Life has been emotional recently, that’s the only way I can describe it.
As well as days filled with tears supporting The Golfer after the loss of his long time friend there have been days full of other emotions…..
- Days with visits to the GP – very early (minus breakfast) visits to the path lab (how can they ‘muck up’ a procedure they do constantly meaning I had to go back so they could take more??) – a visit to radiology for another CTScan (more deterioration and no real answer as to why one foot is permanently numb) – visits to a physiotherapist…….taking a different tack rather than chiropractic care thanks to Federal Gov. allied health scheme of subsidised treatment. Which appears to be working- if I remember to do the exercises!
- Days when I felt I’d clobber the next shop assistant who called me Dear – three times in one week! Am I getting to look like ‘a dear old lady’ or have these people (who serve me regularly and actually know my name) decided that time has arrived.
- Following on from that I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry the day I dropped my scripts while waiting in line at the pharmacy…….as I’m doing my usual initial – ‘do I need to pick it up’ look at the floor – a voice behind me asks if I’d like her to pick them up for me.
Do I look ‘old and decrepit, needing a helping hand (don’t answer that one😊)….or was this just her nature
Days when the words just don’t come…
- With all the sewing I’ve done in my life surely I would have known the answer to this crossword clue:-.
Sewer’s finger guard. 7 letters
……well I sat there the other day almost in tears. I kept looking at my fingers seeing ‘it’ on one of them but couldn’t for the life of me remember the word THIMBLE
I rather think Friko is not the only one in her ‘club’
https://frikosmusings.blogspot.com/2024/06/still-alive-and-ranting.html
And talking of clubs I had coffee with a group of ladies last week – we all belonged to the same social club years ago. Getting together primarily to ‘support’ (cheer up) one whose husband was in respite (aged) care for a couple of weeks with a view to move in permanently but also to catch up…..and talk about life changes (aka ‘will my ailment top yours’ )…..and to laugh while sharing our journey.
‘Banjo’ Patterson knew what he was on about when he wrote –
The Road to Old Man’s Town.
The fields of youth are filled with flowers
The wine of youth is strong
What need have we to count the hours?
The summer days are long
But soon we find to our dismay
That we are drifting down
The barren slopes that fall away
Towards the foothills grim and grey
That lead to Old Man’s Town
And marching with us on the track
Full many friends we find
We see them looking sadly back
For those that dropped behind
But God forbid a fate so dread —
ALONE to travel down
The dreary road we all must tread
With faltering steps and whitening head
The road to Old Man’s Town!
Monday Musings – a time to think and ponder
How have your days been? Hopefully better than mine
.
Sound like a right misery don’t I – better days are just round the corner
I hope!
(To comment please click on post title and scroll down)
Still Waters 
You have been having a rough time! We had a neighbour over recently who spent the entire time telling us about her many and various ailments. Given my husband’s state of health it was like a gnat on an elephant’s bottom, and when she went we could do nothing but laugh about the organ recital to which we had been subjected!
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I only partake in the recital when there’s others in the orchestra. Or online when I’m fed up with the state of play!
I wonder if your neighbour is aware of how unwell Leo is?
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You’d think so…talking to a chap in a wheelchair on oxygen!
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Sigh. These days if I drop something I am grateful when someone offers to pick it up for me. Reluctantly grateful, but grateful just the same.
And that poem was right on the money.
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EC, I suppose it’s a case of accepting gracefully, sometimes I’m more taken off guard and it stings that someone is more nimble than I am/was.
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I used to say to my mother when she regaled me with all her ailments, “It may be deadly but it’s not interesting.” And now I’m there, sharing the joys of getting older with my friends.
As to remembering to do the exercises, I stopped going to the physio as I thought there’s no point paying to feel guilty about not doing my exercises.
Hope things get better for you.
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I laughed inwardly when the physio was describing exercises I’d been for years (well supposed to have been doing). There’s only so many variations on a theme 😊.
It was more the discussion on the why’s how’s and possibilities that had me thinking more positively- which was a good thing considering the deep dark hole I was falling into.
I’ve been lax in reading blogs so will be around soon 👋
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Aging is not for feint of heart! Sorry to hear of the Golfer’s loss, condolences. Losing friends is very difficult. Many of my friends passed at a relatively young ages, so I have practise dealing with grief.
My Mom, 93 years old, has many health issues, making health care her primary social life, and I am starting to catch up with her on that score. I have an aneurysm, and Mom has decided she envies me, as she sees it as a quick and painless exit. Her best friend passed a few weeks ago, over 100 years old.
The poem is very apt!
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Thanks for that Maggie. His friend had been failing over the past month and even if you know death is near it still comes as a shock when it inevitably happens.
There’s none of us know when where or how our turn will happen and I wouldn’t want to either
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It’s not a Patterson poem I know and it isn’t cheery, but it is rather spot on.
Forgetting simple things like words and names is part of ageing and not necessarily a sign of anything else.
Talking about medical issues is normal conversation for older people. Moaning on and on about your own medical problems, usually unwelcome.
I’ve tried two chiropractors and I wasn’t at all keen. I now have a good physiotherapist and I am very pleased with her, and with my arthritis judged as a chronic condition, I can see her five times a year without charge to me.
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I wonder if there’s been a recent change to the scheme Andrew. I thought there was nil change but had to make a co payment at each visit.
The physio has given me much to think about
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I hope all your tests and investigations are helpful. I want to say I hope they show up nothing but that just leaves a person with unexplained symptoms. What to do, what to do?
I’m sorry life is hard. Hopefully things pick up soon.
i have been watching my parents decline for a few years and offering support but i was thrown into the deep end as a carer just weeks ago when we realised Dad has dementia. He’s definitely not right but I’m still working to get an official diagnosis. Less than a month after that, mum landed in hospital and i was trying to manage dads life and his dementia induced anxiety and get him over to see mum.
It’s exhausting for me and I can see their fear. Aging is cruel and relentless.
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Oh dear Kylie, just when you are getting your life back on track. I’m sending love to you because I remember what it was like in the months before my aunt was diagnosed, then the rapid decline once that happened. My cousin and I ‘shared responsibilities’ – it would have been so hard for one person to carry that load. And there are millions who do so
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It sounds as if you have been through a rough patch lately. I sure hope better days are around the corner for you and your husband. It’s hard to lose those we love and those losses become more frequent with age. Take good care.
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Each day seems to be better for The Golfer Jane. I don’t think he realised how hard the ‘expected event’ would hit him when it happened.
And if I ‘do as I’ve been advised to do’ a lot of my physical problems should be alleviated. The mental ones are the hardest…..some fine tuning needed in that department 😊
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I’m so sorry for your loss. Tears are healing I’m told
as for not remembering. I started to type an answer to a comment on Facebook and came to a complete stop. I couldn’t for the life of me remember the word I wanted. So I had to redo the whole sentence.
that is so annoying
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Those mental blocks are a little frightening at times aren’t they Angela.
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you have described my daily life to a T.. I am so bad my doctor has scheduled testing for dementia. she thinks is is the stress of caregiving husband and I agree, but will do the test anyway… life has been a misery for over a year now… I try not to write to much about it on my blog but it leaks through… thanks for the answer to why I could not find the comment. that pretty much proves how crazy I am
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Have you so forgotten that they would be calling your ‘luuv’ over here? Sympathies to The Golfer on the loss of a Friend .. Banjo Paterson had a point. Just keep up the pills and ointments (and exercises), it is not about the years in your life but the life in your years….
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The life is on a bit of a go slow at the moment. Give me a day or two (or maybe a week or two) and it’ll be back to full steam ahead.
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I appreciate that you don’t try to pretend it is all wine and roses. Physical challenges take up much time around here. And nothing can make up for the loss of a longtime friend. Who else can tell you (as my late best friend from college did) “we never understood why you went out with Steven.”(Fortunately he broke it off!)
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It’s certainly becoming difficult to have ‘do you remember’ chats as the number of old acquaintances grows smaller. Those shared experiences mean nothing to others and even if you tried to explain- with many of them it’s a case of ‘you’d have to have been there……’
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I know exactly what you mean. I had not tried to put words to it before.
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the Golfer, memories of his long time friend, and then being concerned of his own health. The Wellness insert in our local paper is about Men’s Health and how so many don’t get a check up, thinking they’ve invincible or similar.
Whereas women have issues that see them fairly regularly needing an appointment. As you point out, off to the “lab” or similar.
I’m not sure why but since moving to another city, I’ve been doing more tests of the internal body than ever before. Yes, they found new ailments but none can be helped by the GP, referrals to various specialists…all of whom gave sent letters telling me “waitlist”.
I soldier on…
which in turn has led to other short-term issues, but I’m tired!
although I am settled in my new community, even with some oddball people here.
all my love Cathie 💓 from Catherine
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