A Few Steps Back

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

So, if you have known me most of my life (or at any time during my life), you might call me: (a) clumsy, (b) accident prone, or even (c) a walking disaster. I am not disputing any of these claims. I can assure you I wish not to be, but some things in life, you just can't control.

Newest drama: my back. After carefully placing my dirty, yet loveable mutt in the bath tub to remove the 'stank', I pulled something in my back. After nearly two weeks of being miserable, the MRI confirmed that I have some disc issues. Some are bulging, some have bone spurs, but the bottom line is that three of them are not well. I asked my doctor why? Could it have been the years of sports/ dance? Perhaps the countless bicycle accidents as a child? The lack of safety equipment during the formative years?

He said age. This is not the first time I have heard that. The harder you are on your body, the sooner it seems to fall apart. So, when I say I feel old, I mean it. Degenerative disc disease. What does that mean? Adjustments in my exercise routine, physical therapy, Ibuprofen, and hopefully no surgery.

Again today, I heard references to something with me being consistent with that of an elderly individual...my 'geriatricism'. (I totally made up that word). Anyway, I went in for another infusion, these will occur every 8 weeks indefinitely.

Sidenote: I have been moved to Littleton Hospital (for the infusions), which is fabulous. Male nurse-check (sorry Don). Comedies to watch on dvd-check. Leather recliner in my own room-check. Free food and chocolate-check.

As I was saying...Whenever I go to a doctor's office, we always seem to play a really fun game: Find The Vein That Works. After three attempts, he remarked, "Interesting." I assured him my reputation precedes me, and that yes, I am a bit of an enigma. Next he said, "Ridiculous". I guess my skin elasticity is a bit thick, but sticky. I counted a total of 17 times that nurse referred to my health records, and vital organs in this manner.


After I thought about it for a while, I decided this simple phrase captures who I am and who I have always been:

Renee Campbell - Interesting and Ridiculous