The 70’s Club. Damn, I am a member!

Hello World,

What a year! I am officially in the 70s club…How did it happen? I can hardly believe it. Is this my last decade? Will I be able to travel? Will I have fewer friends?  Will my kids stay connected to me as a person? Will I still swim in the ocean and continue to kayak? Will I be able to ride my bike? Will my legs keep walking? Will my eyes keep seeing?

When I turned 60 I was amazed! Where had the time gone? How could I be 60? I didn’t like my older appearance but my mind and my body worked as well as it had for decades. 70 is different. Some where along the line I developed Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Glaucoma. Double Damn! How will I navigate these diseases without letting them control my life? How can I go about grabbing fun, satisfaction, adventure, new experiences and  joy as I live each day?

I now deal with physical limitations and the irritation of taking drugs. I wake up putting drops in my eyes. I go to bed putting drops in my eyes. I take RA drugs twice per day. I am a regular at the drug store. I think of my mother-in-law and father in-law each time I go to the pharmacy. In the past I was the person who picked up the “older’s” medications. Today I am the older. I have to remember to take my medications everyday. You would think that should be easy. Not… I have to plan to get extra drugs when I travel. Insurance companies make this a chore. This is just one of the changes I am forced to deal with as an older who has chronic diseases. It is really the tip of the iceberg. Am I changing because of my age? Or am I changing because of these diseases? And do doctors view me, an older. as a medical management issue rather than a patient to be cured because I am at the end of my life? Are there new treatments which aren’t considered because of my age?

Joining the 70s club makes me acknowledge that I am “Coming into the End Zone” as described in Doris Grumbach’s book.  A book I read in my 40s when I thought I was getting to be an older woman! My advice to 4os somethings – live!! Don’t waste time worrying about age. I am now really at the end of my life. There are two important goals for me. I want to love my days and I want to expand my life.

To celebrate joining the 70s  club I took a scuba diving lesson. I loved it! I will take another lesson this fall and then go on an open water dive. I am excited to experience a new adventure. Scuba lessons fits both goals. I am grabbing an adventure which makes my day fabulous and I am expanding my life by learning a new skill.

Being an older, creates interesting times. I have time to spend the way I want but my body limits some choices. This is a place to reflect on the reality of my life as an older. All in all, I am blessed. I refuse to quit living before I die. “Life is a banquet and most poor slobs are starving”.

 

What Makes Us Old?

I have had the best summer, sprinkled with new Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) pain! I am dealing quite well with my older look. I am not giving up on my appearance but I am not spending my life worrying about how old I look. That subject is for another day. I have plenty to say!  At any rate, this summer we decided to take a couple of road trips. We have a small travel trailer. It is only 17′. But it has a bed that doesn’t have to be folded up during the day and it has a small (very small) bathroom. Important for an older like me. Another indgnity of aging, I need to be able to get to the bathroom at night.  Of course, the trailer also has a frig, stove, microwave and a table.

We decided to travel with our oldest son and his family to see Glacier and Yellowstone. It was to be short travel days with all of us together at RV camps for a night or two or four. As we were leaving I was quite suddenly attacked with pain in my knees that almost stopped me from walking. I actually used a walking stick – I don’t yet own a cane. The pain made me think twice about getting out of our truck at each stop. Instead of jumping out to see the newest wonderful view or to visit the tourist store that was so inviting I thought, “Do I really want to feel the pain it is going to take to get out and walk.” Drats, to put it mildly.

Of course, I emailed my wonderful doctor and a few days into the trip he sent a prescription for Prednisone, a drug I thought I would never agree to take. Right! I couldn’t wait to arrive in the town of Ennis and find the local drug store. This drug did save the trip for me. I was able to walk and see the Yellowstone Grand Canyon, the mud pots and various other magical hot springs and pools. We even got up early and found a mother grizzly and her cub.

We traveled again this summer, this time on our own, to see Crater Lake. We camped nearby and I got to kayak and play. We then had a week at Mercer Lake in a small cabin with our youngest daughter and our grand girl. It was great. I only took the Prednisone for fourteen days but it seemed to slow and dampen the pain cycle.

Since then I have been to see my doctor. We decided to try a new drug and replace the Methotrexate. The new drug, Xeljanz is has serious potential side effects. One side effect is to greatly reduce my immune system. So I got off of all drugs and had a Shingles vaccine (it is a live vaccine) and waited. I had to go four weeks with no RA medication to make sure the vaccine wouldn’t cause me to contract Shingles. Whew! I am now on my new medication and waiting …. to see if I can tolerate it and to see if it works.

Why am I going on about this issue? Because this damn RA pain is cramping my style. We are planning to go on a five or six-week trip to Thailand, Viet Nam, Cambodia and maybe China next spring. Can I move enough to go? Will I be able to travel to these countries with a reduced immune system?  As an older, I have limited time left. I want to explore, try new things and I am frustrated to think that, in addition, to the vanity issues of aging I am also dealing with disease issues that prevent me from doing what I want!

They say olders spend their time talking about their aches and pains. Today, that is certianly me. But this is my base. I will be talking about getting back in the pool, kayaking, snorkeling and bobbing in the ocean. I intend to do everything I can to get back on my bike when we get to Hawaii for the winter.

So come along with me. Let’s not give in or give up. I am going to grab every bit of life I can. And I will likely gripe about and talk a bit about the indignities of being older and having to deal with disease. Thanks for listening.