IS NOT FOR SISSIES

Not only did I take down and box up all my own holiday decorations, I spent hours at the hotel last night doing the same.  The nice part about doing it at the hotel, aside from being paid for it, was that I had a nice young man who did the heavy lifting and carted all the boxes away to store them for next year.  That part I have not done at home because I have no nice person who will help me without making a stink or requiring a bribe.

Today my left foot, which is riddled with arthritis, is swollen, very painful and making me unhappy.  My first thought was to go to the gym and work out and then take a jacuzzi.  My second thought was skip the workout and go straight for the soothing warm waters.  Instead I am blogging and complaining.  Happy?  Me neither.

My sister claims that the weather makes her ache all over.  Inwardly I have questioned this while offering soothing, supportive words.  Now I am beginning to think I am afflicted with the same issue.  The weather has been cold and rainy for weeks and I have been hobbling around that long.  The sad thing is that she is just 51 and I am her older sister.  I have arthritis in my left foot and both my knees and I think, though undiagnosed, a bit in my hands.  She has it in many more spots and more painfully,  in her back.

The internets say to use anti-inflammatories, heat or ice and lose weight in addition to piles of supplements which may or may not work - for me the glucosamine didn't work.  A physical therapist I talked to about it said that it works for some people and not for others.  I suspect that is the same story for many supplements.  The day t day handling of knee pain is in opposition in many ways to handing foot pain - so that doesn't help, either!

So now that I have started the new year off by complaining and not on the brightside, I will pick myself up and get to the gym!  If I were an emoticon person I would make a frownie face with a wink...

5 comments:

shrink on the couch said...

I had The View on for a very few minutes while I was getting dressed this morning. I have probably watched a total of 30 minutes of this show in the past year.

But my point is (and I do have one) is that this morning Nora Ephron was the guest, talking about her book "I Feel Bad About my Neck."

To which Joy said, "As Bette Davis said, 'Getting old is not for sissies.'"

To which Baba said, "Katherine Hepburn said that. But that's ok."

To which Joy insisted she was right.

To which Baba had her staff check and then Baba said, "Bette Davis DID say that. See? I was right!"

Time to retire, Baba.

shrink on the couch said...

And I vote for the jacuzzi, minus the work out. Hope your foot is feeling better by now.

Jenn @ Juggling Life said...

Have you tried anti-inflammatories? Sometimes it's easier to prevent the pain than catch up with it--I now take ibuprofen BEFORE I garden.

I'm sure the arthritis is terrible. I have (self-diagnosed) just a bit in left big toe that's been broken several times and it can be quite unpleasant.

Kudos to you for getting so much work done!

Tricia said...

"Youyth is wasted on the young"
George Bernard Shaw

Nan said...

I know it's a cliche, but getting old does beat the alternative.