I'm Gonna Make it Through the Night.

     Its been a bad few days. My wife and I have clocked up over ten hospital and doctor appointments in around twenty days. (The memories none too good and I have long since lost count.) Including in my wife's case a potentially life threatening condition. The worry has been enormous, in a way part and parcel of life for those of 'senior' years. Which made me eternally grateful that we live in the western world with all its imperfections. I have no doubt that had we been born in the so called 'Third World' I in particular would have been long since gone, though where to exactly I am none too sure; consider the following and wonder.

    I recently lay on the bed, minus clothes. (Not a pretty sight!) And I marvelled as to life's little joke, starting from the feet up. Two feet, size six, delicately formed, one big toe reddened by gout, a condition that is proving persistent. Two fairly handsome lower legs, though a little 'bandy', the effect of wartime rickets, common enough in the Second World War. The result of poor diet and inadequate pre-natal medical attention. One lower leg scarred (Motorbiking), one knee scarred even more so, rebuilt in 1959, (Ah, those motorbikes), both knee joints very, very worn,  need replacing, wear, tear and general old age.

Hip joint, left,  one ceramic replacement, works quite well, not surprising, the newest of my parts, everything else is over seventy years old. Hip, right, scarred, the result of removal of bone to rebuild left knee. We'll skip quickly over the private 'bits', (work quite well Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Or is it Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday!) Still moving 'northward', one scarred torso, a long term reminder of an operation performed when 24 hours old. (I was told it was to correct a twisted bowel, I am reliably informed it was probably for the condition pyloric stenosis.)  I was evidently christened in order to be buried; being placed in a box by the fire probably ensured my survival.
    Onward, ever onward; one shoulder joint, damaged, recently subjected to ultrasound examination, prognosis not promising, I think the technical term is 'knackered'. Two arms and hands, work quite well in spite of two broken arms, two broken collar bones (falling off cycles, cricket rollers etc.) and one broken thumb (Fighting at school) Being below average height meant you tried harder to 'compete' with the 'bigger boys'.
    Life is a lottery. My face is battered and 'lived in'.  My teeth are worn and far from complete. One of my eyes has never worked properly and one ear bears the marks of a skin cancer operation. (Too much sun at 'sunny Skegness as a child methinks!)
    Life takes its toll. There is an inevitability about it all, in view or out of sight. (I have twice suffered internal hemorrhages. For pint after pint of donated blood I will forever be grateful.) I have twice suffered bouts of TGA. Scary but I'm still here. I could give my body for medical science! But its not in very good 'nick'. On a scale of 1-10 what do you reckon. Two, three max! Has your life been a  roller coaster up to now?  Never mind, it will soon be spring!

(Think of all the cheerful songs that help to keep us going. 'Keep right on to the end of the road' springs to mind. And what cheers you up when life gets tough?)