Getting old is 'interesting' at best

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Fox Mike

Fox Mike

Hawkeye
Supporting Member
Joined
Nov 17, 2009
Messages
15,226
City & State/Province
Webster, MD.
Today was the last of three different doctor visits in the last week. Last week it was my general physician and my normal every three month visit. Nothing new there so that was a plus. The I went to my optometrist and had my once a year eye exam. Bam! Major change in the left eye. Cataract getting bigger but not enough to have any surgery. New lens came in and were installed in my frames yesterday. The left lens is now a 'coke bottle bottom'. :shock: Today I went for my annual hearing test and found that I am now practically deaf in my left ear when it comes to women's voices and the higher frequencies. Let's see...what next? My hair is disappearing; I think the wrinkles are taking over; for each hair lost a new wrinkle appears. I take Flomax so I can make it to the 'can' on a relatively normal basis, I take Nexium so I can sleep without heartburn. I take a 'baby aspirin' daily to thin the blood due to my LDL being high. I use my nebulizer twice daily so I can breath relatively normal. The GOOD NEWS is that I am still vertical!
Getting older is NOT for sissies!
 
Yeah, I hear you. I think, instead of saying how old you are a better indicator of age is how many doctors you have. Just by a quick count from my (failing) memory I'm up to 10 different doctors. And, I wouldn't be surprised if I've forgotten one or two.
 
Sounds all too familiar, except for the heartburn and the eyes..... no heartburn, and I had both lenses replaced about 7 years ago because of cataracts.

I have a theory on taking care of the wrinkles, though..... just keep eating until they fill out. It's working well around my waistline.... the rest of me, not so much.
 
Getting old is a whole lot better than not getting old!!!

Welcome to the club arthritis in my hands is pretty severe i have
a couple joints locked solid the others are swollen and painful.
We all get by, lookin forward to waking up tomorrow that is what counts. ps
 
I didn't mention my Pulmonary Specialist OR my Urologist as they had already happened and are schedule again later in the year. :D :D :roll: As said earlier, I am vertical, and that beats the other option.
 
Yep, I have three scheduled. One with my GP for my rotater cup, one at the VA for my hearing, and one at the Mayo for my cholesterol.

I was also told of hearing loss in the higher freqs, such as women's voices. I had them put that in writing! I ask you, is that a bad thing? :D
 
Fox Mike said:
Today was the last of three different doctor visits in the last week. Last week it was my general physician and my normal every three month visit. Nothing new there so that was a plus. The I went to my optometrist and had my once a year eye exam. Bam! Major change in the left eye. Cataract getting bigger but not enough to have any surgery. New lens came in and were installed in my frames yesterday. The left lens is now a 'coke bottle bottom'. :shock: Today I went for my annual hearing test and found that I am now practically deaf in my left ear when it comes to women's voices and the higher frequencies. Let's see...what next? My hair is disappearing; I think the wrinkles are taking over; for each hair lost a new wrinkle appears. I take Flomax so I can make it to the 'can' on a relatively normal basis, I take Nexium so I can sleep without heartburn. I take a 'baby aspirin' daily to thin the blood due to my LDL being high. I use my nebulizer twice daily so I can breath relatively normal. The GOOD NEWS is that I am still vertical!
Getting older is NOT for sissies!
Click to expand...

Time to reenlist.
 
Fox Mike said:
Today was the last of three different doctor visits in the last week. Last week it was my general physician and my normal every three month visit.
Click to expand...
I do once per year, and am whining to my doctor about that often (I'm 72).

Cataracts:
Most doctors will take care of that by the time it gets to 20/60. While not a
utopia, it does help a whole lot. Did both of mine last year.

Hair:
I started losing mine at 25. To me that's a yawn. :wink:

Flowmax/Nexium:
For many, just drinking more water will help both.

Baby Aspirin:
BE VERY CAREFUL with that stuff. My doctor put me on that and I had
major problems with bleeding (not clotting). Watch it very closely.
(I no longer do the aspirin bit)

The HDL/LDL ratio is also affected by spicy foods (may also be a factor
in your heartburn). For me some Picanty sauce . . helps . . quite a
bit. Three years ago I had high LDL and low HDL. I started back on
"the sauce" and last year my total coles. count was 220 (normal for me)
but the HDL was over 100. Doctor was very happy.

The capsicum in the peppers helps cure ulcers and could help with true
heartburn.

WARNING WARNING . . WAR STORY:
Just after my first divorce I had severe heartburn. Heard that spices could
help. Started eating spicy food (which I like) and the heartburn diminished.
After a year or two of regular, then increasingly hot foods I went in for my
first over 40 physical. The nurse told me about the 220 count, then said
"You have an HDL count that is at least 30 points HIGHER than anyone I
have ever seen. I don't know what you are doing, but keep it up!"

Fast forward about twenty five years and I had greatly reduced the spicy
food I ate. HDL went WAY down, LDL went WAY up. Started back on spicy
food (see above), and things are back to quite good.
END WAR STORY

My doctor keeps telling me that old age is not for wimps! :D
 
Fox Mike said:
Today was the last of three different doctor visits in the last week. Last week it was my general physician and my normal every three month visit. Nothing new there so that was a plus. The I went to my optometrist and had my once a year eye exam. Bam! Major change in the left eye. Cataract getting bigger but not enough to have any surgery. New lens came in and were installed in my frames yesterday. The left lens is now a 'coke bottle bottom'. :shock: Today I went for my annual hearing test and found that I am now practically deaf in my left ear when it comes to women's voices and the higher frequencies. Let's see...what next? My hair is disappearing; I think the wrinkles are taking over; for each hair lost a new wrinkle appears. I take Flomax so I can make it to the 'can' on a relatively normal basis, I take Nexium so I can sleep without heartburn. I take a 'baby aspirin' daily to thin the blood due to my LDL being high. I use my nebulizer twice daily so I can breath relatively normal. The GOOD NEWS is that I am still vertical!
Getting older is NOT for sissies!
Click to expand...

Yeah, BUT when you'e got a badly pinched Sciatic nerve, it gets harder and harder to GET vertical and to even WALK that way. Sitting has its attractions !!
 
TitanX said:
I can match specialists with the best of them.

From the very clear pattern, there are a lot of old farts here.
Click to expand...

MY FARTS ARE NOT "OLD"; they are nice and fresh as a daisy in the spring time. They DON'T stink at all !!
Wish I could get my cold/sinus cleared up. :roll: :roll: :roll:
 
I'm a firm believer a person can take to many prescription drugs because many will produce side effects if taken together. If you're seeing several doctors about different conditions, make sure you tell each one the medicines you're taking!
I believe in both herbal as well as modern doctors and their meds. If I know a herbal/natural medicine will work for a condition I have, I will use it.
All medicines are not 100% for all people... what works for me may not work for you. Any time I start a new medication, I will start off will a small amount to see what reaction my body will have before taking the regular amount.. this is true for all medicines!

At 67 years old, I'm a very lucky man! At the current time I take no over-the-counter or prescription drugs.
 
graygun said:
Time to reenlist.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the thought, but no thanks! I loved what I did, when I did it, but I am not too sure I would want to do it again.

Colonialgirl said:
Yeah, BUT when you'e got a badly pinched Sciatic nerve, it gets harder and harder to GET vertical and to even WALK that way. Sitting has its attractions !!
Click to expand...
I have had one of those so long I never even think about it anymore. The front top of my left leg hasn't had feeling in it for many, many years.
 
Number9 said:
I'm a firm believer a person can take to many prescription drugs because many will produce side effects if taken together. If you're seeing several doctors about different conditions, make sure you tell each one the medicines you're taking!
I believe in both herbal as well as modern doctors and their meds. If I know a herbal/natural medicine will work for a condition I have, I will use it.
All medicines are not 100% for all people... what works for me may not work for you. Any time I start a new medication, I will start off will a small amount to see what reaction my body will have before taking the regular amount.. this is true for all medicines!

At 67 years old, I'm a very lucky man! At the current time I take no over-the-counter or prescription drugs.
Click to expand...

This is very important. Fortunately, in my area, a lot of the doctors have our records interconnected on their computers but just to be sure I have all my meds on my phone so I don't forget one or two or tell the doc the wrong one (since no one can spell any of them anyway) when I go in. Also, I always have it with me if I would happen to have to go to emergency for something.
 
Increased health issues go with the territory of growing older, but it sure beats the alternative. And despite issues, with modern medical technology you can do pretty well. I made it to 53 without a single surgery, but have had 11 separate surgeries in the last 18 years (six of which were for my eyes), including the latest, a removal of my left kidney for renal cancer. But because of modern medicine, I am doing fine (I had a kidney stone last fall, and the CAT scan done to find the stone also showed a large tumor on my other kidney. It was cancerous, but because it was found before I had any symptoms, it was removed and the cancer had never spread beyond the kidney itself. I've been told that my prognosis for the future is no different than someone who never had cancer at all.) I still go the gym almost every day, bike when the weather permits, ride my Triumph Thunderbird every chance I get, and try to enjoy every day on this earth. Yesterday was a tough day, though, but not due to age. I had a write a large check to Uncle Sam for my income tax for 2014. I sure get ornery whenever it is time to pay income taxes.
 
vito said:
...... I had a write a large check to Uncle Sam for my income tax for 2014. I sure get ornery whenever it is time to pay income taxes.
Click to expand...

When I gather everything up and start to work on taxes, the dog senses that things are not happy, and leaves to go lie down in a different room.
 
When you first wake up in the morning, stretch both arms straight up and then to both sides. If you do not touch either a body bag or a coffin, you can come fully awake and get up. Every day above ground is a Good day-some are just better than others.
 
TitanX said:
I can match specialists with the best of them.

From the very clear pattern, there are a lot of old farts here.
Click to expand...

Yes there are! And a lot of old farts with specialists! ;) I only have 2 though! Cardio and Gastro... Got a touch of Barrett's Esophagus which ain't all that good, but my gastro guy is a Barrett's specialist!
 
All my life I have been big, fat and slow. Will be 74 in two weeks. Yet I have found out that friend`s and jock`s that I went to school with that always could run circles around me are mostly dead! My main hobby is trail riding in our Polaris RzR and I still fly some although I have to go yearly instead of bi annually for my physical. That was due to a pulmonary aneurism years ago. I lost my nose due to cancer about six years ago and at the time was given a short time to live if I didn't let them operate.
In my case I have cheated death more times than I can count by other means since a early age. I live strictly by my faith in God. I have buried four lady's and my now wife of almost 17 years younger is in worse shape than me. Like one lady doctor told me many years ago, "You are in better health than you deserve". Every day has been a bonus for me since I was a kid.
 
So do you have hair rowing in your ears that was never there before?/ I have fewer Drs that's great. The down side is three of them are orthopedic surgeons and we are on a first named basis.

The UP side people guess may age at at least 10-12 years younger than I am, 67. When they do the tests and run the numbers I come out 14 years younger than my chronological age. BUT when they are in the Ross breaks something else this year stuff and all the surgery I come out 63-65.
 
redhawker said:
Yeah, I hear you. I think, instead of saying how old you are a better indicator of age is how many doctors you have. Just by a quick count from my (failing) memory I'm up to 10 different doctors. And, I wouldn't be surprised if I've forgotten one or two.
Click to expand...

I realized I was getting old, when the thickness of the doctor business cards in my wallet exceeded the thickness of my wallet....
 
I mostly try to remember all the fun I had that got me here. :mrgreen:

Yep, cataracts, both knees have issues, my hip hurts some days (much family history of joint replacements), adult onset type 1 diabetes (pumps are wonderful), high blood pressure......





But I also went striped gopher hunting this afternoon and damn if I didn't get all three I shot at w/7 rounds. :P Haven't shot that Remington Nylon 66 Apache for many years.

The sun is shining and it is a wonderful spring day in southeastern South Dakota. I wouldn't have wanted to have missed it.
 
I'm 77...got a bunch of "wreckage of my past" but still motoring along...I don't go to the doctor unless there are things I need to see him/her about...last trip for a "general check up" found everything normal and then he said that under the new "annual wellness review" I needed a cognative mind test..so I took it...spent hundreds of dollars of taxpayer money to find out I'm just fine...he said "we'll do it again next year"...he doesn't know it but no we won't..

I came across this which is the way I'm trying to live out the "golden years" (rust is sort of gold isn't it?)...my Wife is 10 years younger and has had a ton of problems...I got to stay around to "finish my job" and that includes taking care of her...here's a philisophy I'm trying to adopt:

" One day I had lunch with some old friends. Jim, a
short, balding golfer type, about 85-years old, came along with them; all in
all, it was a pleasant bunch.

When the menus were presented, my friends and I ordered salads,
sandwiches, and soups, except for Jim who said, "A large piece of home-made
apple pie, heated please."



I wasn't sure my ears heard him right, and the
others were aghast, when Jim continued, completely unabashed...."along with two
large scoops of vanilla ice cream."

We tried to act quite nonchalant, as if people did this all the time,
but when our orders were brought out, I didn't enjoy eating mine.



I couldn't take my eyes off of Jim as I
watched him savoring each bite of his pie a-la-mode. The other guys just grinned
in disbelief as they silently ate their lunches.

The next time I went out to eat, I called Jim and invited him to join
me. I lunched on a white meat tuna sandwich, while he ordered a chocolate
parfait. Since I was chuckling, he wanted to know if he amused me.



I answered, "Yes, you certainly do, but
you also confuse me. How come you always order such rich desserts, while I feel
like I must be sensible in my food choices?"

He laughed and said "I'm tasting all that is possible for me to taste.
I try to eat the food I need and do the things I should in order to stay
healthy, but life's too short, my friend. I hate missing out on something good.
This year I realized how old I was. (He grinned) I've never been this old
before, so, while I'm still here, I've decided it's time to try all those things
that, for years, I've been ignoring."



He continued, "I haven't smelled all the
flowers yet. There are too many trout streams I haven't fished. There's more
fudge sundaes to wolf down and kites to be flown overhead.

"There are too many golf courses I haven't played. I've not laughed at
all the jokes. I've missed a lot of sporting events and potato chips and cokes.

"I want to wade again in water and feel ocean spray on my face. I want
to sit in a country church once more and thank God for His grace.



"I want peanut butter every day spread
on my morning toast. I want un-timed long distance calls to the one I love the
most.

"I haven't cried at all the movies yet, or walked in the morning rain.
I need to feel wind on my face. I want to be in love again.

"So, if I choose to have dessert, instead of having dinner, then
should I die before night fall, I'd say I died a winner, because I missed out on
nothing. I filled my heart's desire. I had that final piece of pie before my
life expired."

With that, I called the waitress over.. "I've changed my mind, " I
said. "I want what he's having, only add some more whipped cream!"

This is my gift to you - We need an annual Friends Day! If you get
this twice, then you have more than one friend. Live well, love much, & laugh
often - Be happy and enjoy doing whatever your heart desires. You only go around
once on this crazy planet.



SHARE THIS WITH YOUR FRIENDS including
me, if I'm lucky enough to be counted among them.

Be mindful that happiness isn't based on possessions, power, or
prestige, but on relationships with people we like, respect, and enjoy spending
time with. Remember that while money talks, ICE CREAM SINGS!
 
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