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Senior Citizen Opinions & Analysis
The New Adventures of An Old Senior Citizen or
Facing the Reality of Aging
Watching Old Christine acclimate herself to new
challenges impacted me as I entered 2008 looking forward to turning 65
By
Bill Kalmar
 Sept.
12, 2008 - One
of the bright spots in an otherwise bland TV season features an alumnus
from the successful Seinfeld program, namely Julia Louis-Dreyfus who
stars in the New Adventures of Old Christine. It monitors the
lifestyle changes of a divorcee attempting to re-enter the world of
dating and socializing. Its humor is sophisticated and yet somewhat
zany.
Watching Old Christine attempt to acclimate herself
to new challenges impacted with me as I entered 2008 looking forward to
turning sixty-five years old. The benefits inherent in reaching this
milestone seem to outweigh the downside of creaking bones and other
ailments too many to enumerate.
There is the advantage of Medicare wherein most of
my medical expenses will be handled by our benevolent government. And
of course this is the year that social security benefits have again been
increased without my having to endure a performance review. So all
signs pointed to reaping the fruits of old age.
On the other hand, I have always prided myself in
being in tiptop shape as evidenced by over 30 years of daily five-mile
runs and competing in duathlons so Medicare would hopefully just be
something to hold in abeyance. Well, the first six months of the year
have grounded me back to reality when it comes to avoiding illnesses and
ailments that heretofore have been a stranger to me. Little did I know
that the milestone of turning sixty-five would become a millstone!
The parade of maladies began first with a biopsy
taken from my nose which I always considered part of my panache and
mystique. Fortunately I learned that it was not malignant but the
timeframe awaiting for results is always disconcerting. So for the time
being, my honker is safe.
My next adventure came with the onslaught of
pneumonia. This curtailed my running and as such my waist started to
expand without the daily pounding of the pavement. To make matters
worse the medication gave me an unexpected yet truly unforgettable case
of severe constipation, the dreaded hinder binder, which necessitated a
trip to the hospital.
Once there I was treated to the Rolls Royce of
enemas, namely the unforgettable molasses enema. Yes, molasses! From
here on, ginger bread cookies will not be a part of my nightly
snacking! On a positive note, the weight that I had packed on during
this nightmare painstakingly yet gleefully disappeared. Losing seven
pounds almost put me back to my fighting weight!
Having completed that experience I moved on to have
a creatine kidney test which fortunately proved to be uneventful but
provided just another journey in turning sixty-five.
Then to round out my weekly schedule of doctor and
hospital visits my ultra sound prostate exam came back positive. That
put me in a search of a methodology for treating what Im told is a
relatively uneventful situation if discovered and addressed early on.
There are a myriad of treatments for this rather
common condition so I quickly accumulated a new treasure trove of
reading material. And offspring, relatives, friends and associates
offered the names of healthcare professionals who specialize in prostate
cancer so I was confident that this hurdle would pass. As a daily
runner, I enjoy a good hurdle every now and then as long as I can land
on my feet!
So after all this research and thought provoking
conversations with physicians, on June 2, I entered Henry Ford Hospital
for robotic surgery.
Needless to say with over 5000 such procedures
under their belt (so to speak) the doctors and nurses at Henry Ford are
not only the pioneers of this type of surgery but they are the experts!
While at the hospital we met people from London, England, Kansas and
Georgia undergoing the same procedure.
My six months of agonizing over this ailment came
to a pleasant ending when the doctors told me that the operation was a
success and that I would not be dying of prostate cancer. So I
crossed that off my list of maladies.
And after a month of rest I continued my daily
five-mile runs maybe moving a little faster now that I had that pesky
prostate removed which obviously was weighing me down! In fact just
recently I competed in a ten-mile race where I finished 60th out of 81
runners in my age group.
The team at Henry Ford Hospital in the Vattikuti
Urology Institute is not some of the best they are the best! The
physicians and nurses and assistants are remarkable. Their caring and
sensitivity is unparalleled! Dr. Peabody and his team of caring
healthcare professionals and their exemplary bedside manners are top
notch.
He, like me, is a runner and I look forward going
head-to-head with him one day. I obviously would allow him to beat me
so as not to embarrass him among his colleagues! Seriously, he managed
to make the whole surgery experience and the aftermath uneventful with
his calming mannerisms.
And, a very special plaudit and tip of the hat to
Nurse Andrea Simone. Despite the time of day or night, or the repetition
of our questions, she was always there to assist us. Her sensitivity
and follow-up is unparalleled and it gave us great confidence knowing
that if we had a question we could depend on her. We know that she
juggled her schedule to accommodate us on several occasions when we
needed some direction on an issue. There is none better than Ms.
Simone!
Now I realize that many of you will conclude that
this is too much information (TMI) and perhaps a bit maudlin. But as
someone who writes for a hobby, I find it cathartic. In fact right now
this whole disclosure has elevated my spirits and physical well being to
a stage higher than if I were being medicated by the multitude of pill
bottles in my medicine cabinet!
So just like Christine I am attempting to acclimate
myself to a new world of senior citizens turning 65. Oh, for the days
of a simple runny nose!
Bill Kalmar, Lake Orion MI
Former Director of the Michigan Quality Council
Editors Note: Bill Kalmar is an occasional
contributor to SeniorJournal.com. He finds writing about aging a
therapeutic and sometimes humorous experience.
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