Learn to roll with the punches aging throws our way

<p>One of the most common complaints a physician hears is, "It's horrible getting old."</p><p>Get over it. We should all be so lucky. The alternative to a long life is dying young, and I don't know too many people who want to die young.</p><p>By the time we are in our 40s or 50s, most of us have some health problems that dismay us. Sore joints, slower metabolism, high blood pressure, diabetes, thinning bones, changing vision and skin spots are just a few.</p><p>So how do we handle a situation that requires us to embrace uncomfortable change?</p><p>As always, we have choices -- and those choices affect the quality of our health now and in the future.</p><p>For example: Your doctor has told you that you have developed diabetes and you must take a daily medication. You respond to this information by:</p><p>A) Filling the prescription, buying a home glucose monitor, signing up for diabetes education classes and joining the YMCA for daily exercise.</p><p>B) Filling the prescription, taking the medication almost every day. You think about it, but make very few changes in your diet or activities. When you notice a new symptom, you stop the medication because it must be bad for you, and you make an appointment to see your doctor in another month.</p><p>C) Throwing the prescription away because you feel fine and the doctor is just trying to scare you into a diet. You don't need this added stress. You're not going to fall for it and just to prove that you can, you celebrate with a steak and fries.</p><p>If you choose A, you are a person who is able to roll with the punches of aging. You are able to change your lifestyle enough to maintain your health and sense of well-being for as long as possible. You have a collaborative relationship with your physician and do not waste time or energy on being angry at inevitable limitations. You enjoy an all-out frontal attack on managing health challenges.</p><p>If you choose B, you would like to be compliant with your doctor's recommendations, but you really don't want to admit to any health problems at all. The thought of a chronic disease is just too depressing and old. You find it hard take a pill every day but you are generously willing to try. The thought of making changes in your lifestyle that require you to eat differently from the way you have for the past 20 years is overwhelming, and exercise doesn't feel good so you never quite get around to it. You will probably find that you will be offered more medications as you age further and you will be surprised sometime in the future by the unwelcome consequences of uncontrolled diabetes. This will be depressing.</p><p>If you choose C, you are firmly entrenched in the fantasy of eternal youth. You know that what has felt good to you so far in life will continue to feel good as you get older, since your body is the same one it's always been. You know yourself better than any doctor or blood test does and you know that if you ignore bad news it will pass. You are stronger than the doctors give you credit for and even if you die of this problem, at least you'll die happy after a steak dinner. Unfortunately, you may not die quickly and you could be setting yourself up for a long life of physical hardship and disability. This will be very depressing.</p><p>Most of us move somewhere among these three styles. The hard fact is: If we want to continue to feel good for as long as possible, the changes of age demand changes in our behavior. How well we accept this reality can significantly alter our health and ability to remain active for as long as possible.</p><p>Remember that the goal is to get old, but to get old feeling as young as your body and good health care allow.</p><p>Dr. Stacey Kerr, a longtime Sonoma County family physician, graduated from UC Davis Medical School and is certified in her specialty by the American Board of Family Medicine. Her columns are not intended as a substitute for hands-on medical advice or treatment. Consult your health care provider before adhering to any recommendations in this column. </p><p>E-mail comments to drkerr@the-doctors-inn.com.</p>