MODERN CHEMISTRY

 

It's almost a full time job keeping up with my medications, vitamins, minerals, and supplements.  I hardly have to eat food I take so much!  Now I have to keep a list of everything I take because EVERYONE asks if I am on any medication.  Even the dentist! Now I can just email or print for them.

Every time I am prescribed something, I have a serious talk with my PCP and my pharmacy.  Interactions are possible despite this being the 21st century.  Do you even read the paperwork that comes with meds, including over the counter stuff?  No kidding, I wouldn't even take an aspirin if I paid too much attention to side effects!

The organizing and timing is also a time consuming hobby.  Amazon has a million kinds of checklists and log books.  I did finally succumb and get a "week at a glance" pill organizer.  One med I have to take twice a day an hour before eating, so I bought one of these to stick on the bottle so I can now multitask.

A new one for osteoporosis is once a month ... I can use my Apple calendar for that one.  Taken an hour before eating or drinking and remaining upright for at least an hour!  Serious!

I really never took supplements until about 65.  My fantastic PCP has been adding his suggestions (as well as my healthy younger sister!)  As you age, older adults can have difficulty absorbing some vitamins, especially vitamin B12. We Senior Sisters may very well benefit from a quality multivitamin and others.  Currently I am enjoying a delightful assortment of:

Multivitamin

Cranberry Extract 

Vitamin D3 

Vitamin E  

Calcium 

CoQ10 

Coenzyme B-Complex

Probiotics

Curcumin phytosome (stronger than turmeric)

Some days I can't decide if I am taking too much stuff or not enough.  But I believe prescription drugs are an essential part of high quality medical treatment, especially preventative.

MY INHERITANCE

I was the second oldest of six children with four brothers and one sister.  (There's a lot to be learned about birth order personalties but that's a blog for another time).  We were raised in unincorporated Columbus, Ohio in the middle lower class.  My Dad was a Union carpenter and my Mom a full time COE (Chief of Everything).  In the 1950s with no microwave or convection oven or dishwasher for a family of eight it ws more than a full time job.  But I never felt deprived.  We never missed a meal although occasionally we'd have oatmeal for dinner.  Or beans on toast.

 

My best inheritance is a fabulous childhood, a love of cooking, playing board games and reading.  I was a bookworm from an early age and it has transferred into online reading, learning and adventures.  My parents also passed along a predilection for some health issues.  

Type 2 Diabetes is one condition that is about 25% - 72%  genetic.  National Institutes of Health has published The Genetic Landscape of Diabetes which discusses the heredity links as well as environmental affects (poor families eat more carbohydrates, less fresh fruits and vegetables (although my Dad had an amazing garden and we all helped weed, harvest and “put up”).  Most of my Mom’s siblings had Type 2 Diabetes.  As well as high triglycerides.  Two of my siblings have this also.  (Mine could be greatly helped if I exercised).

Yes, high cholesterol can be genetic. Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an inherited condition that causes abnormally high cholesterol levels due to a mutated gene.

Statin drugs work by blocking an enzyme that produces cholesterol in the liver and increases your body’s ability to remove cholesterol from the blood. They can lower your LDL cholesterol levels by 50 percent or more. Statins have been safely used to reduce the risk of heart disease for 30 years and continue to be the number one option when it comes to helping people with FH.  So, again, I’m luckily living through chemistry.

Osteoporosis has a genetic factor involved.  My Grandmother had it.  My mother had it in her spine  Several times she had to have bone cement injected to strengthen the vertebrae (which helps relieve pain, prevent further fractures and help with mobility).  My sister has it and now I have it.  I just started my first dose of a monthly medication, Ibandronate Sodium, to try to slow the progression.

Varicose veins?  Heredity.  Gum disease?  Genetic.  Psoriasis?  60 - 90% handed down.  Breast cancer?  Yes.  I'm thinking just about everything is part nature, part taking care of yourself.

Other things I've inherited?  Living within my means.  Volunteering in my community.  Love of nature.  Blue eyes.  Kindness.  Optimism.  Intelligence.  Sense of humor.

Love of coffee?  I'm thinking yes!!

   

Blepharoplasty

Eyelid surgery.  After years of having trouble seeing without holding up a drooping eyelid, I finally had a double blepharoplasty on May 3.  My Mom and most of her female siblings have all had this done, some of them twice.

With age, eyelids stretch and the muscles supporting them weaken.  As a result, excess skin and fat can gather. This condition really affects peripheral vision.  Which I didn't know how much until I started driving after the surgery.  I've been going to the same eye care clinic for almost ten years.  The last few years the opthamologist has encouraged me to have the upper lids fixed.  Fortunately, they also have an oculoplastic surgeon (both and ophthalmologist and a plastic surgeon).  It took many months for an appointment which I spent looking at his before and after photos.  It was very interesting to see how much younger everyone looks AFTER the surgery.  Saggy bagging eyes just bring your whole face down.

Medicare covered the upper lids but the lower lids are considered vanity procedure.  I decided to go for it even though he said I could always do it later.  A friend had had her uppers done by the same doctor.  When I met up with her (and many ladies my age or older at a luncheon) three weeks after, I decided to get rid of the bags under as well.

Three weeks ahead of surgery I had to stop all vitamins and supplements as well as pain relievers.  What I didn't research was how horrible the healing process looked like!  My grandsons called me Zombie Gramma!!  I loaded some audible books which was amazing to listen to a 14 hour recording in just a few days.  Two of them.  

Surgery was for 2:00 pm ... no food or liquids after midnight.  I was panicked as I sip water all day long.  The scheduler gave me a great tip ... have a sip of water then spit it out instead of swallowing.  Really worked.  The surgery itself was just an hour or so but it took almost 90 minutes to get me prepped.  He woke me up about midway, had me sit up and follow his finger.  Then put me back into twilight sleep to finish the job.

The next 48 hours was ice on for 20 minutes, ice off for 20 minutes.  Thank goodness I was diligent because that sure helped with the swollenness.  There were two oral meds, prednisone and another to inhibit blisters.  Two ointments 3x day the first week, then once a day.  Aquaphor Baby on my upper face and and temples.  Now I use lubricating eye drops and Cerave eye repair cream.

No make up til my next appointment but honestly these peepers are loving the no mascara vacation.  Same with my whole face.  I'm sure I will dress up sometime soon.

I decided to make a "photo each day" project.  iPhoto album turns the photos into a slide show that is very dramatic.

Below are day of the surgery, day after the surgery and yesterday!

 

Now I have to be diligent with sunscreen every day and avoid sun on my face for six months.

The netting and the hat are SPF 50.

I still have a little swelling, tightness at the outer corner of both eyes and dry eyes.  This too shall pass!

MOVING ON PURPOSE

I am a very sedentary seventy-two year old.  Been this way since childhood.  My Mom would chase us out of the house "to get the stink blown off you" and I would reluctantly go out, climb a tree and read a book.  I just don't like too hot or too cold or too buggy.

My younger sister (by 8 years) is the total opposite.  She gets in a minimum of 20,000 steps every day, usually more.  She and her hubby take active vacations.  Biking, walking tours, SCUBA, kayaking, cross country skiiing and they have a second home in NYC with no car so they walk 40,000 steps while they are there.

But I need to try again.  Twenty-five years ago I found a great walking buddy.  At first, she'd have to go ahead and let me catch up.  We went twice a week for an entire school year after our girls caught the bus.  She was taller than me (I'm 5'7") with a huge stride.  Walking with her was the only change to my life and it really worked!  I looked healthier and my cholesterol went way down.  Others noticed.

She wasn't available the next year due to taking care of aging parents.  I haven't tried VERY hard, but I have yet to entice someone to make a commitment.  Even tried asking several different people thinking I could walk with one once a week and another for my second day.  They were all worse than me finding an excuse to NOT walk.

My next plan, June 1, is to be comfortable exercising on my own.  My sister sent me a link from Instagram about a lady who turned 70 and decided she didn't the couch potato figure or health issues.  She was 5' 3",  200 lbs with a 39 inch waist. Her daughter (fitness person) came to her and asked her to please change her lifestyle so she would not get worse.

Train with Joan.  Instagram.  Facebook.  Website.

She has gone way beyond what I want to do (or could afford) but amazing what she looks like at 75.  (She's now 78)  She started out with stretching, walking and jumping rope.  Changed to healthy eating habits (I'm down 20 lbs from last year just by making my own food when the kidults make "kid food" ... french fries, pizza, chicken nuggets, etc) and using a lunch size plate for meals.

Maybe I will be able to quit blood pressure medicine.  I'm gonna give it a try!

Annual Wellness Exam

This past week I went in for the Medicare Wellness exam.  So many things have been added since I went last year!  Instead of remembering three words, he gave me a name (first and last), street address, city and state.  Asked me 4 times during our visit.  On the last request for regurgitation, I got the first name wrong … but laughed and said I always got those two brothers mixed up.  Have I ever misplaced my keys? Normal. Were they found in an odd place (refrigerator, bathroom?) Not normal.

There were several strength tests besides “how hard can you squeeze my fingers”.  I had to press down hard on his hands, then up on his hands.  Same with my feet.  He now has a fancy stethoscope that sends data to his computer, including an EKG!

Without looking at the clock, I had to guesstimate the time of day.  Repeat the months of the year backwards.  Count down from 20.  How often do I visit the dentist?  Eye doctor?  Next stop, blood tests and bone scan.

The young phlebotomist informed me she was very new and asked for permission to take my blood.  Of course I said yes (she told me almost half of the patients have said no!) and she did the best job ever, no bruise!  Final stop, bone scan.

At the end of the day my results were on my portal and my Doc texted me for a video (7pm).  I now have osteoporosis in my spine and after discussion (my Mom had severe case and so does my younger sister).  I will start with a monthly dose of something in the Fosamax family.  In addition, my potassium levels were high (most people I know have LOW potassium).  I went in the next day to have it tested again and everything is normal.  In fact, all my labs are in the normal range (with the help of chemistry in some cases).

I feel like I take too many medications so we reviewed them all.  He deemed all were necessary, no interactions and no bad side effects.  He suggested a Covid booster and a tetanus shot.

“Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art” 

-Eleanor Roosevelt

Grow Old with Me!

 Hi ~

Bear with me as I relearn how to do this.  Not grow old, but how to run and format a blog.  I did one (Awkward Widow) when my hubby died 11 years ago.  Got the hang of it but after a few years, I ran out of Widow things to say.

Since I hit 65, life with my body has been a roller coaster!  When I went from ONE doctor to so many "ologists" and specialists it was astounding.  I figured some of you might be having the same experiences and with a sense of humor, maybe we will survive!

In 2016 my only child, Kate, asked me to move from Maui back to Portland to enjoy her children while they were little.  We are multigenerational still!  The boys are 13 and 10, the parents 39 and 42.  I just hit 72.  And here we are!