Aging

[Peter1469]

We should pay attention to what our pets do. Stretch whenever you've been sitting too long. I stretch a lot at work in particular, because I sit at a desk all day. I could stand, because the desk has electronic height adjustment, but standing bugs my back.

I just got a standing desk and I like it.

[Tahuyaman]

Pain in lower back, feet, knees, and shoulders. All but the shoulders are from the Army.

All the pain I experience is because of injuries sustained in the Army.

[Dr. Who]

I just got a standing desk and I like it.

So do many of my coworkers.

[MisterVeritis]

I just got a standing desk and I like it.

I used a sit-stand desk during my last three working years.

[Hoosier8]

A number of our still youthful male members love to denigrate we older men for our alleged erectile dysfunction. I don't know if it is true for everyone. But it did start me thinking about aging in general. What are the things that go wrong?

For me, it is the pains. In my 50s I had lower back pain. My spine started to disintegrate. It is unclear why. Surgery corrected my problem for a time. My surgeon told me I should expect to lose height and more importantly the cartilage between disks one at a time roughly every five years. This had far more impact on sex than anything else.

At age 65 I have a small amount of pain, routinely, in my left hand, wrist, forearm, elbow, bicep and both the front and back of my shoulder. I went to physical therapy for a month. It helped. A little. On a scale of 1-10 I usually experience pain at the low-end 1-3.

All of my problems appear to involve the left side of my body.

Essential tremors do not appear to be age-related exactly. My first tremors were obvious while I was still on active duty at age 38. At age 65 they impact most of the things I do.

I have sleep problems most nights. I go to sleep easily. Then awake around 3 AM. I usually remain awake until some time between 5 and 6 AM. Then I go to sleep until 9 AM. When I was younger I would fall to sleep as soon as I was ready to. In the morning I could not wait to get out of bed. Most days that was around 5 AM.

I have a pinching pain in my left chest and back. Sometimes it lingers for up to a week. Then it goes away.

Aging is interesting. I know more about everything than I did when I was younger. I still read as much as ever. Most years I read between 40 and 50 large books (between 300 and 500 pages) every year. Most years I read the first few chapters of as many as 100 books. Some are junk. Some I am not quite ready to read.

The effects of aging are uneven. Some of my jokes are better. Some are worse. About a week ago I entered the kitchen. My wife of roughly 40 years was there. I looked at her and said, "I am so glad I got these memory foam inserts for my shoes. Now I don't forget why I come into the kitchen."

Her laugh was real.

At 65 a few things. One cataract surgery and medication for blood pressure and cholesterol. Other than that I just cannot do some of the things I used to as easy as I used to. I get to do the treadmill test soon as advised by my doc.

[Common]

At 65 a few things. One cataract surgery and medication for blood pressure and cholesterol. Other than that I just cannot do some of the things I used to as easy as I used to. I get to do the treadmill test soon as advised by my doc.

How is that cataract surgery, Im told by the eye doc I have a very small one, not bothering me yet. He said your awake for that, hes diggin in your eye with a laser right ?

[Peter1469]

I used a sit-stand desk during my last three working years.

That is what this is- it is the contraption that sits on your desk and you can raise and lower it. I believe my office will replace old furniture with entire desks that go up and down at some point.

[Hoosier8]

How is that cataract surgery, Im told by the eye doc I have a very small one, not bothering me yet. He said your awake for that, hes diggin in your eye with a laser right ?

I had an unusual one where it was right in the center of my right eye and would cause that eye to see double. The other eye is not ripe (their term) yet but I think it is getting there.

I have worn glasses since I was 9 and now can drive without glasses. Nice. My left eye is near sighted so I can see close with it and distance with the other.

Of course your eye is numb but I could feel him pushing and tugging on it which was weird and after I ended up with floaters in that eye (from the vitreous pulling away from the back of the eye). This is normal with age and especially with the near sighted but I didn't have it before the surgery.

[Trish]

I have high blood pressure and degenerative arthritis in my right knee. Hiking has helped my arthritis enormously. It bothers me when I'm not able to hike regularly or if I pick up a lb or two.

[Docthehun]

Like Mr.V, I'm 65. Funny topic for today as I'm due my semi-annual colonoscopy in about four hours. I'm on my second day of fasting, I'm starved and that's the best part of it. Goes quickly downhill from there. June of 17' I nearly croaked after an ulcer ate its way all the way through my stomach and I've been on semi-annuals ever since. Park your pride at the door.

I'm a little $#@! by most measures, 5'6" (and shrinking), 135 pounds. As a kid I threw batteries around at my dad's place and got fairly strong. I was best suited to sit in an office, but I loved getting my hands dirty. I love the smell of diesel and gear lube. I've always said that physical labor built mental toughness. I bemoan the loss of strength and the fact that I have to farm out some of the physical things I always did and loved. I'm adapting slowly. Naps are a great thing.

I'm on high blood pressure medicine, but it makes me tired and gives me weird dreams.

I've got tears in both rotator cups, neither requiring surgery, but my surgeon said I could use two new hips. When you live alone and have to fend for yourself, downtime becomes a valid consideration. So at this juncture I avoid repetitive tasks involving my shoulders and limit walking.

So I'm pretty damn good all things considered, I'm on this side of the dirt. Dying is the price we pay for living, so I'm just not worried about it. I'm going to write "DNR" on my butt and head off to this afternoons festivities. I'm packing a box lunch to consume on the way home; foot long cold cut with banana peppers, onions, cheese and sweet onion sauce. Banana chips and a Coke. Wish me well.