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READER SUBMITTED œ MARJORIE ABRAMS
Community Voice
Seventy-Five and More Than Quite Alive
I ’ve
always thought of myself as a very healthy person. I eat
well, exercise and meditate on a regular basis and have a
good social and spiritual life. Oh yes, I had a couple of normal
childhood medical procedures and three surgeries in mid-life.
In all I had speedy recoveries and no chronic symptoms or
impairment as a result. And then, I turned 75.
I didn’t grasp the extent to which my body had begun to
disable until one day recently, as I walked out of the ENT’s
offi ce. I had just been told my hearing was impaired and I
needed hearing aids.
In a fl ash of insight, I realized I now had a physician relationship
for almost every separate part of my body. Until that
moment, I never thought of myself as a collection of body parts.
But with that realization, I did an inventory of my parts
and their caretakers. To wit: From the bottom up: I require
regular visits to the Podiatrist for a couple of foot issues.
Having recently been diagnosed with Peripheral Arterial
Disease in one leg, I have scheduled visits to a Cardiologist
who also monitors my Atrial Fib. There is an annual visit to
the Dermatologist since I’ve had pre-cancerous eruptions
on my legs. Working up from there, I get a semi-annual
assessment from my Geriatrician who checks the parts of
my body not assigned to others and watches my blood count
including thyroid and cholesterol for both of which I am now
taking pills. Every two years, I have a Radiologist examine my
mammogram. I’m confused about whether to have this done
annually or not. I think the jury is still out on it. I visit a Dentist
and Periodontist for routine cleanings and to monitor gum
disease. Until last week, I saw the Ophthalmologist only once a
year to check my eyes. I worried about macular degeneration,
which was on both sides of my family. He reported my macula
looked fi ne, but I have borderline glaucoma. So now I’ll be
consulting a Glaucoma Specialist.
Ten different doctors are now
in my life! No wonder Medicare
costs skyrocket — even though I
spend more than $400 a month
on insurance. Oh, there are some
benefi ts to these doctor visits.
I get to read good magazines in
their waiting areas, and I have
lively conversations with friends
as we do, what my Uncle used to
call, “the organ recital.”
With the care I’m getting,
I’ll probably live into my 90s —
like it or not. If I were a betting
woman, I would take bets
on which of the 10 M.D.s will
pronounce me DOA. My dad
used to wonder about that and
conclude: “you’ll never get out
of this life alive.” Of course, he
was right but, in the meantime,
I still consider myself a healthy
person. s
12 February 2013 seniortimesmagazine.com