I had my annual physical with our wonderful and really sharp doc. He pronounced me unusually strong for my age (carrying a rover around does that for you), heart good, lungs, etc. I mentioned I had declined noticably in the past year and my short-term memory is fading, giving an example of a building offset I had to measure three times because I forgot the value before I walked the twelve feet back to the reflectorless. He looked at me and ordered a blood draw, just in case. Dang, he nailed it again. My brain is fine, but I have pernicious anemia, so a vitamin B-12 pill every day for the rest of my life. The difference next day was astounding.
So, don't skip the physical, and talk to the doc! Don't assume you are just getting old.
My doctor says I look good on paper after all those blood draw and urine tests.
When I asked for a second opinion he said, "OK. Your're ugly!"
finger, river, chair, finger, river, chair.
I actually got them correct this time, but in the wrong order, the nurse said the order doesn't matter.
The first time I did it I couldn't conjure up one of them and on the way back to the office, I couldn't stop repeating them perfectly in my head.
I have one liver enzyme that refuses to fall within the expected range. Not bad enough to signify anything major. Just enough to qualify for monthly blood draws to check if it's getting better or worse. Saw my doctor two months ago. Saw a new dermatologist last week. Have my annual check up with the cardiologist next week. January signals the annual check up with the foot doctor due to my diabetes.
All in all, not all that bad, but, not all that good either. Being fairly active is a great help.
Bruce, That's great news, glad he caught that. I also have pernicious anemia, have been giving myself B-12 shots for many years. If you're just doing pills, make sure you test it again soon to be sure your body is absorbing it. Also, an off the cuff comment to my doctor in 2019 led to the discovery of my colon cancer, I had no symptoms except exhaustion. Blood work revealed that I had very little iron in my blood due to the tumor.
Andy
need to schedule one