Old & Broken - The Saga Continues

A while back I put up a post about being Old and Broken.  Turns out that severe, random muscle cramps and getting lightheaded when standing can be tied to anemia. It also just so happens that you can give yourself anemia from donating blood.  Who knew? I'm O neg with some funky missing component that makes my blood easier to use.

Consequently, my blood usually gets earmarked for babies and small children, and the donation center uses that fact to lay on the guilt if I miss a donation. I like babies, so I was going every time I was eligible and was giving the double unit of red cells every time. This caused me to not only use up my current iron stores but also to deplete what my doctor called my long-term iron stores.

I haven't donated now in almost a year and with supplements in my daily routine, my iron levels are back where they belong. Leg cramps and getting lightheaded are also pretty much gone.  Yay me...or so I thought.

A couple of months ago I was stretching, and my left shoulder popped. I didn’t think anything about it; because, I'm damned near fifty, and my joints pop all of the time. Then the pain started. Long story short, my doc has punted and referred me to an orthopedic specialist. I just can’t wait to see what joy this will bring. He also said that while I'm there he's going to add in having them check the hip that's been bothering me for over a year. I foresee pain, both physical and financial, in my future.

Folks tell me all of the time that I'm not old. I always remind them that the human body is like a car. It's not the years. It's the mileage, and the type of miles matter. Most of mine have been done, metaphorically, at 90 miles an hour down an unpaved country road. I should not be surprised that shit is wearing out.

***sigh***

-Wayne