I'm YOUNG!

When I turned 40 everything in and out of my body began just going downhill and it was all attributed to my age.

Close up eyesight weakening? Check. "That happens as you get older," the doctor told me.

Problem losing that extra ten pounds? Check. "It does get harder as you get older," the doctor told me.

Cavities? Check. "As you age your enamel gets weaker," the dentist told me.

Period problems? Check. "Once you get in your forties the pre-menopausal symptoms began," my doctor told me.

Tiredness? Check.

Gray hair? Check.

All because I was getting older.

Two months ago, and four months after having cataract surgery at the age of 44, my right eye became red and bothersome. I wasn't able to see my surgeon as he was on vacation so I got directed to the eye PA. He told me I had some mild inflammation and prescribed some steroid drops.

When I returned a few weeks later the inflammation was gone and so the PA began weaning me slowly off the drops. About two weeks after stopping the drops my eye began bothering me again. Because I was on vacation I self-medicated, following the PA's advice, which was to start the drops again and give him a call. I didn't call him until I got back from vacation. Instead of getting through to him I got routed to my surgeon's team.

His assistant informed me that he wasn't available, but that the team had reviewed my case and decided that I needed to see a retina specialist who was available the next day. I repeated the PA's advice, but she was determined and so I made the appointment.

Yesterday I met a retina specialist. Not only was he good looking, but he was the best doctor I have ever had. He told me that I was having this inflammation because I was young.

YOUNG! YOUNG! YOUNG! Not old. YOUNG!

Apparently, when you are YOUNG and have cataract surgery your immune system is much stronger than say, a 70-year-old, which is the typical median age for that type of surgery. Because the immune system is stronger it is wondering why these foreign instruments and such have invaded the eye and so it sends in the troops to protect, thus resulting in my eye to be inflamed from all the fighting. At least this is what I got out of his explanation...I was a tad distracted from trying not to kiss him for saying I was YOUNG!

He was very perplexed why I was seeing him and a tad annoyed that I wasn't seeing my surgeon who would "certainly want to know this was happening to you." So back on the drops and I see the surgeon in ten days. I think it will take me at least that long to come down from the high he gave me.

I'm YOUNG!