Infirmity, it can be said, is a word that is used for people who are really sick. Bedridden.

However, our friends over at Dictionary.com have a definition for infirmity I particularly like:

“a physical weakness or ailment: the infirmities of age”

That’s something I’m becoming more and more familiar with – the infirmities of age.

Today, I visit two separate specialists. One is my dermatologist that I’ve been seeing for years for psoriasis. The drug he has me on needs monitoring from time to time and, to be honest, I think he just likes to get the visit in. The other is a rheumatologist to see about this inability to turn my head from left to right (or vice versa) without pain.

I’ve been to a chiropractor to no avail. I’ve been to an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in neck and spine ailments who suggested it might be a type of arthritis. Yet my dermatologist (see above) discounts the fact it may be arthritis since the drug he has me on for psoriasis is also supposed to help with arthritis.

Are you following along?

Enter my GP who is really a gerontologist. A general practitioner who specializes in the infirmities of age.  That’s right. A doctor for people who are getting old!  How convenient is that?

His deal for me, other than my weight issue, is blood pressure.  It doesn’t seem to want to respond to medication so he keeps playing around with different drugs and dosages in the hope of getting the right mix.  Of course, high blood pressure or hypertension is related to me being fat. Ditto the sleep apnea which can contribute to high blood pressure.

Oh. Then there’s the dentist. Yep. It seems that the drug the GP gave me for hypertension has a side effect for my gums which now require a gingivectomy. The bad part about the dentist, of course, if that normal health insurance, even good health insurance, barely covers the cost of dentistry.

Of course, to make matters worse, I developed a toothache which required a root canal.

Here’s the bottom line: It isn’t easy getting old and it isn’t easy getting these infirmities of age.

What’s the solution?  Well, diet and exercise would go a long way. Losing the 120 extra pounds I carry around. That would help.

Easier said than done.