Healthy in a Falling Apart Sort of Way
BY JANE E. BRODY MARCH 2, 2015 5:45 AM
When asked on a medical form to evaluate my overall health, I invariably check “healthy.” But I sometimes wonder how accurate that is.
After all, I do have arthritis that necessitated a double-knee replacement 10 years ago, and I find it increasingly difficult to open containers designed to thwart a 2-year-old. My spine is a mess, and my back hurts from time to time. I have tinnitus and some hearing loss in one ear. I was treated for breast cancer 16 years ago. I take a statin to lower a cholesterol level that defied conservative measures of diet and exercise. And I constantly have to practice remembering people’s names.
So, at nearly 74, how healthy am I? Well, I also walk three miles and swim three-quarters of a mile nearly every day. I’ve taken over most of the chores my late husband once did. I shovel and sweep my walk, cook most of my meals, and care for an active Havanese puppy who’s walked four times a day and runs free in the park every morning.
I have yet to retire and still work part time writing a weekly column, though I’ve resisted the temptation to write another book, choosing instead to enjoy more theater, opera, concerts and grandchildren, and to train the puppy to be a therapy dog.
All of which invites the question of how one defines health.
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https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/03/02/healthy-in-a-falling-apart-sort-of-way/