My 88 year old father was recently in the ER and I saw that his toenails looked horrible, thick and yellow. But even worse was when I took my 93 year old mother to see her doctor and her toenails were really long, the large nails were also thick and discolored and the skin around her toes looked very flaky. Frankly, it was gross and I was shocked. The doctor said he sees this all the time. I know my dad was taking my mom to see a podiatrist, but he's had shingles for several months and I'm just now finding out a lot of things they've kept pretty well hidden.
Besides the fact that I want to take care of my parents (they are going into a wonderful assisted living facility this weekend), I'm wondering if horrible looking feet is an inevitable part of aging. My husband and I don't have children and we are seeing how important it is to take care of ourselves! We're trying to learn from my parents and take care of ourselves.
My dad has always been outgoing, with lots of friends and activities. He'll be 88 next month and has done quite well until recently. He's been a little more confused recently because of medication, but I can still have a decent conversation with him.
I wanted to add that I'm also into photography and I'm a colored pencil artist. I just submitted a drawing of my horse to a competition. I don't mean to sound like I'm bragging, although I guess in a way I am. But as I've mentioned, I turned 60 this year and I'm happy that I have so many interests and activities I'm able to do.
I notice that I have more aches and pains now, but I can still do the things I love. Warm-up time is just a bit slower! And one last thing (sorry). I feel extremely fortunate to have my horses. I've been really stressed over my parents and tired, but yesterday I took my horse to some gorgeous wooded trails and rode bareback for an hour and a half. I met one person walking her dog, but most of the ride was just me, my horse and nature. I'm truly blessed.