My mother and her mother weren't complainers. Neither was my dad. They just did what they had to do, and lived with it. The only time my mother ever gave a hint that things weren't always quite right was when she would say, as she hobbled her first couple of steps off the couch: "Growing old is hell." Not much of warning about what was to come for me many decades later! Mom didn't really take care of herself. She died at age 67, suddenly, and sent me into a couple of years of numbness.
I am also guilty of not taking very good care of myself when it was important to do so. I'm better about it now that I'm 74, when it's almost too late, but I would have appreciated a little more by way of warning from my mom and grandmother. As a result, I DO complain. I'm not always aware that I'm doing it, but I'm trying to be being honest here.
When I was in 7th grade, my Girls' PE class was playing kickball outside on a crisp fall day. The ball was kicked in my direction, but I missed it. It just gave a glancing blow to one of my fingers as I tried to catch it. It hurt. I looked down and noticed a big lump on the first knuckle of the ring finger on my right hand. I was convinced it was broken. When I got home, I insisted that my dad take me to the ER, even though (as a football coach) he was telling me there was nothing they would do about it even if it was broken. He was right, of course. The finger wasn't broken, but there was a dislocated bone chip that gave the knuckle its lump. They put a splint on it and sent us home. I carry that knuckle deformity to this day. The finger works, so why the fuss? Why did I bother?
Another time in my childhood, I was playing tetherball with my best friend in her yard. I came down from a hit and rolled my ankle. It hurt like crazy. I limped home. That night, I had to get up in the night...stepped on that ankle...and nearly went to the floor. Again, I was convinced it was broken. Once again, I went to the ER for xrays, and once again was told nothing was broken. Back home again with a wrap for a sprain until it healed. More medical expense for nothing. Why bother?
I've had other aches and pains through the years, as an adult. Just when I think I should seek medical attention for them, they go away. Some come back intermittently. Some never come back at all, and I congratulate myself for having waited just long enough to save medical expenses.
Just a couple of months ago, I complained to my PCP's nurse practitioner that something wasn't right in my belly. Among other things, my navel had gone from being an "inny" to an "outie". All I could think of was that something was going on in there that I should probably look into. The NP ordered an xray. Nothing showed, but my belly hadn't improved, so she ordered a CT scan. The scan showed...ta-dah!...pockets of gas in my large intestines. Gas, of all things! The doc told me that it is diet-related and that I should probably begin to take things out of my diet to determine sensitivity. Well, there you are! There is not a single thing I eat that I can live without, so I guess I won't do anything, nor worry. Why bother? I love food!
I'm fairly crippled up with back problems that affect my ability to stand and walk. When I first complained about it to my then-PCP, I felt brushed off. Oh, they took an xray that my then-doc said showed "weakness". I'm sorry? An x-ray shows weakness? I didn't go back to that dude, and since then, my back problems have only increased.
I get yearly chest scans looking for lung cancer. The scans almost always show spinal degeneration. I've been told it is arthritis, but no one knows for sure because no one has been brave enough to order an MRI for my back. I struggle around in my little house-on-a-slab, doing the best I can.
Interestingly, if I do have arthritis, it doesn't really bother my knees. I did have a torn meniscus a few years ago, but my knees don't give me any pain.
Know what DOES give me pain? The index finger on my right hand. The second knuckle has a hitch in it, and now the whole finger lets me know if I'm doing something it doesn't want. Like picking up a jug of wine by the handle, or opening a pop-top can. I'm right-handed, so this is an issue. Should I seek medical attention for it? Why would I want to? There's no way to fix it besides surgery. I'm guessing it's arthritis, but why only in one finger?? I haven't "done my research" about it yet. All I really want to know is if I am hurting it by continuing to use it, or should I put a splint on it to let it rest for awhile? My general knowledge of arthritis is that you have to keep using an affected joint just to keep it moving.
I'm extremely flinchy about seeking medical attention for anything that isn't critical right now. The "why bother" attitude is in there, of course. I don't want to whine about the little crap that nothing can be done about when the rest of the world is struggling with COVID. I think my swollen finger can wait. It's inconvenient...but why bother?
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