Getting old sucks

[Gladeite 375]

On 6/30/2023 at 9:07 AM, Crapinon said:

I had rotator cuff surgery on my right shoulder 6 years ago. When my doctor took x-rays and MRI's to confirm, he said "I'll see you in a few yours for the other one". My appointments Monday. 

Had rotator cuff surgery 3 years ago.  3CM supraspinatus tear, infraspinatus tear, bicep tendon tear, SLAP tear, bone spur removal, etc...  Have already torn the supra and infra.  Dr. says no to surgery.  He thinks they will just re-tear.  Doing physical therapy to build up muscles around the cuff and just make it for a while.

[deter 314]

Having an 89 year old mother go from kicking ass and taking names in bingo etc (and loving it), to a confused person thinking everyone is trying to kill her and shredding 6-7 pull-ups at night. You have no idea what the next call will reveal. SUCKS 

[RPM 26317]

15 hours ago, Armybrat said:

[ImissWallyPryor 9046]

18 hours ago, deter said:

shredding 6-7 pull-ups at night.

At least she stays in shape. 

[RPM 26317]

 

[ImissWallyPryor 9046]

33 minutes ago, RPM said:

 

We had front row seats to see Bob Hope at the SA Stock Show and Rodeo, compliments of Harry Freeman. None of my kids ages 23-30 know anything about him, although the oldest 2 humor me by pretending to be familiar with his name.

Edited July 5, 2023 by ImissWallyPryor

[Wally Fairway 5541]

On 7/4/2023 at 9:00 AM, Armybrat said:

yeah - I got this card from a "friend" the other day

[Armybrat 40822]

24 minutes ago, ImissWallyPryor said:

We had front row seats to see Bob Hope at the SA Stock Show and Rodeo, compliments of Harry Freeman. None of my kids ages 23-30 know anything about him, although the oldest 2 humor me by pretending to be familiar with his name.

My Dad got to play a lot of poker with Bob Hope and some of his Hollywood tour performers in his tent while they were snowed in for an extra week in the Aleutian Islands in 1942. I believe it was his first “out of the 48” tours to entertain the troops.
My brother has his “short snorter” dollar bill with Hope’s autograph along with Jerry Colonna’s and several others that I don’t recall.

[RPM 26317]

Bob Hope and Joe E. Brown should really be remembered for their service entertaining troops. Hope was famous for it. Joe E. Brown took it a bit farther visiting remote South Pacific bases by travelling in the space behind the pilot in a P-38. He was by far my Dad's favorite comedian after he showed up at the remote island base he was at. (Dad couldn't remember which island or if he told me I forgot.) Said one of his saddest moments was when Brown's Hollywood house burned to the ground on live TV. Brown was bawling during an interview because it was just a house, but all the mementoes sailors, soldiers and marines had given him were forever gone.

[nnm 36349]

47 minutes ago, RPM said:

Bob Hope and Joe E. Brown should really be remembered for their service entertaining troops. Hope was famous for it. Joe E. Brown took it a bit farther visiting remote South Pacific bases by travelling in the space behind the pilot in a P-38. He was by far my Dad's favorite comedian after he showed up at the remote island base he was at. (Dad couldn't remember which island or if he told me I forgot.) Said one of his saddest moments was when Brown's Hollywood house burned to the ground on live TV. Brown was bawling during an interview because it was just a house, but all the mementoes sailors, soldiers and marines had given him were forever gone.

I lived for 12 years in the Clear Lake area of Houston.  I used Carlos's Barbershop, connected to Carlos's Beer Garden off of Old Galveston Road/Highway 3.  It had been there for decades. Carlos didn't really cut hair anymore--Jesse was the barber for my son and me.

The barbershop and beer garden were full of mementos from astronauts and other folks from the space program.  Carlos had cut many astronauts' hair through the years, and so many folks had given them mission shields, signed photos, other mementos--all the way back to Mercury days.  It was very, very fun.

Hurricane Ike blew through in 2008.  My house was fine, even though we were a block from Clear Lake and right under the eye of the storm.  Carlos's flimsy beer garden and barbershop did not do fine.  The roofs blew off and everything inside was blown out.  All of those priceless pictures, keepsakes, mementos were gone.

They rebuilt, and got a bunch of replacement stuff from people from the space program, but a little piece of history was gone.  

[Mother mopar 3318]

yeah - I got this card from a "friend" the other day

This hits close to home as I'm sitting in a urologist's office right now. I'm not ready for my 50s if my early 40s are like this.

[Crapinon 2253]

1 hour ago, Armybrat said:

My Dad got to play a lot of poker with Bob Hope and some of his Hollywood tour performers in his tent while they were snowed in for an extra week in the Aleutian Islands in 1942. I believe it was his first “out of the 48” tours to entertain the troops.
My brother has his “short snorter” dollar bill with Hope’s autograph along with Jerry Colonna’s and several others that I don’t recall.

Brat, my dad was in the Aleutian campaign after he came out of First Special Service Forces training. Was your dad FSSF?

[Armybrat 40822]

2 hours ago, Crapinon said:

Brat, my dad was in the Aleutian campaign after he came out of First Special Service Forces training. Was your dad FSSF?

No, Dad was 4th infantry, 1st Battalion C.O. On Attu in 1943.

[WithoutAClue 15341]

a bit of sunshine in an otherwise dreary thread....

[nnm 36349]

Posted for you guys with bad knees …

…could also go in the HS thread. 

[Mother mopar 3318]

Posted for you guys with bad knees …
…could also go in the HS thread. 

I just sprained my ACL looking at that.

[High Plains Drifter 11029]

On 7/3/2023 at 12:14 PM, Dennis Taylor said:

Is it caused by a disc issue or by the piriformis? I guess of you're on scaffolding it could be the disc but if you're at a desk or driving a lot it could be the latter which can be helped siflgnicantly by certain stretches

 

On 7/3/2023 at 5:52 PM, Spaulding Smails said:

This right here.  Had serious sciatic flare for the first time in my life last November.  To the point I couldn't put my boots on in the morning.  Had to stop on the way to and from work multiple times to get out of the truck.  Started stretching 2X daily.  30 days later, it was damn near gone.  

 

Nah, its just caused by sitting in a truck for long stretches. I just need to be more careful about breaking up the long drives with some walking around and stretching. 

Flares up every few months. Usually doesn't last for more than a week at most with stretching and advil. Just a pain in the ass, literally, standing on ladders or climbing around on scaffolding. Too hot for that shit anyway. 

 

[deadshank 24652]

[Armybrat 40822]

Yesterday’s CT scan….
It was supposed to take no more than 30 minutes from the IV insertion to out the door. 
However the first tech had a problem finding a vein for the IV in my fat arm and had to call another in to get that done. 

Laid down on the gurney, they hooked up the leads to my chest, repeated instructions to keep arms extended over my head, then said it would take 5 minutes altogether (it was a new high-speed machine from Siemens in Germany).
They rolled me into the “donut” hole and started making adjustments - the computer told me when to hold my breath & when to breathe while lights were flashing and the machine making whirring sounds for a few minutes.
Then….silence….for maybe another 15 minutes, then the Tech came out from behind his radiation shielded console and informed me they were having software trouble calibrating the machine to my carcass to get clear images. 
He apologized for the delay, saying he had called Siemens tech support and was waiting for them to call back…..in the meantime he would try to deal with the computer software himself. 
After another 10 minutes or so, he said they were ready & rolled me back into the donut hole. 
The procedure went as before - and was over in five minutes. The tech guy said the scan looked good. I asked him if the Germans had returned his call, and he said, “No, I figured the problem out myself”. 
My arthritic shoulder joints were pretty sore from stretching out over my head like that for so long. 

Anyway, that one is done and next up is the ECHO heart scan this coming Tuesday. Then on the 22nd at my follow up appointment with the cardiac surgeon, he will tell me how & when he’ll do the aorta valve implant procedure.

Nothing like being the beta tester for the hospital’s new CT scan machine.
Guess I got a double dose of the radiation. 
Better keep watch for another limb growing out from my torso

[RPM 26317]

I had a similar experience during a nuclear heart scan in my old cardiologist's office. Had to lay on this skinny ass table about 6 inches wide while the camera took 360 degree pictures. It got about 1/2 way through and stopped. I laid there for half an hour on the balance beam when they finally tell me the machine is busted and we'll have to reschedule. WTF? You shoot me full of isotopes for nothing and want to do it again next week? We'll that's what happened and still got billed for two scans. He might have been a good surgeon, but he was making his real money on follow up business.

[Guest]

For you old guys, what do y'all recommend most for the younger folks on here? Things to do, things not to do, etc.

I've watched both parents get older... and it doesn't seem to be fun. Weight seems to be an issue affecting lifestyle, as well as simply staying in motion. Lots of bad joints, which limits mobility, which increases weight, which limits mobility in a vicious cycle.

I read this book about a year ago:

It's geared toward people in their 60s, but I thought it had a lot of great stuff to consider for people of any age. Watching parents get older has really put me on a kick where I'm thinking about aging quite a bit.

 

[Cheeseweasel 26438]

4 minutes ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

Things to do, things not to do, etc.

Invest in your 401k. Keep your weight down. Exercise. Bang hot chicks.

[tbone_ 14110]

For you old guys, what do y'all recommend most for the younger folks on here? Things to do, things not to do, etc.

I've watched both parents get older... and it doesn't seem to be fun. Weight seems to be an issue affecting lifestyle, as well as simply staying in motion. Lots of bad joints, which limits mobility, which increases weight, which limits mobility in a vicious cycle.
I read this book about a year ago:


It's geared toward people in their 60s, but I thought it had a lot of great stuff to consider for people of any age. Watching parents get older has really put me on a kick where I'm thinking about aging quite a bit.
 

This is a good book no don’t know how much the science is accurate but it all seemed reasonable to me.

Cheaseweasels list is good. I would also add yoga. Stretch your shit out and be flexible. It will limit or postpone many maladies.

[Sandman 3403]

My wife has a family friend, he's more like a second father to her. He got sent to Nam right after he got married. He and his wife got to meet in Hawaii for his R&R during the war, that was their honeymoon. Fast forward 50+ years and his health isn't good. They decided to re-enact that trip and go back to Hawaii. His doctors were iffy on it but didn't outright forbid it, so they went. They were on the return flight home when he started having issues. Had to stop in Denver and they told their kids to get there ASAP, as it wasn't looking good. My wife got the news last night and was a mess. By some miracle, he's doing better today but who knows how much longer he's got left. He's such a great guy, I hate to hear about this. 

[VonZipper 50]

14 minutes ago, Cheeseweasel said:

Invest in your 401k. Keep your weight down. Exercise. Bang hot chicks.

As a 62 year old, I'd throw in some weight training as well.  You don't have to lift a bunch of weight, but keeping what you got is important.

[Cheeseweasel 26438]

15 minutes ago, tbone_ said:

I would also add yoga.

I assumed that was part of banging hot chicks.

[nnm 36349]

1 hour ago, Cheeseweasel said:

I assumed that was part of banging hot chicks.

No, that’s weight training. 

2 hours ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

For you old guys, what do y'all recommend most for the younger folks on here? Things to do, things not to do, etc.

I've watched both parents get older... and it doesn't seem to be fun. Weight seems to be an issue affecting lifestyle, as well as simply staying in motion. Lots of bad joints, which limits mobility, which increases weight, which limits mobility in a vicious cycle.

I read this book about a year ago:

It's geared toward people in their 60s, but I thought it had a lot of great stuff to consider for people of any age. Watching parents get older has really put me on a kick where I'm thinking about aging quite a bit.

 

[destroya 374]

2 hours ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

For you old guys, what do y'all recommend most for the younger folks on here? Things to do, things not to do, etc.

I've watched both parents get older... and it doesn't seem to be fun. Weight seems to be an issue affecting lifestyle, as well as simply staying in motion. Lots of bad joints, which limits mobility, which increases weight, which limits mobility in a vicious cycle.

I read this book about a year ago:

It's geared toward people in their 60s, but I thought it had a lot of great stuff to consider for people of any age. Watching parents get older has really put me on a kick where I'm thinking about aging quite a bit.

 

How old are you?

[bmbmd 1027]

3 hours ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

For you old guys, what do y'all recommend most for the younger folks on here? Things to do, things not to do, etc.

I've watched both parents get older... and it doesn't seem to be fun. Weight seems to be an issue affecting lifestyle, as well as simply staying in motion. Lots of bad joints, which limits mobility, which increases weight, which limits mobility in a vicious cycle.

I read this book about a year ago:

It's geared toward people in their 60s, but I thought it had a lot of great stuff to consider for people of any age. Watching parents get older has really put me on a kick where I'm thinking about aging quite a bit.

 

I recommend this book to all my fifty-somethings.  I also post out that Dr. Lodge, Harvard internist, died in his early fifties from prostate cancer.  He broke one of the book's cardinal rules-set your checkups, meet your benchmarks.  

[GoPokes83 2240]

Yesterday’s CT scan….
It was supposed to take no more than 30 minutes from the IV insertion to out the door. 
However the first tech had a problem finding a vein for the IV in my fat arm and had to call another in to get that done. 

Laid down on the gurney, they hooked up the leads to my chest, repeated instructions to keep arms extended over my head, then said it would take 5 minutes altogether (it was a new high-speed machine from Siemens in Germany).
They rolled me into the “donut” hole and started making adjustments - the computer told me when to hold my breath & when to breathe while lights were flashing and the machine making whirring sounds for a few minutes.
Then….silence….for maybe another 15 minutes, then the Tech came out from behind his radiation shielded console and informed me they were having software trouble calibrating the machine to my carcass to get clear images. 
He apologized for the delay, saying he had called Siemens tech support and was waiting for them to call back…..in the meantime he would try to deal with the computer software himself. 
After another 10 minutes or so, he said they were ready & rolled me back into the donut hole. 
The procedure went as before - and was over in five minutes. The tech guy said the scan looked good. I asked him if the Germans had returned his call, and he said, “No, I figured the problem out myself”. 
My arthritic shoulder joints were pretty sore from stretching out over my head like that for so long. 

Anyway, that one is done and next up is the ECHO heart scan this coming Tuesday. Then on the 22nd at my follow up appointment with the cardiac surgeon, he will tell me how & when he’ll do the aorta valve implant procedure.

Nothing like being the beta tester for the hospital’s new CT scan machine.
Guess I got a double dose of the radiation. 
Better keep watch for another limb growing out from my torso

Thank God it’s over and good luck going forward. The last MRI I had in Bastrop I was in the tube and heard a freaking dial up modem. Just how old is this machine and just what’s being blasted through me?

[Guest]

17 hours ago, destroya said:

How old are you?

[Guest]

20 hours ago, VonZipper said:

As a 62 year old, I'd throw in some weight training as well.  You don't have to lift a bunch of weight, but keeping what you got is important.

That's a lot of what the Younger Next Year book mentioned. It made me change my use of weights.

I realized that at my age I'm not actually going to lift heavy stuff and get jacked. Those days are gone. Instead, I've opted for lighter weights and more reps. And if I'm doing something in the gym and it hurts, I stop doing it or reduce the load. And try to get the heart rate up every day. Likely not as long or as high as I should, but something to get it elevated.

[RPM 26317]

12 hours ago, GoPokes83 said:

The last MRI I had in Bastrop I was in the tube and heard a freaking dial up modem.

28 or 56 k?

[HouTex 1866]

20 hours ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

For you old guys, what do y'all recommend most for the younger folks on here? Things to do, things not to do, etc.

I've watched both parents get older... and it doesn't seem to be fun. Weight seems to be an issue affecting lifestyle, as well as simply staying in motion. Lots of bad joints, which limits mobility, which increases weight, which limits mobility in a vicious cycle.

I read this book about a year ago:

It's geared toward people in their 60s, but I thought it had a lot of great stuff to consider for people of any age. Watching parents get older has really put me on a kick where I'm thinking about aging quite a bit.

 

Another vote for this book.  And don’t miss your annual physical and watch your PSA numbers.  Most men will get prostate cancer eventually but if it’s caught early it has a very high survival rate.  I know of a couple of guys who avoided physicals and especially avoided the digital exam and they died within a few months of the prostate cancer diagnosis.  I’ve read recently that the digital exam is no longer the standard of care unless other factors are present.  

[NeverMarryAStripper 21874]

41 minutes ago, RPM said:

28 or 56 k?

I remember how excited I was when I upgraded my modem from 300 baud to 1,200 baud.

[RPM 26317]

16 minutes ago, NeverMarryAStripper said:

I remember how excited I was when I upgraded my modem from 300 baud to 1,200 baud.

I was the same when Sprint upgraded from 14.4 to 28k. Of course it was a crapshoot which connect you would get when you dialed in. 14.4? F that shit, hangup and dial again!

[Crapinon 2253]

2 hours ago, HouTex said:

Another vote for this book.  And don’t miss your annual physical and watch your PSA numbers.  Most men will get prostate cancer eventually but if it’s caught early it has a very high survival rate.  I know of a couple of guys who avoided physicals and especially avoided the digital exam and they died within a few months of the prostate cancer diagnosis.  I’ve read recently that the digital exam is no longer the standard of care unless other factors are present.  

My PSA is constantly above 6 and hit 13 last year. But because I get checked twice a year (for the last 6 years) I didn't freak out and further test showed no cancer.

I just left the hospital visiting a friend. He had no need for doctors and decided to quit his high blood pressure medicine months ago because he didn't like the way it affected him. 6 weeks ago he had a stroke. When they checked him into emergency they also discovered that he also had A-fib and was diabetic. He couldn't talk or use his right arm and had to walk with a walker. He had a second stroke last night. When I walked in he was crying because I'm pretty sure he got the diagnosis that this is his life from now on. He can't even make noises now and can barely move his right foot.  He's 64 years old. All because he didn't think he had to have check ups or listen to his doctor.   

[Crapinon 2253]

And I once heard a guy say that he didn't want to go to a doctor to have a colonoscopy because he was afraid that the doctor would tell him he had cancer.

[Tex Long 4383]

2 hours ago, NeverMarryAStripper said:

I remember how excited I was when I upgraded my modem from 300 baud to 1,200 baud.

My brother!

[Cheeseweasel 26438]

1 hour ago, Crapinon said:

And I once heard a guy say that he didn't want to go to a doctor to have a colonoscopy because he was afraid that the doctor would tell him he had cancer.

[Native Horn 3498]

Just had my annual "wellness" exam this morning.  The usual stuff - checking stuff with stethoscope, eyes, ears, nose, bloodwork after the checkup.  For some reason, he didn't ask to shove his digit up my arse.  I did not remind him.  #winning?

(He did add checking my PSA to the bloodwork, along with uric acid due to the gout).

[gyroprotagonist 2592]

On 8/2/2023 at 1:59 PM, FirstTimeCaller said:

For you old guys, what do y'all recommend most for the younger folks on here? Things to do, things not to do, etc.

I've watched both parents get older... and it doesn't seem to be fun. Weight seems to be an issue affecting lifestyle, as well as simply staying in motion. Lots of bad joints, which limits mobility, which increases weight, which limits mobility in a vicious cycle.

I read this book about a year ago:

It's geared toward people in their 60s, but I thought it had a lot of great stuff to consider for people of any age. Watching parents get older has really put me on a kick where I'm thinking about aging quite a bit.

 

not quite old yet at 49, but a couple things i wish i had kept up on or what i am doing now

- I call it reverse atrophy training.  planks, light/body weight strength exercises just to keep muscles from shrinking and keeping the core strong.  Helps with back pain and helps with lethargy from my desk job.  a few months ago i started small at home and now hit the gym at work for 20-30 minutes at lunch 3 days a week.  will never get swol but hitting the major muscle groups at least once makes a huge difference.

- don't be afraid to spend money on docs.  get cortisone shots, minor surgeries if you need them. my shoulders are pretty crappy with arthritis.  not much i can do other than i had a bone spur removed and i get shots in both shoulders at least once a year now.  

- all of the above to keep doing 'young' stuff like playing pickup ball with my son at the gym, travelling a lot more/booking ski/snowboardng trips while you can still go hard

- i was always blessed with good metabolism and have not had to battle weight issues, but it's starting get harder and harder to maintain my weight and still eat enjoyably.  The saying that you cannot out-exercise your mouth is pretty true.  weight loss is about diet more than exercise, imo

- i have not really curbed my intake, but alcohol is very inflammatory to my joints...but mezcal is so good.  

 

[tbone_ 14110]

For some reason, he didn't ask to shove his digit up my arse.  I did not remind him.  #winning?

They do this less now. Bummer, I know.

[seven 1367]

On 7/3/2023 at 3:11 PM, nnm said:

Update a month later:  Had a catheter for 8 days (that is really, really uncomfortable for a lot of reasons) and strong antibiotics for 3 weeks. Energy level still only about 75%. It really kicked my tail. But it appears the whole thing is mostly behind me, so to speak. 

I had one put in during belly surgery, thankfully insertion was while I was knocked out. God damn I hated having that thing. I had them take it out as soon as possible, and holy fuck that rip out is a doozy. 

[Dbeasy 15042]

On 8/2/2023 at 1:59 PM, FirstTimeCaller said:

For you old guys, what do y'all recommend most for the younger folks on here? Things to do, things not to do, etc.

I've watched both parents get older... and it doesn't seem to be fun. Weight seems to be an issue affecting lifestyle, as well as simply staying in motion. Lots of bad joints, which limits mobility, which increases weight, which limits mobility in a vicious cycle.

I read this book about a year ago:

It's geared toward people in their 60s, but I thought it had a lot of great stuff to consider for people of any age. Watching parents get older has really put me on a kick where I'm thinking about aging quite a bit.

 

Biggest two things by a mile are walk every day at least 30 minutes to an hour. Eat way way better. Cut out a lot of red meat. Force down green vegetables for a year until you don’t mind eating them with every meal. Cut out most of fried and high fat foods. Lean towards a more Mediterranean diet. 

Just those two things will help with a vast range of health issues that start to hit in your late 50’s. 

[Armybrat 40822]

14 hours ago, tbone_ said:

 

They do this less now. Bummer, I know.

 

Yeah, I miss Dr. Denson’s gentle index finger…

 

 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Dbeasy said:

Biggest two things by a mile are walk every day at least 30 minutes to an hour. Eat way way better. Cut out a lot of red meat. Force down green vegetables for a year until you don’t mind eating them with every meal. Cut out most of fried and high fat foods. Lean towards a more Mediterranean diet. 

Just those two things will help with a vast range of health issues that start to hit in your late 50’s. 

Pretty good on exercise. Could be better, but during a normal schedule (which has been anything but this summer), it's 3-4 times a week for about 30 minutes a pop.

My diet... so-so. On the plus side, my wife is vegetarian so I just can't eat a "plate full of brown" anymore as she calls it. Fast-food hamburgers, BBQ, and the like are a 3-4x a month thing, and I tend to just feel gross afterward. But it's not like I'm eating salads every meal. For instance, yesterday I had Fuego for lunch and Freebirds for dinner as we headed down to New Braunfels. Not a bunch of fried, but not exactly health food.

But sweets, got damn I can't stop those. 

Good news is that as of now my weight is fine. I've gained about 10 pounds since high school, but that seems to be primarily just filling out in my 20s. Haven't really gained anything in about a decade. I also feel good and the body works well, apart from knees that act up when on my feet all day. I've had that since high school/college due to injuries and it hasn't gotten worse.

It's more of a "what's around the corner?" mentality where I don't want to be 65, overweight, and complaining about how bad I hurt all the time. I've seen enough of that from people to last a lifetime.

 

[GoPokes83 2240]

Just had my annual "wellness" exam this morning.  The usual stuff - checking stuff with stethoscope, eyes, ears, nose, bloodwork after the checkup.  For some reason, he didn't ask to shove his digit up my arse.  I did not remind him.  #winning?
(He did add checking my PSA to the bloodwork, along with uric acid due to the gout).

Call and ask them to hook you up with a Cologuard test. Other than carrying that box with poo in it into the mail place and everyone knowing what’s in it it’s painless, and gives you some peace of mind.

[Guest]

13 minutes ago, GoPokes83 said:

Call and ask them to hook you up with a Cologuard test. Other than carrying that box with poo in it into the mail place and everyone knowing what’s in it it’s painless, and gives you some peace of mind.

Obligatory:
 

 

[tbone_ 14110]

Yeah, I miss Dr. Denson’s gentle index finger…
 
 

For some reason I’m guessing she misses it less than you do