September 11, 2011 ...

Many of us go through life kidding ourselves. For instance, I've been able to kid myself for years that I'm not getting old. How? Simple! I'm constantly told that I don't look my age, nor do I act my age. So, it made it easy to delude myself into believing that I really wasn't getting old! Until last Friday!

If you've followed my on Facebook, or in life in general, you know that I've suffered from headaches since I was 18. For the past three months I've had a different kind of headache though. It happens daily, isn't all that excruciating and is always behind the left eye.

Since we now have insurance, I went to see my doctor. First he sent me to get an x-ray to see if I had sinus problems. Apparently I do not, although I don't believe it. Then he sent me to a neurologist. The first thing the neurologist did was send me to get an MRI and to an opthomologist. The MRI was to look at my brain and my orbits to make sure there were no tumors. Lucky for me, I have none. The opthomologist was to take a look at my eyes to make sure there were no tumors and that the overall health of the eye was good. She said everything looked fine. I'm seeing 20/20 and it appears that I'm seeing how I'm supposed to.

Back to the neurologist I go. Three weeks had passed since I'd had everything done and I began to notice a few things. First, my sinuses ARE bad. So, he suggested that I go see an ENT. I also noticed, that despite what the opthomologist said, I seem to be having problems seeing correctly. My thought was, oh oh, I guess it's time to tweak that LASIK I had eleven years ago. Yes, eleven years. I thought it had been more like nine, but they tell me eleven. Anyway, on my own I decide to go back to my optometrist that I've seen since I was 18.

Off I go on Friday. Friday. The day I found out, I'm old despite what I may be telling myself; despite what others may be telling me. I'm unequivocally OLD!

I go in Friday morning, they do their tests and they put me in the room waiting for the eye doctor. Dr. Morrison. Someone I trust completely. He says, "What brings you in today?" I say, "There seems to be something wrong with my sight, but it's hard to explain. I can see far. Nothing is blurry when I drive...as a matter of fact I can see that wall over there and the words on it. I read all the time and I can see the book fine, yet there is something wrong." Before he even does any checking, he says, "You need reading glasses?" Didn't you just hear me say that I can read fine? Nothing is blurred. Besides, when I went to the opthomologist, she gave me a reading test and said I was reading just fine.

Smart ass that I am, I was thinking, 'he is so WRONG!' He does his exam and says I'm seeing just fine distancewise. He holds up a card and tells me to read it. Again, I'm like, "I see it just fine!" Then he put two lenses in front of the words. "Oh!" He said, "Let me guess, you're reading you look up and everything is blurry?" "YES! That's it!" "I hate to tell you this darlin', but you are beginning to need reading glasses!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"You have two options. One, you can ignore what I said, six months from now you'll definitely need them. You'll continue to get headaches and you'll eventually come to see me for a prescription. Or. You can get them now, wrap your mind around it mentally and probably get rid of your headaches."

Are you kidding me? Really? I mean really?

"Consider yourself lucky", he says. "Most people need reading glasses around 42 to 44, you're almost 47" Gees, thanks doc! You're all heart.

NOT!

So, as I'm picking out picking out glasses, I'm thinking, oh my gosh, that's it. I can't kid myself anymore. I'm old! I'm f'n old! Doesn't matter what others say. Doesn't matter what I think. My body is officially telling me that I'm old.

All I can say is...

I DAMN WELL BETTER BE OVER MY HEADACHES ONCE I START USING THESE THINGS!