People can fail you.
When the world fails you, we just grit our teeth and get on with it.
But when your body starts to fail you, and your teeth are long past being able to chew, let alone grit anything, you know you have just stepped on to that slippery slope.
Very slowly…over the years, various bits of us have stopped performing as we would want them to, but we manage to find ways to get around each problem.
Those handy little rubber mats for opening stubborn bottles and jars. Kneeling pads and handrails, stronger reading glasses and tablets for the arthritis. Little tricks that fool us into thinking we are as good as we ever were.
Secretly though, we know our shortcomings only too well. We just wish the list would stop getting any longer.
This has been brought home to me quite strongly, as I help Anita to regain some of her usual abilities after being fitted with an ICD. Implantable cardio verter – defibrillator. A small battery-operated device to monitor the heart.
All the reports about this procedure said that after the initial six weeks, Anita would be blessed with a new lease of life, stronger and more able to cope with life in general.
So far, we have yet to see much improvement.
Her damaged heart seems to be behaving, thanks to a strict and intensive drug regime, although this is tough going for someone who is rarely ill and never takes as much as an aspirin!
Breathlessness is still a big problem, leaving her weak (and bad tempered) and the site of the implant is still painfully uncomfortable, but as yet, only mild sensations from the device have been experienced.
Between the two of us and help from our family, our life rolls on much as it always has, but for the ever-present shadow of the elephant in the room…
© Jaye Marie 2020
Thinking of you both…
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Thank you, Steve…
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Sadly this is true as we age. We sort one thing out and something else goes. No wonder Bette Davis said that old age wasn’t for cissies…
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She was definitely right about that!
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I just ignore birthdays – I don’t have them. I’ve been fifty-nine for years. Look after yourselves.
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Good idea, thank you, Judith!
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I will be sending good thoughts your and Anita’s way, Jay. Getting old and having body fails is…interesting. It’s painful mentally and physically. Every day there’s something new to try to live through. xo
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Ain’t that the truth! Thanks, Cynthia…
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Wishing you both the best. Recovery can be a bumpy road, and it is hard to see the small steps forward as progress when you are accustomed to running. Take care of yourselves. 💗
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We are doing our level best, Jo…
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Thinking of you both, hope things improve for Anita soon. ❤
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Thank you, Eliza, we hope so too…
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I wish and pray for her recovery 🙏🏾❤️
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Thank you, Jude…
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Yes, those bits of us slowly stop performing. Jaye, you write this post beautifully. Anita should be ill tempered, I would be too. I hope there is more improvement. The elephant in the room needs to move away. Best to you both.
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Thanks, Jennie!
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You’re welcome, Jaye!
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