1 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:09,360 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning, 2 00:00:10,840 --> 00:00:16,599 Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's 3 00:00:16,680 --> 00:00:21,799 Speaker 1: tip is to save your symptoms for the doctor. Try 4 00:00:21,840 --> 00:00:25,960 Speaker 1: not to let medical updates dominate your conversations with friends 5 00:00:25,960 --> 00:00:31,520 Speaker 1: and family. Yes, we all have aging bodies and health issues, 6 00:00:32,560 --> 00:00:36,639 Speaker 1: but fascinating as our issues might be to us, they 7 00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:42,839 Speaker 1: probably aren't that interesting to anyone else. So I know 8 00:00:42,920 --> 00:00:45,520 Speaker 1: of a woman in her eighties who used to say 9 00:00:45,560 --> 00:00:50,080 Speaker 1: she wasn't interested in an organ recital. She didn't like 10 00:00:50,120 --> 00:00:52,120 Speaker 1: to hang around with people who spent most of the 11 00:00:52,159 --> 00:00:57,160 Speaker 1: conversation updating her on their various health issues. That is, 12 00:00:57,600 --> 00:01:01,040 Speaker 1: a recitation of what was wrong with their various organs 13 00:01:01,280 --> 00:01:05,760 Speaker 1: and such. I love that phrase now. Personally, I love 14 00:01:05,880 --> 00:01:09,520 Speaker 1: a literal organ recital. I love listening to a good 15 00:01:09,600 --> 00:01:12,840 Speaker 1: bach prelude on a church organ. But I agree that 16 00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:19,119 Speaker 1: the medical complaint kind of organ recital isn't as appealing now. 17 00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:22,160 Speaker 1: Of course, if you are dealing with a new diagnosis 18 00:01:22,200 --> 00:01:25,240 Speaker 1: that is a big part of your daily life, the 19 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:28,040 Speaker 1: people who love you are going to want an update. 20 00:01:29,080 --> 00:01:32,200 Speaker 1: But I am talking lamenting the usual aches and pains 21 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:36,120 Speaker 1: and less serious stuff. As someone who dealt with approximately 22 00:01:36,240 --> 00:01:39,520 Speaker 1: six months of rather serious back pain and all the 23 00:01:39,560 --> 00:01:43,240 Speaker 1: associated attempts at treatments. I know I could have talked 24 00:01:43,240 --> 00:01:47,880 Speaker 1: about this for hours, but I also quickly realized no 25 00:01:47,920 --> 00:01:50,800 Speaker 1: one wanted to hear about it for hours, maybe two 26 00:01:50,800 --> 00:01:55,200 Speaker 1: to three minutes max. Then was time to talk about 27 00:01:55,240 --> 00:01:59,639 Speaker 1: something else. So if you, likewise are of a certain 28 00:01:59,640 --> 00:02:04,000 Speaker 1: age where health ailments start to feature prominently in all conversations, 29 00:02:04,760 --> 00:02:07,560 Speaker 1: maybe you can find ways to move on after a 30 00:02:07,600 --> 00:02:12,800 Speaker 1: few minutes. Definitely note if you yourself have been talking 31 00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:16,320 Speaker 1: about something at length, if you realize you have been 32 00:02:16,360 --> 00:02:21,480 Speaker 1: talking about your digestive issues for ten minutes, you can say, laughingly, 33 00:02:22,120 --> 00:02:25,400 Speaker 1: that's enough of my organ recital. I just saw a movie. 34 00:02:25,440 --> 00:02:29,160 Speaker 1: I think you'd love pivot to a new conversation topic. 35 00:02:30,040 --> 00:02:35,080 Speaker 1: Self awareness is a blessing here. Now. Obviously this is 36 00:02:35,080 --> 00:02:38,079 Speaker 1: a little more complicated. If your friend is the one 37 00:02:38,160 --> 00:02:41,280 Speaker 1: who has been giving a lengthy account of her ailments, 38 00:02:41,760 --> 00:02:43,880 Speaker 1: you could ask whether she has talked with her doctor 39 00:02:43,919 --> 00:02:47,959 Speaker 1: about them, which is obviously a productive way to get 40 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:51,280 Speaker 1: help with symptoms. If it seems like the list of 41 00:02:51,320 --> 00:02:55,280 Speaker 1: symptoms is more emotionally laden, you could ask about these 42 00:02:55,280 --> 00:02:59,360 Speaker 1: emotions how are you feeling about all this? Nudge the 43 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:04,920 Speaker 1: conversation into deeper, more relational territory. If she is just 44 00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:09,200 Speaker 1: sharing the physical complaints to make conversation, you might be 45 00:03:09,240 --> 00:03:14,120 Speaker 1: able to shift the conversation in a different direction. For instance, 46 00:03:14,160 --> 00:03:16,880 Speaker 1: if she's talking about how time on the bleachers is 47 00:03:17,200 --> 00:03:20,800 Speaker 1: bad for people with bad backs, you might ask about 48 00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:24,480 Speaker 1: her kid's soccer season and nudge the discussion that way. 49 00:03:26,160 --> 00:03:29,679 Speaker 1: As for the organ recital, let this episode be a 50 00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:32,040 Speaker 1: nudge to go see if you can do anything about 51 00:03:32,120 --> 00:03:35,680 Speaker 1: any chronic issues that are affecting you. Go see your 52 00:03:35,680 --> 00:03:37,360 Speaker 1: doctor and see if you can come up with a 53 00:03:37,400 --> 00:03:42,080 Speaker 1: plan that's going to be more productive than listing your 54 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:48,080 Speaker 1: ailments with anyone else. In the meantime, this is Laura. 55 00:03:49,000 --> 00:03:53,680 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of 56 00:03:53,720 --> 00:04:03,320 Speaker 1: our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've 57 00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:07,520 Speaker 1: got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at 58 00:04:07,600 --> 00:04:16,640 Speaker 1: Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a 59 00:04:16,640 --> 00:04:21,400 Speaker 1: production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit 60 00:04:21,440 --> 00:04:25,279 Speaker 1: the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 61 00:04:25,320 --> 00:04:26,159 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.