Accepting Some Reality

Older people generally experience more health issues than younger people. Us boomers are officially in the ‘older people’ category so it should not surprise us when we get sick. But I have been so incredibly healthy from age 7 till around 55, that I am still surprised when I get sick now that I’m over 60.

Fortunately I react to illness differently at this point in my life than in my 20s, or even my 40s. If I had 102 fever back then, I’d call in sick for a day or two till my temp got down to 99-ish. Sneezing, coughing, fatigue, sore throat... so what? I can work.

Now? I took a whole week of sick days last month and worked half the next week from home. Fever between 99 and 102 every day turned out to be walking pneumonia. Third week: normal. Late during the fourth week: fever returned. This time it was not pneumonia or even flu ... just some random infection. I stayed home and my temp was just over 99 all day.

What I’m trying to articulate here is that I am paying much more attention to health issues as I grow older, which is the preliminary step to actually accepting and embracing my real age and not the age I look or wish I still was.

Pneumonia is a serious condition, especially for older people, and sometimes requires hospitalization. Flu too. And my immune system is compromised by MS. So this crap is serious.

A day after I started writing this post, the fever was gone again and I resumed some of my normal activities.  Some.  I remain cautious as I gradually accept more of the reality of aging.