I'm Geriatric!!

Geriatric?  Well, maybe not quite yet.  However, I do see the same doctor as my 80 year old parents. How's that for a rude awakening!

Had my annual physical today with the same doctor I've been going to forEVER.  In fact, she actually came back out of her office while I was settling my bill and said, "Do you realize you've been coming here since 1995!  We've grown up together, and now we're growing old together!" 

Yes, thank you for THAT reminder, doc!  Now, I must tell you that she is a geriatric specialist which didn't matter much 20 or so years ago when I first started seeing her.  But, now I suppose it will come in handy.  More handy than I will want to admit.  On a positive note, in an era where insurance companies and providers change so frequently, this 19 year relationship is quite a feat.

Ok, I know what you're going to say.  "Nik, calm down, you're only 45."  And, although that number isn't too daunting, when your doctor starts talking to you about arthritis and colonoscopies you begin to think of your own aging process, especially while sitting in a waiting room filled with patients using walkers.

She even referred to my recent job status as "retirement."  No, doctor, NOT retirement, just a sabbatical - of sorts.  A hiatus, yes, let's call it that.  I, unlike her pension-receiving patients, realize I eventually, perhaps sooner rather than later, need to - no WANT to - return to work.  Let's get one thing straight, I am not ready to be retired.  I just need a little "me time" to decide how I want to spend my last two decades of employment.  Twenty more years of employment - now THAT'S a daunting number! 

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