The MLC (midlife crisis) readers suggested a blog entry on our aches and pains. As we become seasoned citizens, our minds might tell us to “go for it”, but our bodies say otherwise. Sometimes our minds (mostly our ego) push ourselves until something gives out - and our body says “I told you so”.
One ache that I’ve been dealing with for the past 25 years is a bad back. Mostly my lower back. It started when I was a computer operator and was retrieving a box of paper. This was when reports were printed line printers on the blue or green bar paper. This box was in the corner of a store room and on each side there was other boxes of paper stacked about 3 high. So I bent over, reached down and pulled up the box using only my upper body strength. And it was all good.
Then the next day as I arrived at work, as I spun my body to get out of my car like I normally do, I felt a little “tick” in my back. I got up and walked into the office, no problem. As the night went on (I worked the swing shift by myself), my back started hurting more and more until I could no longer stand straight up. The next day when I woke up, I couldn’t get out of bed. I had to call for my mom to help pull me out of bed. When I finally got out of bed, I was bent over. If I tried to straighten myself up, a sharp pain would shoot down my leg and buckle my knee. Over the next few days I was slowly able to stand straighter and straighter until the pain was gone and I was walking normal again.
I never did see the doctor. But from what others tell me, they say the symptoms sounds like a pinched nerve.
Since then I always make sure I bend at the knees and pick up an item as close to my body as possible, keeping my back straight and using my legs to do the lifting. But if I stand for any longer than about 15 minutes, I can feel a “pulling” sensation in my lower back. I slowly bend over forward and stretch out my back, but nothing beats sitting down. I always watch how I lift now.
Another ailment - not sure if this counts - is allergy. I never had a problem with allergy until I got married. Paula on the other hand battled allergies from when she was a little girl. She had to go to the doctor every Saturday to get her allergy shot. I blame her and tell her that she gave me her allergies. It’s not that often that it acts up, but today was one of them - what Paula and I call a “bad nose day”. In fact, I just took a Rynatan so if I don’t finish this entry, it’s because the Rynatan knocked me out. Who woulda thunk that allergies were contagious.
And finally, an ailment that I deal with is asthma. When I catch a cold, I wheeze and feel like I’m going to die. The coughing causes my chest to tighten up so I use my inhaler to open up my bronchial tubes. The inhaler also loosens up the phlegm, but I have to cough to get the phlegm out. But the coughing causes me to tighten up again so I use the inhaler again. It’s a vicious circle. When I go to the doctor, he prescribes me Prednisone. That’s some good stuff. Usually after the first dose, I can breathe again. But I get a little amped up from it. I always save a one or two tablets for emergencies.
On old ailment - or more like a sport injury - that I used to have was swollen finger joints from bowling. All my balls were drilled fingertip so there was a lot of strain on my middle and ring finger joints. The first joint just below the fingernail (technically, it’s joints - knuckles are the bumps on the back of your hand below your fingers), used to get swollen after a night of bowling. And every so often when I’d shake someone’s hand, they’d shake with a tight grip. The pain would be so great that I’d just want to fall to my knees and surrender. But now that I’ve retired from bowling, my finger joints are no longer swollen and they don’t hurt. And as an added bonus, both my thumbs are the same size!
How about you? What ailments do you cope with? Or did you have to deal with previously? What kind of remedies do you have to ease the pain? Does a change in temperature make your ailments better or worse? And what about those “silent” ailments: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc? Did you know that eating Natto daily prevents heart attacks and strokes?
If I had to describe my childhood dentist in one word, that word would be: butcher.
Dr. H used Novocaine sparingly. In fact, the only time he used it on me was when he had to pull teeth. When he drilled, he didn’t use Novacaine. It was so painful. When he hit the nerve, my whole body would twitch. And I knew that he knew when he hit the nerve because he’d pull the drill back and say “almost done”. Liar. He’d go right back to work and I’d twitch again when he hit the nerve and we’d do this dance many times before the appointment was over.
Because Dr. H was the only dentist I had ever went to, I didn’t know any better. That is until I started talking to friends and they told me that their dentist gave them this thing called “laughing gas”. I wanted to switch to their dentist, but my mother wouldn’t let me. So somewhere around intermediate school, I stopped going to the dentist.
Fast forward about 15 years after I had just got married. I thought I’d better start going to the dentist again so my wife suggests I go to her dentist. She had been going to Dr. Y ever since she could remember.
So I go in to Dr. Y’s office. As soon as I sit in the chair, I notice that he has the exact same equipment that my childhood dentist had. That same light green colored chair with the same light green drilling apparatus with the silver door that slides down to reveal the water and air hose - reminding me of The Jetson’s maid, Rosie. And that round tray, right at eye level for me to see the various torture tools. Talk about Deja Vu.
But that was Dr. H. This is Dr. Y. So what if he has the same set up, it was probably just a coincidence. I told myself to give him a chance. So he starts poking around and says that he needs to fix a cavity. He asks “Do I usually shoot you up before I drill?”. I tell him that this is my first time I was seeing him. So he says, “Okay, let’s try without and see how it goes. If we need to, I’ll shoot you up.”
He started drilling. I started twitching. And after each twitch, he reassured me, “Almost done”. Liar. When I was done with my first appointment, I wanted to find a corner and curl up in the fetal position and rock back and forth.
But I just sucked it up and went back for a second appointment. Before he starts drilling, again he asks “Do I usually shoot you up before I drill?”. I told him “The last time you didn’t, but can you shoot me up this time?”. He replies “Let’s try without first and see how it goes. If it gets too painful, I’ll shoot you up.” And stupid me, I believed him. While he’s drilling, and I’m twitching, he’s repeating “Almost done”. Liar. Damn Liar!
That was the last I saw of Dr. Y.
My wife suggested that I could see her classmate who became a dentist, Dr. Tagami. So I did. Not only does Dr. Tagami “shoot me up” before he drills, he applies a topical agent to numb me so I don’t even feel him “shoot me up”. He’s awesome! During the procedure, he’ll stop and ask if I’m doing okay and if I start feeling any pain to just let him know and he’ll shoot me up a little more. He is very patient. He’ll stop if I even swallow, just to make sure I’m okay. And when he says “Almost done”, he means it. Thanks Dr. Tagami.
What memories do you have of your childhood dentist? Was he patient or a butcher? Did he “shoot you up” before drilling or did you just have to “man up” and take the pain? What about your present dentist?
btw, did you know that the profession with the highest rate of suicide is Dentist?
Yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting Roy Yonashiro of the Hawaii Bone Marrow Donor Registry. We held our first ever Bone Marrow Donor Registry drive here at the Honolulu Advertiser in downtown. The Honolulu Advertiser’s Kapolei press held their drive on Wednesday.
Roy has been the Recruitment Specialist for the Hawaii Bone Marrow Donor Registry for almost 14 years now. He started off volunteering his time with the marrow donor registry when his wife’s good friend was diagnosed with leukemia. After 4 years of volunteering his time, Roy made it a full time job. But it’s become more than just a job - to Roy, it’s become a mission.
There’s over a million people living in Hawaii, and there are around 65,000 to 66,000 people from Hawaii registered as bone marrow donors. That’s less than 10%. As Roy states “Don’t wait until a loved one or someone close to you needs bone marrow, and then register - it may be too late. Get on the registry now. You just may save someone’s life later.” Think about it - this is your opportunity to possibly save someone’s life. And think about those who have already registered and may be the perfect match to maybe one day save your spouse’s life. Or your child’s life. Or even your life.
The test that’s used is just a couple of cotton swabs brushed on the insides of your cheeks. No more drawing of blood. It’s simple, it’s painless, and takes just a few minutes.
Wait a minute. Did I say Roy Yonashiro? Why does that name sound so familiar?
Well, besides being knows as the “marrow guy”, Roy Yonashiro was also the lead singer for one of the top bands that played the nightclub circuit back in the 70’s. That band was Natural High. I’m sure many of you have danced to Natural High at the Hula Hut back then. Or stood in that line on Beachwalk Ave. waiting to get in. They were one of the hottest tickets in town.
I remember Roy singing San Francisco/Hollywood by the Village People. That was no easy task - as that song is at least 10 minutes long. And Reasons - his signature song. There’s another song that Natural High was famous for playing but I’m saving that for another “name that song”.
Perhaps you saw Roy at last Saturdays 70’s Nightclub Reunion. He was in the crowd this time - not on the stage as he’s accustomed to. But who knows - maybe, just maybe, Natural High will be back for a reunion someday too. Remember, you heard it first here on Midlife Crisis.
Currently, Roy has a band called Powerhouse. They’ve been playing gigs here and there around town. In fact they have one scheduled for next Friday. Check out their website for details but I heard it’s almost sold out.
Powerhouse has also played at a couple of benefit dances for the Hawaii Bone Marrow Donor Registry. Check out some pictures. When I hear of another benefit coming up, you’ll be sure to hear about it here at Midlife Crisis.
Oh, and yes, I did register myself yesterday with the Hawaii Bone Marrow Donor Registry.
If you’re interested in holding a Bone Marrow Donor Registry drive, whether at your place of work, or at your church, or at a social gathering, contact:
Hawaii Bone Marrow Donor Registry
Roy Yonashiro - Bone Marrow Recruitment Specialist
Phone (808) 547-6154
Toll-free (877) HI-DONOR
ryonashiro@hawaiimedcen.com Website
Remember, don’t wait until you’re told that someone close to you has only 9 weeks to live unless he/she receives bone marrow. That may already be too late. Do it today!
And a big mahalo to Marisa Yagi for doing a great job in making this bone marrow donor registry available to us here at The Honolulu Advertiser.
By Malcolm Ritter, AP Science Writer
NEW YORK — Having a big belly in your 40s can boost your risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia decades later, a new study suggests.
It’s not just about your weight. While previous research has found evidence that obesity in middle age raises the chances of developing dementia later, the new work found a separate risk from storing a lot of fat in the abdomen. Even people who weren’t overweight were susceptible.
That abdominal fat, sometimes described as making people apple-shaped rather than pear-shaped, has already been linked to higher risk of developing diabetes, stroke and heart disease.
“Now we can add dementia to that,” said study author Rachel Whitmer of the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, Calif.
It’s not clear why abdominal fat would promote dementia, but it may pump out substances that harm the brain, she said.
Dr. Jose Luchsinger of the Columbia University Medical Center in New York, who studies the connection between obesity and Alzheimer’s disease but didn’t participate in the new work, cautioned that such a study cannot prove abdominal fat promotes dementia.
What do you think? Do you believe that having a big belly can increase your chances of getting dementia?
