Various doctors over the past 70+ years have complimented by genetic structure because, they said, it kept me clear of a lot of late-life issues like cancer, diabetes and others symptoms. That genetics doesn’t;t present, however, is a body that is wearing out, so much so that even items that have been replaced are now needed re-replacement.
Also, the body is not as immune as it once was to infections and viral diseases.
Case in point this week, when I woke up Saturday morning, unable to open my eyes because the eyelids were, someone stuck in the down position.
Problem: Viral pinkeye, an eye membrane infection that I apparently contracted while working on our plumbing in the less-than-sterile crawlspace of our 45-year-old home. To make matters worse, I also woke up with a terrible head cold, not COVID-19 but a routine cold with a runny nose,m cough, and associated aches and pains. To be safe, we used one of our home COVID kits, which confirmed that the virus had not attacked.
After three days of taking it easy, I appear to have the eye infection and cold under control, just in time to spend Tuesday in the less-than-sterile Floyd County Courthouse room to cover Circuit Court for The Floyd Press.
Our one bout with COVID during the pandemic came after one of those days when surrounded by coughing by maskless participants in the county’s public disposition of justice amid a flurry of continuances, delays, and rescheduled trials and hearings.
In these days of COVID-19 assaults in grocery stores, sporting events, and court hearings in a rural county where more than 20 new cases appear each week to become one of the 3,623 total infections but, hopefully, not one of the 53 who died.
For a 75-year-old man like myself, doctors often end sentences with “for your age” when describing conditions, aches, pains, and diagnoses. In the coming months, doctors will determine if another shot of cortisone and steroids will ease the increasing pain in my left, impaired shoulder, or if replacement is necessary. An orthopedist may recommend surgery on the right shoulder and/or my knees (again).
In April, a team of Neuropsychologists will try and determine if continued memory loss. inability to concentrate, balance issues and other issues are an expected effect of old age or early-onset dementia brought on by brain trauma suffered not only by a life-threatening motorcycle accident 10 years ago but previously undiagnosed lingering effects by a helicopter crash 50 years ago.
Legendary pitcher Satchel Paige once noted that old age is nothing more than a case of “mind over matter.” “If I don’t mind, it don’t matter,” he said.
Sorry, Satchel, but I do mind and it does matter…a lot.