Growing Old Gracefully

Hmm, maybe that title should be Growing Old Gracefully Medically?

I did warn you all that I am a middle-aged woman. I would love to say that life’s aches and pains are just a part of life and I try to not complain about them. But I do complain. It hurts. As part of my genetic make-up, I also find the humor in it. Like when my Cancer Friend Traci and I go off on the competitive “Who hurts more?” I do have to swallow my competitiveness because if we compare cancer battles, she wins hands down. I had Cancer Lite—the new and improved version. She had the old fashioned almost died, recovered, relapsed, damn-it-it’s-back, recovered, what-do-you-mean-this-ISN’T-“cancer”-if-she’s-still-so-sick?, relapsed, and (I think), remission. But she still has lots of battles due to all the treatments she has endured. But I digress—I was whining about my aches and pains. Let’s get back to that because this is my blog, I get to be selfish.

As young women, we all know menopause is coming and we can expect to gain weight, get some grey hair, actually lose track of tracking every 28 days, and get crow’s feet. What no one tells you is that it also uncomfortable. I imagine the same is true for men as they age.

I hurt. For no reason. Sometimes it feels like I just got done with a monstrous workout at a gym. Other times it is like the stiff muscles you have after a mild to moderate car accident. Sometimes the only time I don’t hurt is when I sleep.

So. There ya go. Whine whine whine.

Here’s the happy part (and no, it’s not the “just grateful I am alive” or “better than the alternative” stuff. Of course I am grateful. I am also a Christian, believing in the after-life, so I am okay with passing, too. I’d just prefer it later, rather than sooner)—the happy is because I think in my case, there might be a reprieve starting next summer.

Again, we women all know the aging is coming, but my not-even-to-Senior-Citizen age is not usually as painful and menopausal as I have been. My family all met for dinner last summer, and afterward three of us four daughters were talking. I complained about aging and feeling poorly, and the other two sisters both said they felt great and didn’t have the aches and pains I had. THEN I remembered—I am on medication that is “aging” me, as well as keeping me alive and cancer-free. Maybe, just maybe I will be given a few months’ or years’ break before all this sets in again.

This is my hope, and I am holding on to it. I am sure I’ll be sharing my post-medication pain-free life with you! Otherwise, grab some cheese—I’ll be whining.

4 thoughts on “Growing Old Gracefully

  1. Traci says:

    As your Cancer Heavy friend always tells you, there is NO Cancer-Lite. Mine just happened to not have been found as soon as yours was. Yes, I am in remission. Like you, the stupid chemicals they used have aged my body too. Here is hoping that when it is time to stop your medication it will stop the aches & pains. I am so lucky and grateful to have you as my friend. You make me laugh with your blog and Facebook posts When I am having one of my bad days, you make it so much better. Thank you. Much Love, Traci

    Like

    • Julie says:

      I am happy for you, Traci–and by that, I don’t just mean I am happy for you about being in remission. I am happy that you are my friend. ❤ Love you muchly! (And great timing with this note. I am having a miserable day. Now in the midst of my own created angst I also feel love!)

      Like

  2. David says:

    Your method is so good. You get it any complaint you see fit, yet leave with positive energy. Bravo.

    Like

  3. Angie Jenks Behrens says:

    You’ve got it all!!! Your humor, begin grateful, believing in the after-life, hope, and whine, whine, whine,I’ll grab some cheese. Julie, if you didn’t have all of these emotions or as I will call them “Characters”, you wouldn’t be the true woman you are today. I don’t know your whole story of the cancer, like the ups and downs as to how if effected you as a person or how if effected your family, but I bet that someone out there has read, will be reading, or has been told your blogs and is giving them encouragement in some form or another. Don’t stop blogging!!!

    Like

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s