Ageing Ailments

Sunglasses in one hand, G&T in the other, Jason and I ventured out onto the balcony to enjoy the last rays of sun, and what we knew would be a magnificent sunset.

We reflected on how we spent our day. Him doing various chores around the house and me reading my book. I was having one of “those” days, which every female can relate to. Where your stomach hurts and all you want to do is “nothing” and “comfort eat” because this is the one time of the month that you are allowed to indulge guilt-free.

As we were chatting away complaining about how our bodies are starting to let us down, I was reminded about my sister telling me just before my 40th birthday, that from here on out it is down hill. She is 4 years older than me. In Afrikaans they would say, “brille en pille” (glasses and pills)! I was mortified and replied with a “speak for yourself”!

3 years on and it is happening! Her words have become true. How on earth can this be? It is as if overnight I have all sorts of things “turning up”!

I have always suffered from terrible allergies! I have been “forced” to take allergy tablets every single day for the past 10 years! If I miss a day, my skin starts itching and I start sneezing. After blood tests, it turns out I am allergic to dust and grass! Now how does one stay away from that?! Gosh, at the time I wished it was something I could just cut out of my diet, but then again, I love all kinds of food, so that is probably just as well!

The only time I was really OK was when I was working on ships! All that fresh sea air! No dust or grass to speak of! Then again I suffered terribly with motion sickness! Yes, a sailor with motion sickness! Only in bad weather, when even the stabilizers did not help. When they shut the portholes, you knew “trouble” was coming! Then I started dating “the Italian” and because of his “position”, he always warned me when it was going to get “rolling”. If he warned me in time, all I needed was a half tablet, then I was fine. Otherwise I would be throwing up all over the place. And when you are working, you are forced to work “through it”! I can tell you there is nothing worse than being nauseous, having your head spin whilst dealing with “moaning” passengers, and all you can do is smile whilst trying to keep your lunch down! Besides the motion sickness tablets, the other more “natural” tricks that did work, were dry bread rolls, French fries drenched in salt and vinegar, litres and litres of ginger ale and green apples. Those stupid wrist bans and patches which the passengers wore, were absolutely useless!

The one thing that did manifest shortly “after ships” was vertigo! Of course the symptoms are exactly the same as motion sickness, except you are on solid ground and have no “real” excuse to feel the way that you do! Interesting enough, quite a few “ex-sailor friends” also “developed” vertigo post ships. We were probably all the ones suffering whilst sailing! My Dr told me to lie on my bed with my neck hanging over the side of the bed, facing up, lifting my head up and down. He said, "do that once a day for a month and your symptoms will disappear". After doing it once and feeling the nausea hit almost instantly I stopped. I just could not force myself to do this type of exercise! A friend did it as recommended and he swears that it cured him! Yes, for the first couple of times it does bring the nausea on, but then it disappears! I would rather take a tablet when needed, maybe once or twice a year, than do that! Yes, stubborn I know!

For someone that used to do long haul flights all the time it was also interesting that when it stopped being a “regular” thing, I suddenly developed Oedema, particularly when flying to really hot and humid places! Will never forget my trip to Croatia, when I had to fly, take a train and then a bus to get there in extreme heat! By the time I got to Split, my legs were double the size! All that walking and heat! The only time the swelling came down was when I would spend a few hours swimming in the Adriatic. Then I would go out exploring and my feet would swell up again! Eventually my feet could not fit into my flip flops and I was forced to buy Crocs of all things! I could barely walk! I suffered like this for the duration of the trip and when I finally got home and admitted to hospital, after numerous tests Oedema was diagnosed! Now as a precautionary measure, I am forced to take a half aspirin the evening prior to flying, the morning and evening of flying, and the morning after flying. Luckily this is only for long haul flights! Oh, yes and do not forget about the custom made compression socks which I have to wear on all flights longer than 2 hours! Luckily most of our domestic flights are 2 hours or less! When my legs became swollen in Vietnam I immediately knew what it was! When ever I was resting, I would put my compression socks on and elevate my legs. Worked like a bomb! So it is safe to say Tropical Oedema, since I do not get the swollen feet and legs when flying to places like England or Germany!

I guess I always had “eye issues”, although the Uveitis only manifested in the last 6 years, which is typical with my type of injury. You are fine and then boom, “old age hits” and so does the Uveitis! I am not entirely convinced about the “dry eyes”. If it is the case, I need Dr G to help me manage it better than what I currently am! It is a daily struggle, which I am not enjoying!

The Osteoarthritis is genetic, so was not surprised with that one! Just wish it was closer to 70 than 40! Daily exercise and the meds help!

According to my Dietitian Uveitis and Osteoarthritis are both “inflammatory”, so the Mediterranean Diet should help with easing the inflammation. Only time will tell!

We all have our ailments. Some manifest earlier in life than others. Over the years it has caused for some “excitement”, with Jason calling me a hypochondriac until I am diagnosed and then he feels guilty for insulting me! If nothing else, it does give me good stories to tell!

Until next time

Love, light and positive change

Ophelia