By Jobyna Nickum

Bursitis, gout, bunions, post-nasal drip and liver spots … oh my!

We all know that I will not allow anyone to say anything negative about growing older! I am an ADVOCATE (with capital letters no less) for older adults, for positive aging and for all the strengths and blessings that come with aging. But today we are going to discuss some of the hard truths that come with growing older. Yes, we do get wiser. But, let’s face it folks, we also get liver spots. Heavy sigh. We are human bodies. Made up of muscles, and bones and ligaments and things will happen over the years. As with all of my articles, they are for information and fodder only. Always have any serious medical discussions with your physician.

This article is going to talk about the unspoken truths of aging. I feel it needs to be said. Why, you ask? Well, because my doctor just told me last week that the unending, horrible pain in my hip was bursitis. “BURSITIS?” I shouted at my doctor. “Only old people get bursitis!” Once the words were out of my mouth, we stared at each other. The silence in the room was deafening. She knows that I would have never forgiven anyone else for saying those words. Old people. Like having a condition because you were older was a bad thing. Like growing older as a process was a bad thing. I had just said a horribly bigoted thing – ageist to the core. Me. But – bursitis? I didn’t even know people still got bursitis. It seems like something they write inside “funny” cards about people who are turning older or going into the hospital. Well, I have it folks and it is not a funny thing. Then I found out a co-worker was recently diagnosed with bursitis in her shoulder. Then someone else mentioned she had bursitis in her knee. Well, then I knew that I had better find out more about this condition. And if I don’t know about it – maybe others would like to learn about it too. And while I was at it – I decided to research those other forbidden “aging” topics that we have heard about – but may not exactly “know” about. So here it goes gang.

Bursitis

We all have approximately 150 little sacks of “oil” or lubricant that rest between the tight spaces in our bodies where our bones, tendons and ligaments move against each other. By reducing the contact, these fluid filled sacs (bursa) “decrease friction between two surfaces that move in different directions. The major bursae are located adjacent to the tendons near the large joints, such as in the shoulders, elbows, hips and knees. When the bursa becomes inflamed, the condition is known as bursitis” states the Web site www.usgyms.net.

Here is what MayoClinic.com Web site lists as possible causes for bursitis: carpet laying, tile setting, gardening, bicycling, baseball and ice skating. Well, I hate to ruin folks’ image of me, but I don’t do any of those things.

I made the mistake of thinking the pain in my hip would just “go away.” By waiting eight months, this allowed the bursitis to worsen. Learn from my mistakes. When you are in pain, go to your doctor. Tell them what hurts. My doctor diagnosed my bursitis right then and there, and gave me cortisone shots and anti-inflammatory shots. My pain level went down within days. While I am now using an assortment of follow-up treatments, including stretching, anti-inflammatory, ice-packs, resting and acupuncture – the bottom line is – my stubbornness to not seek medical treatment kept me in pain, and probably worsened my condition – for months.

Severe bursitis, when the fluid-filled bursa sac is very swollen, can be treated with a needle inserted into the sac and the fluid removed with a large needle. Your doctor may check this fluid to see if the fluid is infected and if you need an antibiotic. In very extreme cases, the inflamed sac is surgically removed entirely from your body.

Gout

Pain upon pain multiplied by pain equals gout. I have never had gout – but every person I have ever talked to with gout tells me it is the worse pain in the world. Worse than dental pain, worse than childbirth, worse than my bursitis? I hope I never find out.

“Gout usually affects the large joint of your big toe, but it can occur in your feet, ankles, knees, hands and wrists,” notes information from www.mayoclinic.com. “Gout is a complex form of arthritis characterized by sudden, severe attacks of pain, redness and tenderness in joints. Gout can affect anyone, but increasing with advancing age. Men are more likely to get gout, but women become increasingly susceptible to gout after menopause. An acute attack of gout can wake you up in the middle of the night feeling like your big toe is on fire. The affected joint is hot, swollen and so tender that even the weight of the sheet on it seems intolerable.”

So what is gout? Uric acid is created by our bodies during normal cell turnover. When people create too much uric acid, or can’t get rid of all of the uric acid their bodies create – then the condition becomes gout. There are medications, treatments and preventative measures to help with this very painful condition.

Liver Spots

Liver spots are also known as age spots. They are not caused by the liver and have nothing to do with the liver. Like most things related to our skin – it has to do with exposure to the sun.

According to www.mayoclinic.com, “Age spots typically develop in people with a fair complexion but can be seen in those with darker skin. Age spots are flat, oval areas of increased pigmentation and are usually brown, black or gray. They occur on skin that has had the most sun exposure over the years, such as the backs of hands, tops of feet, face shoulders and upper back. You may not like the way they look, but age spots are usually harmless and don’t require medical care. However, your doctor should evaluate spots that are dark or have changed appearance because these can be signs of melanoma, a serious form of skin cancer. Although anyone can develop age spots, you may be more likely to develop the condition if you have light-colored or fair skin and/or have a history of frequent or intense sun exposure or sunburn.”

Post-Nasal Drip

Mmmm….did you know that our bodies produce about one to two quarts of thin mucus a day? I did not. Evidently when all is working well in our bodies, this mucus is swallowed without us thinking about it. It cleans the nasal membranes, humidifies the air we breathe, traps icky stuff in the air we have taken in. Good stuff mucus. Abnormal secretions are the problem—according to the Web site www.nasal.net and can be caused by lots of different reasons. Age related post-nasal drip is caused by our mucus membranes shrinking and drying as we get older. This causes us to produce less mucus, and that which we do produce is thicker than before. As we get older we then notice the mucus slurping down the back of our throat – which we didn’t even notice when we were younger. Yippee.

Varicose Veins

I have a friend who told me I had to mention varicose veins when I told her about this article. “Really?” I asked. “Varicose veins?” “Oh, yes,” she said, “you will be finding out all about them as you get older!” She said she was lucky enough to get a very large and striking patch of varicose veins when she was pregnant 25 years ago. She named the large blue area on her leg “Chelsea” after her daughter (name has been changed to protect the innocent). After researching varicose veins though, I realized they could be their own specific article – so more about them at a later date.

Bunions

Even the name sounds bad. Other than knowing bunions are swollen big toes – I didn’t really know a lot about them before researching this article. About twice as many people over the age of 60 have bunions compared with people between the ages of 30 and 60, according to www.consumerreports.org. A bunion is actually a “localized area of enlargement of the inner portion of the joint at the base of the big toe. The enlargement represents additional bone formation, often in combination with a misalignment of the big toe. The normal position of the big toe (straight forward) becomes directed toward the smaller toes. The joint at the big toe becomes inflamed with redness, tenderness and pain. Bunions most commonly affect women. Some studies report that bunions occur nearly 10 times more frequently in women than men. It has been suggested that tight-fitting shoes, especially high-heels and narrow-toed, might increase the risk for bunion formation. Bunions are common in ballet dancers,” notes the article, “What are Bunions?” on the Web site www.medicinenet.com. Did you know you can get a bunionette? This is a smaller version on your small toe. Sounds cute, but I am guessing it still hurts like a son of a gun.

So, before I go into a great spinning abyss of other ailments that can hit us as our bodies age.Our bodies were not made to last for more than 120 years. This is called the human life span. Based on our gender, race, country of origin, foods we eat, exercise, attitudes, access to health care, we all have a life expectancy. In the United States that runs about 77.7 years.

Because things aren’t made to last forever, they will wear out. And part of the wearing out process – can cause us pain. What I have learned through researching this article, and what is just plan common sense is this – find out what we can do to prevent some of these problems from happening in the first place, when should we go the doctor to get help immediately, what can we do to help us live with the pain, discomfort, etc.

Some things are inevitable with aging. Some things are not. Learn about your body. Heal what you can. Learn to adapt and adjust. Try new treatments, be open to feeling better. But sometimes we just have to say, “Well I am getting older.”

I truly believe that the oldest fiddles play the sweetest tunes, but sometimes – those old fiddles need a little extra loving care!