A Step In The Right Direction March 26, 2023
Posted by nrhatch in Exercise & Fitness, Health & Wellness, Life Balance.trackback
I tend to steer clear of controversial topics here on SLTW. Most of the time, anyway.
In point of fact, even a charitable observer might point out that I have steered clear of any and all topics here on SLTW. Since January, anyway.
Point taken.
Anyway, I hope that what I say here will not anger my readers unduly, but I feel it must be said:
Getting Old . . . isn’t always a step in the right direction.
Yesterday, I was prepping salad fixings in the kitchen when I noticed that the back of my left heel was complaining vociferously each time I shifted positions.
The pain had materialized out of the blue with no warning shot fired.
It was as if my body had commanded:
Let there be pain.
And there was pain, and it was NOT good.
I scanned my activities of the previous day to see if I had over-used or abused my Achilles Tendon in any way, shape, or form and saw nothing that would explain the pain.
At first.
I had engaged in normal ADL’s all day ~ rising ablutions, a light break fast, brain games, paying bills, checking e-mails, fresh fruit for lunch, biking to the clubhouse to play Bridge, shelving books in the communal library . . .
Something niggled at the edges of my admittedly aged memory.
Had I over-stretched my reach when reshelving books on the top shelves?
Perhaps.
Could I have stretched my Achilles Tendon to the breaking point?
Perhaps.
Ach! What to do with an aching Achilles Tendon?
To stretch, or not to stretch, that was my next question.
Instead of racing to the Bat Cave for answers, I hobbled from the kitchen to my office to confer with that sage giver of advice . . .
Google.
Google advised me that IF it was torn or ruptured, I was going to be side-lined for some time.
I decided to take it easy for the rest of the weekend to see if there was any improvement before contacting an approved medical provider for assistance.
In short, I listened to my body.
And . . . when I arose this morning, it felt somewhat better. I’ll continue not to overstretch my reach for a few more days, but it appears that I may already be on the road to recovery.
Aah . . . a step in the right direction!
Have any of you noticed as you traveled again and again around the sun that unexplained injuries arise with increasing frequency?
Or that even normal ADL’s conspire to produce lumps, bumps, bruises, contusions, sprains, pains?
Or that conversations with fellow agers tend to gravitate to current health ailments more often than when in our 20’s and 30’s?
If you are still in your 20’s and 30’s, feel free to share something hip and happening with us Golden Oldies. We like to live vicariously!
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Spirit Lights The Way 
Oh my goodness, Nancy!!! 😨 😰 I’m so glad you’re better!
When I was younger, I thought my grandmother was weird for saying the weather made certain things hurt. I shook my young head and muttered about age. Well, I have felt those aches when the weather has changed!
Thanks, LM. This lyric is a constant companion these days:
“We were so much younger then . . . we’re older than that now.” 😀
Nancy, I do get more-frequent physical “interruptions.” As you did, I always listen to my body and await further information. Up until now, those interruptions have been one-time events. Sometimes a twinge here, a pull there. All part of the process, I suppose. And yes, conversations often become “can-you-top-this” situations comparing conditions!😀
Using the nomenclature “interruptions” is a good way to send a message to the body that:
“This had better be temporary!” 😀
Last night on ZOOM, 4 out of 4 households mentioned some ailment of aging ~ shoulders, neck, back, feet, ankles, etc. It’s a good thing that the body doesn’t go on strike all at once!
I woke up with a big bruise on my arm this morning and a stiff neck. Apparently even sleeping hurts now.
🤣
Yes! Sleeping is a Hit or Miss proposition ~> and stiff necks and headaches are NO WAY to greet the day.
Hi Nancy, we’ve missed you so welcome back. Yes there are those unexpected happenings as we get older but they’re not all bad. A neighbours grandchild three-year-old Robbie came up to me yesterday and asked have you had a good day? I had to have his mother translate for me. That little smiling stranger made my day and I quickly forgot that I need to stick to walk and that I am old.
How lovely, Judith. Kids are so great!
I often forget my advancing years . . . until the mirror (or a minor mishap) reminds me.
Yup. Me too
Ha! Wear and tear as we age. As healthy and strong as I was, spinal stenosis develops. Can hardly walk without discomfort. Thank goodness, I’ve done all the hiking and trekking before I reached 60. At 65, it’s all management listening to my body. Take care.
Good point! It pays to tackle our bucket lists LONG before we’re ready to kick the bucket. At that point, we’re apt to break something while trying to give it a kick!
I’m glad your pain has settled down. I’m with you on the sudden unexplained and very annoying discomforts that appear overnight! Getting older can, quite literally, be a pain but there is still lots of fun to be had as you and I both prove! Happy days, Nancy!
Thanks, Sally. Walking is still slow-going today, but biking and swimming caused no discomfort.
Here’s to finding fun . . . or letting fun find us!
Indeed! Here we come! 🙂
I smiled when you mentioned “that sage giver of advice … Google.” I think that’s what we all do. And then we wait a few days before contacting an “approved medical provider.” There’s no sense in contacting a doctor if we don’t need to.
As ailments multiply, there’s always the question of whether to say anything about them. We’d all rather talk about happier topics. On the other hand, sometimes it’s necessary to explain whether you can’t do one thing or another–explain without complaining.
I agree, Nicki. I was at a neighborhood event today (a concert) with 150+ people in attendance. I talked to about 20 friends at the concert’s conclusion and never mentioned the pain in my heel ~ it would have been counterproductive.
But if any of them had been a physical therapist, I might have spoken up . . . 😀
Sometimes I am amazed at how many things go wrong when you get older. Everything takes a little longer to heal too. Boogers.
So true, Kate, Our body’s regenerative powers seem to decline in direct proportion to our increased need for them.
That said, my Achilles tendon is improving day by day ~ I’m still taking baby steps to get around, rather than great big giant steps. And it goes without saying that I will not be able to dance “en pointe” for weeks! 😀
Glad that the tendon was not torn or ruptured, just strained or sprained. An easier bounce back.
This is absolutely the case. After spending the weekend painting the basement walls, my neck was in agony and I’d developed a callus on my thumb. Pretty sure this wouldn’t have happened to 29 y/o Mark! Oh, how I miss him.
Worse still are the completely unexplained injuries, or the too-stupid-to-believe ones. Like the time I lifted a plastic grocery bag full of nothing too terribly heavy and wrenched my arm, leading to six months’ worth of pain. WTF?
Or bending over to pick up a pencil when *WHAM* back goes out!
I miss my 37 year old self ~ that was my magical age. Enough wisdom to make good decisions but enough spunk to sometimes choose not to. 😀
Ooh… magical age. I like that. I’ll have to think about mine. I divorced at 37, so that was magical in many ways!
I’ve “divorced” a few friends over the years, but more often just drifted apart. Drifting apart is a bit less jarring than an officiated break with property redistribution.
Glad you came through it to find Tara! As per your last post, she’s a good fit for you and your humor.
Oh yes! Most definitely! I think in terms of caution more often than I ever needed. I’m always tuned in to tripping hazards and I wear “better” shoes these day–not the cute ones I wore only months ago. Even then I’ve had two bad ankle sprains in about a year’s time. And with friends, yes indeed. The conversations sound very much like I remember overhearing at my grandmother’s house. When did this happen!! So glad you’re doing better, Nancy, and listening to your body I think is still number one!
Ouch! Sorry about your ankle sprains.
Sprains, strains, lumps, bumps, bruises, and contusions are a pain . . . but better than fractures and ruptures and broken bits.
Here’s to Fast Healing!
I knew I was old when I went to the doctor because I’d hurt my neck while… sleeping. I couldn’t get the hurt to go away so ended up at the doctor who had the grace to not laugh at me.
Doctors are required to take a course in STOICISM so they can endure pain, hardship, and hysterical laughter without the display of feelings and without complaint.
Without that course, they’d be too busy laughing to write scrips and make diagnoses.