My back started hurting today around 3pm.  Just sort of a random pain in the mid…back… area of the back.  I was perplexed until I was reminded that I helped Cindy move on Sunday.  Why is my body turning into an old man’s body?  About two months ago I noticed that I did something to my left arm.  There are a few exercises (like bicep curls) I can’t do at all because one muscle (or tendon or something) in there hurts.  It isn’t healing so I’m not sure what to do.  Cindy says I might just be stuck with it forever.  Now my back hurts after lifting stuff.  I hope that doesn’t hurt forever.

I spent most of my childhood dealing with various nefarious illnesses that didn’t seem to bother many of the other kids.  I couldn’t go outdoors without sneezing and/or wheezing.  I couldn’t roll in the grass (by the way, how come nobody in California ever rolled down the hill as a kid?) without getting hives.  I couldn’t eat certain foods.  Of course I still went and did everything my friends were up to anyway (except eat peanuts), but by my early twenties it seemed I’d escaped most of those problems.  I didn’t need my inhaler anymore except in extreme cases of overexertion coupled with exposure to dust/pollen/etc. 

And yet, even older problems came roaring back.  For at least five years now I’ve been battling a severe (depending on your method of ranking) case of eczema on my right hand, and ONLY on my right hand.  I saw a dermatologist a few years ago who told me to “live with it.”  At the same time I trained my lungs to not wheeze even when faced with two hours of racquetball (and no inhaler beforehand).

I didn’t get my first cavity (and a small one  at that) until I was out of college.  I underwent orthodontic treatment when I was 25 and religiously brushed before, during and after.  Recently I noticed that I have some bone starting to peek out above one of my upper canines.  I saw the periodontist last Wednesday and discovered that my gums are receding.  Not from periodontal disease, no, that would be treated by a simple appliance that I’d wear at night with medication.  We manufacture them here, so it wouldn’t cost me (I don’t have dental coverage) that much. No, instead I need actual surgery.  $2,300 periodontal surgery.  How did this happen?  Apparently I clench my teeth when asleep.  The first thing the periodontist said when he looked in my mouth was “who do you want to kill?”  I know I stress myself out too much, but that stung.  Of course the next thing he did was grab one of his staff to show them how “amazingly straight” my teeth were.  I guess the year of braces was good for something.  “Do girls compliment you on your teeth?”  he asked.  Unfortunately the only thing close to that I’ve ever heard is “I wouldn’t date you if you had ugly teeth.”

Anyway, the point is this:  sometimes I feel as if I’m being punished for trying to keep my body in shape.   I found out a few weeks ago that the way I’d always done my ab exercises could lead to back problems (hopefully this isn’t why my back is hurting already).  I also found out that receding gums are also often caused in young adults by past orthodontic work.  Perhaps “caused” isn’t the right word, “correlated” is probably more appropriate.