Retirement health. If there is one thing a blog writer needs it’s a reliably repetitive event, like to do with vineyards or music or minor travel or even the blog itself. Something that recurs and therefore appropriately forms the basis of a new blog. There is only one wee caveat to this requirement (isn’t there always?) and that is, and you’ve heard it before, be careful what you wish for because you might just get it.
The aspect of my retirement life that currently repeats with monotonous regularity is to do with my health. The problem here, apart from the obvious, which means I don’t feel very well, is that I’m not sure it’s a feature of retirement that any other retired person much wants to read about.
I don’t know whether it is and, as I so rarely get any comments on this blog, I guess I never will know. I persist because there is the possibility that my difficulties will offer a crumb of comfort to my fellow retirees. Especially, if throughout it all, I can maintain what, I laughingly call my sense of humour. Tough at times but possible. And yes I know I’m writing about relatively non-serious forms of ill-health compared to some of you retirees.
Take this week, if I wanted, despite everything, to look on the bright side it means that my latest problems have kind of superseded older more established ones. For example my latest ailment, out of the blue, so again with that, what the hell is this about? Why me, why now? That kind of thing, is, wait for it – sinusitis.
Now I’m not saying that I’ve never suffered with sinusitis, I have and quite painfully but that must have been 20 years ago for f—ks sake. Why has this chosen now to come back, when to use one of my current favourite expressions, my dance card is already full? Yes, so answer me, why now?
It started I suppose as far, as I can determine, with a tooth ache. True I had a bit of a poke with a toothpick and then dental floss as I was convinced I had something stuck there. Maybe this wasn’t such a wise decision but surely understandably human when you think you’ve got something stuck.
I have wondered over the last couple of years how long it would take for the fact I don’t go to the dentist, to catch up with me (the regular visits were cancelled as a result of Covid and lockdown). I suppose I’d felt that I was saving money and without any cost to my actual health. Well maybe those pigeons have now come home to papa to roost?
But now it definitely has the feel (as I remember it) of sinusitis – pain in the cheekbones / nose / forehead / ears. Mucous aplenty. You know all that kind of malarkey. And so we proceed to the every cloud has a silver lining theory.
Well, it’s a stretch but here goes. First, I offer up, it has distracted from my Achilles heel pains and my other medical bits and pieces – stomach aches, arthritis – hope this isn’t too depressing for you. Second, I haven’t got Covid. When I woke up Monday morning I felt so shabby and I had a bit of a cough although no high temperature, I thought, at last I’ve got it. But the test said no.
Anyway I cancelled my physio appointment on Monday. You might see the fact that I removed the opportunity for another human to inflict more pain on me as a plus point. Hmm, not sure. I guess it will have to be re-booked. But delayed pain is better than immediate pain I guess.
And then there is the cancellation of my colonoscopy. This is a definite plus. I remember it took me all my time to cope with the last one I had when I was feeling, what I laughingly call, OK. I just could not face the thought of colonscopy plus sinusitis. Again the letter said I was to take the Covid test. I did, it was negative but I had a couple of issues (sort of) new cough: runny nose (ahh yes, you’ll say but that’s probably the sinusitis) and maybe new aches and pains (although given the number I typically have, hard to tell). So I didn’t know what to do. I called the hospital, let them decide. They did, we’ll cancel your appointment. Oh Thank you God (or whoever), that really cheered me up.
By this time in the week and having tried two or three over-the-counter remedies eg. nasal spray and steam bath and various painkillers – I decided I might have the type of sinusitis (there are two) which requires anti-biotics. Nothing else for it but to ring the doctor and prepare to listen to the recorded, you are number 48 in the queue and we’ll be with you about Thursday (it’s Tuesday). Please hang on. Oh and by the way you’re in a queue. Dear patient, thank you for your patience.
Not quite true in this case. I got through quite quickly and booked a telephone appointment later that day. Not too late, spoke to nice doctor name of Johnson (I didn’t ask her about her dictionary, there simply wasn’t time). She agreed with my diagnosis and sent the prescription to chemist. Mrs Summerhouse, she of the saintly, Florence Nightingale, demeanour, has just gone to pick up my further medication. It will take a while for them to work, if they do, longer time than I have space for here. So you may need to come back for yet another health blog.
Retirement health summary
Well just taken the first of the anti-biotics and later I can squirt another nasal spray up my conk and, maybe, as a bonus, the pure North Sea salt water spray (see photo above). So much to look forward to and all this before any of the other conditions which I can reliably predict will form the topic of later retirement blogs.