When Rob and I started writing the War on Aging, about how to age well and achieve senior fitness for life, we never knew how important exercise and diet would become as we approached our 80″s. Life tends to teach us what we need to learn, right? Here’s what we’ve learned about how to age well through illness, and how he’s planning on going from sick to fit again.
We’re not yet into March, the third month of 2021 and already so much has happened to us health-wise. What can possibly be next? At the end of 2020, my husband Rob, a strong and athletic 80-year-old, had abnormal calcium levels on a routine lab test, and ended up in the hospital with kidney failure. A week later he contracted COVID-19 there, but luckily had no symptoms.
But that good news was squelched by a bone marrow biopsy that showed he had a rare blood cancer, multiple myeloma. After a grueling and lonely 2 1/2 weeks of tests he was released home with a treatment plan that included weekly chemotherapy and three days a week of 3-hour dialysis sessions.
Asymptomatic COVID-19: Beware of the Aftermath
Before we had time to adjust to these diagnoses, he came down with long-COVID. He began having severe breathing problems and muscle weakness which lasted a month. Evidently, even after having had COVID-19, people can succumb to the aftereffects of COVID-19 and it can be much worse than the actual virus itself. In his case, his lungs had been badly scarred and they are only now healing. He’s starting to walk without assistance, slowly recuperating previous strength.
Bad health can strike anyone anytime, and is certainly more common during a pandemic. Age complicates everything when it does. But if there’s one thing we are grateful for is that even at 80, Rob’s life-long attention to exercise and diet may be a big factor in achieving successful remission of cancer. There is also a possibility his kidneys will start to function again.
From Sick to Fit Again
Like most people undergoing cancer treatment there are good days and bad ones. Today he walked into Ironwood Cancer Center without a walker, fully upright. One of the nurses remarked he must be feeling better. He looked so different from the last two weeks when he was hunched over and taking shaky baby steps. Not to say he’s cured by any means. Next week might be very different.
But my point is that Rob has reserves. He has muscles and good bones. And in spite of the presence of myeloma cancer cells in his bones, he has no osteoporosis and few cancer lesions. He should be able to strengthen the muscle fibers that have been weakened from lack of use over two months.
To Age Well Is to Prepare Now
If you want to age well through illness, start now with consistent exercise and diet habits. It is far easier for seniors to regain fitness if they’ve engaged in a healthy routine of exercise and diet for a long time. The lesson here is to get as much healthy habits in now before you get sick. It will make recovery shorter and easier.
Throughout all this, we’ve discovered much to feel grateful for. Yet there are times we are both angry. This shouldn’t happen to us, we’re too young and healthy. We’ve dealt with heart failure and various sore muscles and joints and surgeries.
Life happens just when you were busy making plans, right? The one thing they can’t take away from us is our will to fight and our ability to hope. Sometimes everything stinks but we don’t dwell on it. We will take the step forward no matter what.
Keep in touch with the people you love. Let them know you better. Seize the day.
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