The Cost of Dying

 

     Everybody complains about the high cost of living. I have lived long enough to know it's something to complain about but I have now reached the stage where I'm dealing with the high cost of dying. No I've not been diagnosed with an incurable disease that's going to take me out tomorrow. What I'm talking about is, I have reached the age, I'm 76 now, where my body is changing and I spend a fair amount of time with doctors who have me taking a pill for all my aches and pains. Between co-pays and prescription cost and insurance premiums a person could go broke.

     I started this year out with a VA doctor and a private civilian doctor. I now have a Neurologist, a Pulmonologist, a Gastrologist and a Cardiologist and an Audiologist, and I see an eye doctor and skin doctor once a year. I have been to more doctor appointments this year than in the total of the last five years, seems like I have at least two or three appointments a month, more if I require any test. I now have nine prescriptions plus a couple of over counter supplements, keeping me healthy takes a lot of time and work.

     Speaking of test, this year I have had two audiology exams, and MRI on my neck and another on my brain, a colonoscopy, a nuclear stress test three EKGs, a breathing test and had enough blood drawn to make another person. 

     In addition to all of my aches and pains, I'm overweight and have a gut large enough to make me look like I'm about seven months pregnant. Dieting is really not something I want to do mainly because all of the foods on most diet plans are foods I don't like, let's face it, I'm a butcher's son and was brought up on meat, potatoes and cornbread. The diet hasn't worked so that leaves exercise, another thing that at my age I would rather not get involved in but my modesty has gotten the better of me and I have joined a gym. The cost of the gym is not in money because the insurance pays for it, the cost is in the time it takes up, winter is coming on and I can't go fishing so the gym it is.

     I'm not one of these people who does things halfway, I go at it full bore. The first day on the tread mill I went a mile in twenty one minutes and then the second mile in twenty. I found a machine that works on tightening your gut and another that strengthens your arm muscles, now I have more aches and pains than I started with. The first week, I went three times and got my mile down to eighteen minutes. this week I have been every day and this morning the scales say I'm down four pounds. My goal is to loose about thirty-five more pounds.

     This year, I have been pricked, probed and prodded from head to toe and had enough blood drawn to make another whole person. The best they have found is that I'm in pretty good shape for my age but I'm like an old 55' Buick whose parts are wearing out, they may be wearing out but at least they still work.

     I doubt the aches and pains will go away, that's OK with me as I consider them like a badge of honor for having lived so long. I think the secret to a long life is finding something that makes you want to get out of bed every day, that something for me is that I enjoy living, having good genes helps. I never expected to live this long but I have and I fully intend to be here a while longer, all it takes is a little money and time.