For my entire adult life (after age 25), I was active every day, lifted weights, exercised, played every type of sport there was available: football, baseball, basketball, volleyball, field and track.
At the age of 40, I quit smoking, drinking, eating red meat, fried foods, and sugars on a regular basis. I also walked 3-5 miles a day, seven days a week. Maybe 4 pizzas a year, 1-2 cheeseburger and hot dogs once a year, a glass or two of wine around Christmas, along with a few pieces of chocolate.
I did not have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or any of the other triggers that might cause a heart attack and yet at the age of 60, I had a heart attack severe enough, a triple bypass was recommended. I was on the treadmill at the time of the attack and my body was so damn healthy, they dozens of small arteries had been created providing a natural bypass that saved my life.
A few months earlier, I had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma - the two incidents were not related. A years after my diagnosis of Lymphoma, I was diagnosed with Melanoma, and it was surgically removed from the bottom of my left foot. Because it was so small, no treatment was given.
Five years later, the Melanoma had metastasized to my groin and a few months after that, to my neck where it was removed and discovered to be DEAD as a result of Opdivo and Radiation - the most up to date treatment from MD Anderson.
Two years ago, FIVE DISKS in my LOWER BACK were fused together due to spinal stenosis and the threat of ending up in a wheelchair for the rest of my life, if I did not do something about it.
A year ago, I did something to my right shoulder when building a garbage platform for the trash cans and this past spring, I tripped over the power washer hose, landing on my left shoulder. An MRI of both shoulders discovered that a tendon had been pulled completely off of both rotator cuffs and had retracted.
A reverse shoulder replacement needed to be performed but there would be no guarantees that I would be able to wipe my butt with either hand after the surgery was performed. I decided to live with it. I have a hard time lifting items above my head.
Just about two months ago, I got out of bed one morning and my left leg all but collapsed. Over the next few days, the pain increased and now I walk around with a cane. The pain is not at the knee but below the knee to the inside. According to diagrams there is a tendon there that could have become torn or bruised. Only an MRI will tell.
In addition to all these problems, my eyesight is failing as is my hearing and I had to invest in a pair of hearing aids which are not cheap.
Further, I have undergone numerous root canals and crowns for my teeth that may or may not have been caused by all my cancer treatments.
At 76 years of age, almost 77, I am just now ending my 16th year of treatment where I have experienced 1-2 infusions each month in addition to taking a cancer pill where my out-of-pocket costs are $1,200/month but I was awarded a grant from the Leukemia Foundation to pay those expenses.
While my body is still strong and able to withstand all this punishment, I am beginning to believe that it is slowly breaking down. Otherwise, I would not have any problems with my shoulders or knee.
All the weightlifting I did as a teenager, young adult, and adult did in fact build up my muscles and made me very strong with large broad shoulders, as you age and cannot keep lifting weights, those muscles TURN TO FAT. Looking in the mirror is not always a pretty sight.
Looking back, there is still nothing about my life that I would change...
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