When I was younger (much younger) and first heard the song “When I’m 64” it seemed like a million years away. Now I am one. I have no issues with embracing getting older or my mortality (cancer took care of the latter) but what I am puzzled by as I rapidly approach officially becoming a senior citizen, is the burning question: Are health things (be they major or minor) happening to me because of my Multiple Myeloma (MM) or are they merely manifestations of the normal course of aging?
- For example, if circumstances should cause me to have to "run up" two flights of stairs in a row from the basement to the bedrooms, I may be a bit winded when I finally hit the top tread. Granted I am not running running, but I suspect anyone would be somewhat short of breath after that calisthenic. And I actually do recover rather quickly. Is that the cancer (less likely now that my hemoglobin levels are back to normal), or just understandable for my age?
- Or how about the occasional tummy turbulence - as I euphemistically refer to it. Can that be tied to the cancer meds (seems random and not aligned with the absence or presence of my daily drugs) or just a stomach that may not appreciate the variety of gastronomy in a given moment (too much chocolate? -- if the words too much and chocolate can even be used in the same sentence)?
- Maybe you have experienced periodic neck cracking; like cracking your knuckles but in your neck. Any of you have that happen? Is THAT the cancer (due to higher than normal levels of calcium in the blood, some types of cancer such as MM increase the risk of this; hypercalcemia), or because I just slept on it wrong (time for a new pillow)?
- And though working from home has it's advantages, sitting around and "Zooming" all day seems to give me swollen ankles. Is that yet another byproduct of my collection of cancer meds or just the side effects of being 60+ and the result of a lengthy sedentary work day - 15 months worth?
Whatever it is, my philosophy is that any malady has to last for at least three straight days before I even look it up on WebMD (I’d advise against using the internet for health issue verification - too scary). So for the moment, at least, I'm going to assume that it's equal parts of my cancer and my chronology, and just deal with it as best as I can - for the next 30 years or so.
