FROM HEAD TO TOE

As you age, bothersome things start to happen to you.

Let’s start with your hair. It will probably become gray then turn to white. Of course you can color it, but it will still change. Sometimes it also becomes thin. You’ll notice some women actually have bald spots the same as men.

You'll possibly have cataracts and need eye surgery. That's the easy part. The difficulty comes afterwards when you need to follow an elaborate schedule to use three different eye drops at various times from morning 'til bedtime.

When you visit the dentist, you can be diagnosed as having periodontal disease. This means after the very costly first visit, subsequent visits cost up to $200. Now I have to find someone who will just clean my teeth.

Hearing problems are rampart and some people refuse to believe they have one. So learn to speak loudly and distinctly.

The older you get, the more your mind changes. You’ll begin to notice that little problem  of forgetting things, people’s names or names of your grandchildren or what you were about to say. Why did I open the refrigerator? What day is it? The older you get the more frequently this happens. You’re OK if you really strive to come up with the answer.

One thing that’s really upsetting is the day you first see wrinkles when you weren’t looking for them. When did they really appear?  Did then come just last night?

Now to your arms, I can remember my own mother’s arms and hands being all wrinkly and with liver spots or the black and blue marks that come so easily. You’ll probably remember the same things because it hurts so much when you notice your parent growing old.

There are weird moles which suddenly appear on various parts of your body, my dermatologist called them barnacles but never suggested removing them.

Your stomach is going to get bigger!

Be prepared when you get up from bed or a chair in order to use the bathroom, it’s possible you might have an embarrassing leak as you scurry to get there.

What’s more embarrassing than passing gas? As you age it happens more and more and people will ignore it or give a little laugh.

Varicose veins appeared on my legs. When my I raced my three year old grandson to the mailbox, he beat me by a mile. I was totally shocked when I realized my racing days were over.

Now we get to the feet. When my mother needed her toenails clipped by a podiatrist, I wondered why she couldn’t do it herself because it was so costly. Now I understand why.

Everyday will eventually start with a line-up of various pills and you’ll have to remember to take them at the right time.  Don’t worry you won’t die if you forget a few.

Now I’ll cover sleeping habits. They change. No matter how late you go to bed, you’ll find you wake up early and can’t get back to sleep. That’s where naps come in, plural. That happens, don’t feel guilty. It’s just a matter of recharging your batteries.

IMPORTANT WARNINGS!

One thing you must remember when you drop something is to never, never get on the floor on your hands and knees without having something to hold onto when you get up again. This is imperative.

Another no-no is to never, never drop by to visit a friend. Always phone first, chances are the woman will still be in her nightgown.