An Aging Update

So, I think I owe it to at least some of my friends to report on the results of all this doctor shit I’ve been doing. Here ’tis.

I have been dealing with an autoimmune skin condition known as Granuloma Annulare (GA) for at least a year and a half, more likely two years. I have been treating it with phototherapy for the past five months and it seems to be somewhat efficacious. Just when I thought the raised, sometimes itchy, sometimes painful lesions were the best it had to offer, a new “side-effect”, possibly a “companion” condition began to emerge about a month or so ago. I’m now experiencing joint swelling, stiffness, and pain in my knees, my ankles, my wrists and occasionally, at least one elbow. Did I mention my fingers?

I can’t definitively make a correlation between the GA and the joint pains which, by the way, generally appear and disappear fairly suddenly.

So Kaiser wanted me to see my GP for possible referral to a rheumatologist. That’s what I was up to yesterday at the Simi Valley office. Stay tuned.

Today I went to see my cardiologist, now a routine part of my overall health regimen given he implanted a pacemaker in me six months ago and he likes to keep track of his work. Pacemaker’s working as expected. Heart is working on its own more than I expected.

Saturday I’m having my first echocardiogram and I’m giddy with excitement and anticipation. Hope I don’t embarrass myself.

Bottom line, I have issues (who doesn’t at 76?) but I’m still enjoying life, especially as my girls are really beginning to spread their wings. I’m hoping the future holds a few more years of “adulting” in store for me.