The Perils of Old Age

UPDATE: Finally saw the lung specialist last week and he says I have ZERO signs of emphysema or other COPD. He looked at the last 3 x rays I've had in Oregon (since 2009) plus the two abdominal CT scans I've had in the last year, which show the lower part of the lungs. Nothing on any of them. I feel lighter already. :)

Dahlias are blooming in the garden boxes right now. So beautiful!

So, what's on my mind today is that I had a routine physical Monday and ended up with a diagnosis of emphysema. Nice, huh? I've never smoked, but I did grow up in a house with two heavy smokers for the first 18 years of my life. Second-hand smoke matters. Doesn't help that I had Scarlet Fever when I was 6, which damaged my lungs.

I mentioned to my doctor that I'd been having some minor, occasional breathing issues, so he ordered a chest x-ray and another test that hasn't happened yet. The x-ray showed enlarged lungs, though little to no obstruction. That's the good news, I guess.

Other than that, I seem to be the picture of physical health, with indicators unusually good for my age.

I watched my mother die of this disease and watched the progression. It took years, and she was much younger then than I am now. I'm assuming it'll take years for me, too. Right now it's just an occasional annoyance. It won't stop me from walking or going about my life. 

I am so grateful for my years of Buddhist training and practice. It enables me to accept this information with equanimity and peace. I live fully in the present and don't worry too much about the future. Not the long-term future, at any rate. We all have to look to tomorrow to some degree, and right now, tomorrow doesn't look any different than today. I'm grateful for that.
 

I'm still here!

Happy to report that my health is back to normal, hopefully. I still haven't had much urge to write here but I don't want folks to think I've left the room, either. That will be true someday, and there will be no notice of it here, but maybe I should try to at least say hello now and then.

I spend most of my time on Twitter, and post photos there, where they don't go into a total void and where there is feedback.

Most of those photos are just iPhone snaps taken on my walks, but some of them are likable. Here's a few: I love sunrise at the ponds. The Hawk is a Cooper's Hawk, photo taken with full zoom from my window. Saw this guy at the bird bath several times during the spring/summer. Turns out there is a nest in one of our big trees (currently hidden by foliage) and now we have three noisy juveniles flying about all the time. I don't mind the screeching, but they are loud. I love watching them, too. Others here are not as amused, but as they grow older they'll likely seek out territories of their own.