Illness Has Always Been Beside Me — Moving My Medical Care to a New City — 2026/5/27(Wed) R8

I have lived alongside illness for a long time.

Stomach cancer, bone density issues, pancreatic monitoring, cognitive testing, overactive bladder, dental care, and eye care.

Rather than “going to the hospital after becoming sick,” regular examinations to prevent things from worsening had gradually become part of my everyday life.

That may be why the hardest part of moving to Matsuyama was transferring all of my medical care.

Which hospital should I go to?

Which doctor should I connect with?

What should I do about gastroscopy?

How should I combine a full medical checkup with the city-issued health screening vouchers?

The system that had become routine for me in Shizuoka had to be rebuilt completely from the beginning.

In the middle of all this, a psychiatrist agreed to continue following not only my mental health, but also my cognitive function.

Last year, I was told, “This is absolutely not Alzheimer’s disease, but psychological and cognitive follow-up testing should continue.”

Now, the doctor here has agreed to continue those evaluations within the range available at this clinic starting in October.

I was deeply grateful.

I also learned that Dr. Aoshima at Mizoguchi Hospital in Shizuoka had written an unbelievably detailed referral letter for me.

Whenever my current doctor says,

“Yes, that was written in the referral,”

I feel reassured that my medical history — and perhaps part of my life itself — has been properly carried forward.

Perhaps growing older is not about fighting illness endlessly.

Perhaps it is about building a life alongside illness while carefully placing preventive measures along the way.

#StomachCancer
#MedicalCheckups
#CognitiveTesting
#OveractiveBladder
#SeniorHealthcare
#LivingWithIllness
#MovingToMatsuyama
#MedicalReferral
#LifeAfterRetirement