Not for Sissies

I have a friend who always says that 'getting old is not for sissies'.  Well, she sure is right about that.

I have been dealing with a shoulder injury for the last 17 months.  I have been through physical therapy, neuro-muscular therapy, steroid treatment for inflammation and two cortisone injections in different areas of the joint.  I have gone through bags of peas that I use to ice the shoulder, sometimes four and even six times a day. 

There are times when I don't feel any pain at all.  Usually when I am sleeeping or doing nothing with the arm.  But start using it and the pain returns.  What I have discovered, is that while I am right-handed, I do a lot of things with my left hand and arm.  I actually have more strength in my left arm than my right.  And pulling open doors with the left arm can be excrutiating at times.

All of which brings me to the issue of arthritis as we age.  I envy folks I meet who have no problems with this.  Mine first showed up in my cervical vertebrae over 15 years ago.  Physical therapy for this was refreshing as I received weekly neck massages.  OOOOOOHHHHHH.  Very nice.

Then there was the lower back, which made gardening difficult.  Then the right foot, which impacted my daily walks.  I've been told that arthritis will likely develop in the left foot and ankle, exacerbated by the tri-maleolar fracture I suffered in 2007.

So it is with the shoulder.  I irritated it while cutting down some overgrown  bushes in my yard.  Arthritis has set in.  Being unable to take NSAIDS, which irritate my stomach and make me physically ill, I have had to suffer through the discomfort, relying on acetaminophen and those bags of peas. 

No, this is not for sissies.  But as someone else has said, 'it beats waking up on the wrong side of the grass'.