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When my mother was 90, she came home from the doctor, and he had prescribed this and treated that and ordered tests for those. Mom barked at him "I'm not sick -- I'm old!"
Do your doctors act like they know the difference, and just let you peacefully settle into your old age, and leave you alone to get used to your decline without false hopes and proimises?
My folks are dealing with this right now (just shy of 80). They now "interview" potential doctors and tell them things like "I'm paying you to Advise me, but I will make the final decision" and "I'm a person first and expect you to consider what's right for me. Do not treat me as the problem I'm having with a 'cure at all costs' mentality".
I see a GP about once every 5 years, and have moved/changed states more frequently than that so haven't had the same one twice. But when it becomes more frequent, I'll be doing the same. Better to spend time finding someone who's comparable with your medical ideology than suffer being treated as just your symptoms. I've seen *WAY* too many people who lost substantial Quality of life just to gain a little more Quantity. I'd rather 3 months of being able to do things and then death over 3 years of no energy/bed ridden and then death. Quality is far more important than Quantity to me.
When my mother was 90, she came home from the doctor, and he had prescribed this and treated that and ordered tests for those. Mom barked at him "I'm not sick -- I'm old!"
Do your doctors act like they know the difference, and just let you peacefully settle into your old age, and leave you alone to get used to your decline without false hopes and proimises?
Good for your mom
I always say - think of your body as a motor vehicle. You don't expect a car to last forever. It will slowly break down - starting small, then the engine finally blows!
I am running into this and it is a sad fact our bodies age and don't work as well as they did
For example, i am 66 and having problems with swallowing that usually evident in the elderly. The GI doctor did tests for cause and ruled out anything but esophageal muscles failing to work properly due to age. That is not pushing food down my esophagus. A bit personal to relay this detail but an example of getting old but not sick.
Kind of hard to take after all those years in the Army and maintaining a fit life style. I don't feel old.
I am running into this and it is a sad fact our bodies age and don't work as well as they did
For example, i am 66 and having problems with swallowing that usually evident in the elderly. The GI doctor did tests for cause and ruled out anything but esophageal muscles failing to work properly due to age. That is not pushing food down my esophagus. A bit personal to relay this detail but an example of getting old but not sick.
Kind of hard to take after all those years in the Army and maintaining a fit life style. I don't feel old.
A friend of mine was having the same issues. I went with her to the throat doctor.
He basically told her the same thing. Those muscles get slack also just like the muscles in the rest of your body. He did say she should also try losing weight cuz those parts get fatty too!
When my MIL switched from a GP to a gerontologist, things got a lot better for her, partly because the gerontologist was better at working with all her other specialists and reviewing what they were prescribing. The gerontologist slowly changed up by MIL's meds, dropping some and cutting back on others and changing the scheduling of taking things. The gerontologist was also a bit more accepting of all the supplements my MIL took. My MIL was around 85 when she made the switch (she was 93 when she died).
I've watched older folks (of which I am now one) go through a period of 5-10 years of denial in their 60's to 80's, They continue to attribute normal bodily deterioration (tiredness, soreness, decreased mobility, failing eyesight, hearing, etc) to some type of mysterious illness that needs to be 'fixed.'
Modern medicine contributes to this illusion with new drugs and treatments that may help one live longer, with less pain and even improved faculties (eyesight, hearing, etc). But, ultimately, the mirror, body and coffin expose the reality of the natural aging process to everyone.
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