Arthritis, Cholesterol and Hemorrhoids, Oh My!

I'm just kidding. I don't have hemorrhoids.

It does suck to get old, though. And I'm not even that old, in the grand scheme of things. But I'm having old lady ailments. My cholesterol is high, I have the possible beginnings of arthritis, and I'm going to turn 40 in just a few short months. Yes, I've been aware of this fact for a while now, especially since I set the 40 by 40 goal. But my best friend - who also happens to be my first cousin - is turning 40 this week. Now it's REAL that 40 is going to happen to me too. And to think I can say that I've known someone for 40 years. . . .mind-boggling.

I'm also not ready to face the ailments of aging. Being diagnosed with high cholesterol and being told I could have a heart attack in 10 years if I didn't change something - that was quite sobering.

Now, I may also have arthritis. I've had this bum shoulder for quite a while. I had problems with it 10 or 12 years back, got a cortisone shot from the doc, and I was good to go. Now the pain is back with a vengeance. I finally had it checked out again and got another shot, which did not help this time. The doc said I probably have some arthritis in there because I used to do this stupid party trick where I could pop my shoulder out of its joint. (Remember what they used to say about cracking your knuckles?) But he also ordered an X-ray to see if anything else is going on. I'm a mild to moderate hypochondriac in that I usually wonder if any small ache or pain is a symptom of something much more serious. Like, what if I can never play Sims 3 again???

It makes me wish I had taken better care of my health and my body when I was younger. It also makes me wish I was younger. Oh well, life goes on. . . .at least for another 40 years or so.