In an effort to record things that are happening to me and not get too personal, I’ve decided to chronicle my recent medical problems. I always hate it when people my age get together and all they can talk about is their health problems. There is nothing as important as good health, and I am as guilty as the next person for dwelling on the fact that when you reach retirement age, things in the body start to sputter.
I’m not sure who it was that said, “If I would have known I would have lived this long I would have taken better care of myself.” We often criticize those that smoke or drink, but rarely think twice about constantly putting junk food into our stomachs and never making much effort to exercise. I’m not trying to get preachy here, but when we get older and don’t have to do the physical work we all did growing up, when things start to hurt and it’s hard to get out and exercise, when eating processed food is easier than making a good meal, and when there is a pill to combat the absence of diet and exercise, there is little hope that I will ever change my lifestyle.
A little over a week ago, I started having lower bowel pain. At first I thought it was a bug, then I rationalized I was just constipated, and finally four days later convinced myself I had cancer. None of my self diagnosis turned out to be true, of course, but Google can truly scare you with options for every known illness under the sun. After four days of pain I finally called my doctor and they recommend I go to urgent care. I was in Payson at the time so I packed up quickly and drove down to Tempe and over to a Cigna urgent care facility. The doctor there diagnosed me with diverticulitis. I had a CT scan on my pelvis area just to be sure and left with powerful antibiotics to combat the inflammation.
Several years ago I had a signoidoscopy that revealed diverticulosis ( pouches in the large intestine that are not inflamed) and was told at that time I should eat more fiber. When diverticulosis becomes diverticulitis ( inflammation in the intestine) there is sometimes no option except surgery to remove part of the intestines. When there is a flare-up of diverticulitis you need to eat a low-fiber, low-fat, soft diet to move things through more quickly and rest the colon. I was doing the exact opposite of what I should have been doing.
I’m feeling fine now and will move up on the Mogollon Rim tomorrow. While I was in Tempe at brother Daryl’s, I took Minnie in to get a service engine warning light diagnosed and fixed. It turned out to be a faulty mass airflow sensor, and to diagnose and fix it was way, way more expensive than my healthcare cost. I’m in the process of changing my residence to Arizona and have only one more thing to do to complete the process. This month has been expensive with dental, healthcare, and truck repair, but I hope I can take a few weeks to rest my pocket book.
With your new AZ resident coverage, it’s great that you can now seek medical care instead of toughing it out when you’re in pain. Glad you’re on the mend.
Glad to hear your on the road to recovery. The only downside to being a AZ residence is state income tax.
Thanks Bob. I guess the only bright side to taxes is that I don’t make enough to pay any.