I had to bail early from the summer job; it involves sitting for long, long hours making call after call, and my hip just can't take it anymore. I consider myself lucky, since it's staying active that keeps me feeling physically good; I have friends my age, and some younger, who suffer when trying to stay active, and for me it's just the opposite. The more I stay on my feet, running hither and yon, the better I feel. When I have to sit for long periods, unless I can sort-of do the chaise-lounge thing, almost lying down, my left hip starts to complain, and eventually it turns into a burning ache that I just can't relieve without getting up and moving around. If I get up and work it out, I'm good for a little while, but the relief becomes shorter and shorter until I just have to either stand up for a couple hours or just lay down.
Among my ex-wife's various physical ailments was exactly the same thing I'm going through now, and, with her, the condition ultimately called for surgical intervention, to relieve congestion in the channel the sciatic nerve takes through the pelvis. It's quite a surgery, with a long recovery period, and I'm really not interested in going there myself. Especially since I know my usual practices, and my usual work-conditions, won't exacerbate things. I think I'm just going to have to pull the plug on this temp-job and mind my pennies through the rest of the summer.
I've resisted the changes age has brought on fairly well so far; I've studied Tai-Ch'i and Qi-Gong and Yoga, and I practice a fair bit, and it serves me well to maintain my flexibility and joint and muscle tone. One can only stave off these changes for so long, however, unless one makes it the whole business of life, which I'm disinclined to do. It's not all about living forever, you know.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Age 50 seems to be a tipping point for most people. that's when the joint and back pain starts creeping up on us. My right shoulder usually hurts so badly I can't sleep on that side anymore.
ReplyDeleteHip pain could be caused by a lot of things though. I know several people where it was due to back problems.
Hopefully it's something you can adjust to. Pain seems to be a constant reminder of age.
Blecch. I have dubbed 2009 as The Year I Finally Started To Feel My Age. Sucks.
ReplyDeleteAlthough it's a fictional diagnosis (See King of the Hill), I think I suffer from "Diminished Glutteal Syndrome"! I never had much fundament, but it seems like I have even less now-I think there's just not enough "cushion" to protect the nerve clusters that channel through the pelvis and down the leg. In my living room, I sit in a beloved old armchair piled with foam and cushions, and I do pretty well, as long as I keep my legs up on the footstool and recline, almost like a chaise-lounge. It's in this position I do nearly all of my writing and computer-work.
ReplyDeleteOf course, in my regular job at school, I hardly sit at all, and never for more than 20-30 minutes, tops, so that's no problem.