The Unspoken Beauty of Sun City...

Discussion in 'Sun City General Discussions' started by BPearson, Jul 5, 2018.

  1. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

    Every day we live, we are one day closer to the day we are gone. Morbid? Not really, just reality. With that bit of good cheer out of the way, let's talk about the issue that seldom gets mentioned, other than in passing (no not that passing).

    Virtually every promotional aspect of Sun City AZ is about how much fun it is to live in the community that started the idea of active retirement living. Golfing, working out, laying by the pool, joining clubs and non-stop partying with friends was ever present. We always joked that we didn't come here to die, but to live life to the fullest extent possible.

    And to some extent, it's true. What we often gloss over is that as we do that, we get older. Tomorrow i turn 70 and damn those last 15 years flew by. We were fortunate enough to get here at age 55 and it was easily one of the best decisions we ever made. Work was way over-rated.

    In December of 2017, i realized i wasn't getting any younger. When i stepped on the scale, i hated what i saw, how i felt and how it slowed me down. So on December 5 i dragged my fat ass into the many gyms we have here and started to get serious about getting healthy. In my first three months i dropped 50 pounds and within the first 5 was down 65.

    That was cool, except everyone kept asking me if i was on my deathbed. I'd laugh and say no, but i'm not sure anyone believed me. Since i hadn't had a physical in more than 5 years i went to a doctor and of course he scheduled a battery of tests. It was a bit taxing to keep running from one doctor visit to the next, but everything was within the walls and easily doable.

    My last visit was a colonoscopy. I will spare you the gory details, suffice to say, it was a piece of cake. No, not the day before with drinking the laxatives and the morning before with the fasting and all the ugliness in between, but the place that did it was nothing short of spectacular. In and out, literally, it was that easy.

    All of which leads me to the point of this thread. Sun City has evolved into one of the best medical settings in the country. We had 16 strip malls in Sun City and with the demise of bricks and mortar stores, several of them have converted to almost entirely to medical offices. And damned if they didn't do them both right and well.

    We all know how good Banner/Boswell hospital is, but these outpatient/doctor office/surgery centers have become something over and above the norm. Sleek, large and handling large numbers is a breeze for them. They have a massive client base and they do it far better than anything i remember.

    The simple reality is as we age, stuff wears out and doctors play a bigger role in our existence. Most age restricted communities have little or no immediate hospitals or doctor offices. Land is just too expensive for developers to waste on anything but lots for homes or the occasional rec center.

    Sun City's transformation was brilliant and is a win-win for both the medical profession and patient alike. I know, when you are looking to buy here, you don't want to think about getting old, but with a little luck, you will. The idea that any doctor you need is within a mile or two of your house is just another added bonus of living within the white walls of Sun City.

    Oh, and by the why, i am as healthy as can be.
     
  2. aggie

    aggie Well-Known Member

    Maybe we should change the horrid slogan "Sun City....The original fun city." to "SUN CITY.....ONE STEP CLOSER TO HEAVEN!" :rolleyes:
     
  3. Cynthia

    Cynthia Well-Known Member

    [QUOTE="aggie, post: 16067, member: 432"..ONE STEP CLOSER TO HEAVEN!" [/QUOTE] When I tell people I'm moving to Arizona they always comment on the extreme heat. To them it's one step closer to....the other direction.
     
  4. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

  5. sussea

    sussea Member

    Have a wonderful birthday tomorrow!
     
  6. Cynthia

    Cynthia Well-Known Member

    Happy Birthday. You have joined the ranks of the eight decade club. That's correct, sorry it makes you sound even older. But why should you care...you just lost all that weight, you're moving to a new place, and you're still as sassy as ever.
     
  7. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

    Too much fun guys, thanks. But this thread is too important to fritter away on days gone by and the reality is age is just a number. What matters is what we do with those days we get here.

    The funny thing is at least a couple of you are still young enough that the medical side of it is still less important. Give it a few years and you'll be thankful you found Sun City and for all the different reasons when you first bought here. I seldom paid attention to just how good and plentiful it is until recently.
     
  8. aggie

    aggie Well-Known Member

    You are so right about the availability of good medical care in Sun City which is a big factor in our move here. Back in WI it was a 30 mile trip to the nearest hospital/emergency clinic and then for serious concerns another 60 miles to a major medical center. Not good when you need immediate care especially when the roads are iced over. Here you can expect EMT/Ambulance arrival in under 5 minutes and be at the hospital just minutes after.

    My parents were both frequent flyers to the many Sun City specialists in their last decades: internist, oncologist, cardiologist, urologist, nephrologist, dermatologist, and all the blood draws, x-rays, CT Scans & MRIs that are ordered by these doctors. On a whole they were all caring and knowledgeable. My calendar was filled with appointments and the schedule for medications was complex. The days when I have to go through this with my kids as caregivers is hopefully quite a way down the road. I sure hope I rate compassionate care from them.
     
  9. Cynthia

    Cynthia Well-Known Member

    It’s good to know you’re happy with the care. It’s difficult for me moving to SC and trying to find decent doctors. I work at one of the top hospitals around and I know which doctors to choose there. I won’t have the same inside tract in SC and that concerns me.

    Although I’m healthy, the medical side of this is dominat in my mind... I suppose a lifetime in the business does that. It’s one of the biggest reasons I didn’t move to Florida as I originally wanted to. The healthcare looked dismal.
     
  10. Cynthia

    Cynthia Well-Known Member

    Humidity doesn’t bother me as much as some people. It’s the birds, butterflies and plant life that attracted me to Florida. I also liked the Sun City there for several reasons. Yes the hurricanes were a consideration. In the end Arizona worked better for me.
     
  11. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

    In reading this thread, it just reinforces what i always have believed; women are more logical than men. That's not to say that is 100% true, but it strikes me more women think things through and plan better than guys do. Plus, it seems to me they do a better over-all job of doing the whole health care thing. Not sure why that is, but most women i know are more cognizant of regular doctor visits and the like. I might be totally off base, but when it comes to understanding the value of Sun City, i suspect women look at the medical delivery services more than the guys do.
     
    Emily Litella likes this.

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