I went to the doctor the other day. He told me that someone my height should weigh around 200 pounds. I am currently at 250. I haven’t weighed less than 200 pounds since middle school! I have always been a large man. Whatever the case, I am trying to live more healthy. I signed up to go to the gym and I have started to eat healthier foods. I also plan on somehow getting a liver cleanse. After all, that’s the filter of your body so why not clean it out?

I don’t have the greatest of luck when it comes to health issues. First of all, I have been heavy my entire life. This complicates everything so it seems. The next thing that happened was my bout with cancer. A few surgeries and treatments later, I was cancer free but forever scarred. Then they told me about my diabetes, which meant a major lifestyle change, including pills that make me cough like a smoker, almost as if I have mesothelioma.

When I lost my job a few months ago, they gave me a severance package that included extending my health care and pay benefits for one year after departure. It has been nearly one year now, so I am getting really desperate to find some affordable individual health insurance. I have a bunch of preexisting conditions, in fact all the red flags: cancer patient, overweight, high blood pressure and cholesterol, heart problems, diabetes. The good news is that I don’t smoke or drink so I guess that should be a plus.

I hope I don’t get old enough to have to experience senior living. I am forty-five and I already feel like an old man. What really makes me angry, though, is age discrimination. I was sitting here watching The Price is Right this morning and saw more of those diabetes commercials for people age 65 and over. What? Since I’m not 65, I’m supposed to have money or not have diabetes? That’s age discrimination in my opinion!

My nephew Jamie likes to trick my mom by placing placebos in her medicine. He noticed she was saying her pain medicine gave her hallucinations, seeing everything from stars and stripes to ellipticals. Convinced she was making it up or over exaggerating, he replaced one night’s medicine with some regular acetaminophen and would ask about her reaction. She said the same thing - she started seeing things even though what she had taken was essentially a placebo!