The Cycle of Life

Right now, I am trying to find a rose colored glasses, flower powered medical and aging perspective. Help me.

You see, I am now sporting dental braces for the third time in my life.  Why, you might ask would a 63 year old woman succumb to this childhood medical practice again?  I didn’t want to do it – no I definitely did not want to do it.  But I have so much overcrowding in the bottom teeth that it was literally changing the shape of my face.  Vanity? Maybe a little.  But it was also the difficulty in keeping them hygienically clean, and the threat of bone loss that finally made me succumb. I don’t want to be 80 years old and having to deal with extensive invasive treatment.  I have had enough invasions on this body.

So here I am sporting Invisilign braces.  The new easy system, which if worn for 20-22 hours a day, should straighten my teeth within 9 months to a year.  Easy?  The vote is still out.  Every time I want a cup of coffee or a glass of tea or wine at 5 o’clock at the end of a busy day, I must remove them, then when I’m done noshing, rinse or brush my teeth and put them back in.  On the plus side, I am less prone to snacking during the day, but I am also a bit grouchy without my cup of coffee to spur me on in my morning writing or my tea in the afternoon, and glass of wine before dinner which smooths out the wrinkles of the day.  And of course, these beauties need to be removed for each meal which means that I must excuse myself, go to the restroom to remove the devices and then quickly brush my teeth and re-install them so that I maximize the time I have them in.  I really don’t like to do this in restaurant bathrooms as some bathrooms are cleaner than others – if you know what I mean.  But, the more I wear them, the less time I will have to wear them over all, so immediacy is imperative.

Of course, once the teeth have moved into their perfect position I will continue to wear them every night at bedtime.  For. The. Rest. Of. My. Life!

And this is where I really have a problem.

Can I speak frankly here?  When most people are removing the days clothing, make up, glasses, whatever; I am donning “equipment” to help and aid this aging body.  There is the chest compression garment for lymphedema of the breast (due to a lumpectomy and many cellulitis infections that followed). I am connected to a C-Pap machine and wear a charming head gear for sleep apnea.   I have a special knee pillow because of back issues I have developed from lifting items too heavy to lift, and probably bad genes.  I wear a sexy black brace for my wrist and hands whenever my carpel tunnel flairs up.  And should my neck go into spasms, I have found a neck collar helps minimize the pain.

And now, the dentist wants me to add dental braces to this ensemble?  I definitely don’t have enough energy for facial masks and night creams and the thought of sexy lingerie has me envisioning some sort of twisted and perverted nightmare!

I remember when I was growing up my mother would always get me a new nightgown for Christmas.  I was allowed to open it up on Christmas Eve and wear it.  I was so excited.  I continued that tradition for a while myself and with my daughter.  But I think I know why I stopped doing the new nightgown at Christmas every year.

What nightgown goes with a C-Pap, compression garment, knee pillow, wrist splint, neck collar, dental braces kind of gal? If you have any suggestions I would be happy to entertain them.

Maybe, the Lion King was right.  It is the cycle of life that moves us all: through despair and hope and faith and love.  What goes around comes around.  But it’s how we muddle through this cycle of life that allows us to find the faith, the strength to persevere and the laughter to see us through.

What would you wear to bed with the Loretta Ensemble?  What nightly rituals do you use to quiet the body, mind and soul?  And how do you deal with the

 

Thank you very much for reading my post.  If you have found it encouraging please consider liking, commenting or sharing using social media.  Feel free to comment here or even re-blog – may these words take flight! 

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 Are you or a friend going through medical mayhem?  Purchase a copy of my debut book Surviving Medical Mayhem – Laughing When It Hurts and find the prescription for surviving and thriving through medical adversity.  You can purchase a copy at www.lorettaschoen.com or Amazon and Barnes & Noble. 

 Blessings for Health & Wellness. 

 

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