One of the problems of getting old is feeling how your body keeps losing its magical power of perfectly dealing with everyday life, little by little, as years go by, pain starts to show up here and there and you have to learn to live with it.
I've had several minor health problems through my life. Probably the most dangerous was the anaphylactic shock I got from a wasp which almost killed me as my body over reacted to protect me. I have been going through treatment for three years now, taking shots of poison doses weekly initially, then every other week and so on, it is a process to let your body learn how to deal with the poison without over reacting and killing you. I also have to carry with me adrenaline for the rest of my life. The treatment seems to be working well as I got beaten twice this summer and although the reaction was strong and lasted several days, I didn't need to take the adrenaline nor go to a hospital which strongly reduced my fear.
My hip is what is giving me most of my hard days lately. I started feeling pain every now and then several years ago, until one day I couldn't almost walk. RMS tests confirmed there was an issue and later doctor visits suggested to get shots to reduce pain and have better quality life. I can manage the pain while I have a sedentary life home but during the long summer, while working at the farm, it keeps getting worse and worse, to the point I start getting pain the moment I step out of the bed every morning. Plus, I want to start getting in the bike again. I hopped I could run with this condition for several years taking a shot every 8 to 12 months, but this summer, after taking the shot on May, the results have not been very promising as I felt more and more pain everyday.
My dad (he is 90 now) have had surgery on both hips, and one of my brothers, two years older than me just had through the same process two years ago. I was reluctant to do so but after this summer experience I have decided to visit the doctor who did the surgery to my brother and get his opinion about moving forward for the hip replacement.
Although now you can get a lot of information online, and I have a direct quite satisfactory experience from my brother (he was back on the bike a week after surgery!), it is always scaring to think if you will be able to have a normal regular life afterwards, and having an 'artificial' part inside your body is also something I do not feel very confortable with. But the daily pain and the life quality push me to do so.
I used to bike several times a week, after being bitten by the wasp I stopped from fear of getting bitten while biking alone in the mountains, and now that I was starting to feel confortable about biking again, the hip pain stopped me getting on the bike. The doctor said I could bike, and actually, there is no pain while pedaling, but getting up and down the bicycle is painful and I do not want to think what it would be falling down. I like going fast and risking while on the hills and falling is part of the game every now and then.
I remember, several years ago, my dad used to tell me we will all end up being part 'artificial' as healthcare evolves and improves our body when things stop working properly, but there is always risk and you can never be 100% sure everything will end up fine.
When my dad had surgery for the first time, they recommended him not to do do sport as materials had a life span of 10 years and actually he had to replace one of the initial hips 8 years ago. Hopefully, materials have improved and now, they last way longer so at my age is very unusual I will have to replace it anytime.
We will see how the year ends...