Monday, February 19, 2007

Arthur Itis and Me

Well, according to my doctor - and several x-rays - I have officially joined 35 million other Americans who have Osteoarthritis in their joints. I knew I had it in my fingers, which is not too bad yet, but now it seems I have a touch in my left elbow (it goes well with my golfer's elbow), and quite a bit more in my right hip, which is also suffering a 50% loss in cartilage.

Yep, I've reached the age where my vocabulary revolves around learning words ending in -itis, -oscopy, or -ectomy.

My condition was, apparently, brought on by my job, which involves standing for eight hours a day. Well, that and being too ding-dang fat.

USA Weekend says I should start taking glucosamine and lose weight. Yes, I'm trying. Mind you, the pain is certainly tolerable at this early juncture, but I am getting a sneak preview of what the future holds and Bette Davis was right:

"Old age is no place for sissies."

Anybody have any home remedies?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Check the site peoplespharmacy.com and see what you think of the home remeidies. By the way, welcome to the "seniorhood" of life, the golden years (didn't know gold could rust), the twilight years, etc. And for those years check out site suddenlysenior.com Daffy Holder

Unknown said...

Ah, yes, those "Itis" brothers: Arthur, Burse, Phleeb, Gastro Enter (the Italian brother), and so forth. I just saw the title of this blog today (5/31) and had to write. My wife just had another cortisone shot in her knee today, and the doctor talked about her second arthrocopy in eight months after the school year ends. That's actually good news, since we thought he might propose a joint replacement. Those "scopy" and "ectomy" varmints are about as much fun as Chinese water torture. You're in our thoughts and prayers.

By the way I'm a USPS brat. My dad (now 83) worked for them for almost 30 years. You guys don't get nearly enough respect or appreciation.

What was it that someone said? "How did I get to be 'over the hill' when I never knew I was ever on top?"

Anonymous said...

Hi - a few suggestions. You put your finger on one thing - losing weight takes some of the pressure off your joints. Second, there could be some involvement with uric acid and gout from eating too much meat and animal products. Cut way back and see whether you feel less pain. In its place, try adding more fresh raw fruits and veggies and cooked veggies. Cortisone shots and scopes only try to identify the problem or cover symptoms. The real solution is to change your diet and cleanse your body. Let me know if you want to know more. I have 13 years of advising folks through my Christian health ministry and have seen the worst situations respond favorably to positive changes.

barleylifecoach@comcast.net