Ageing. It's a Bugger....

[matt j]

I feel sorry for those who are rudderless without work, frankly I could sit in my pants all day doing nothing and it would still be 10x more fulfilling than going to work.

 

[Amber Audio]

I feel sorry for those who are rudderless without work, frankly I could sit in my pants all day doing nothing and it would still be 10x more fulfilling than going to work.

Live dangerously, try someone else's pants for a day

I spent a good part of the 90’s hating my job, the last 20 years as my own boss have been far more enjoyable.

 

[MikeMA]

I retired in 2006 at age 57 and joined pfm in 2009. I will be 72 in May. Apart from an occasionally dodgy knee and loads of missing teeth I seem to be doing okish. I walk about five miles most days with Tinkerbell - see my avatar; she is now 17 years old! - do the garden, and prior to lockdown swam twice a week at the gym. I've recently taken up open water sea swimming which has become very popular down here over the winter months. It's invigorating. My doctor once told me that apart from obvious stuff like injury trauma and smoking, most health issues were hereditary and that we could only tinker at the margins. Two wives have predeceased me but my mother is still alive at 93 and her brother (my uncle) is 99 and still going strong so I may have longevity in my jeans. I was taken aback today when one of my dog walking female acquaintances told me I'd be a "good catch", and then promptly invited herself round for afternoon tea on Saturday. I'm viewing this with a mixture of mild excitement and trepidation.

 

[MUTTY1]

I’m getting into headphone listening as it’s the least you can do without getting out of breath... moving speakers is for athletes....

 

[droodzilla]

Kierkegaard: Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.

If you're lucky.

 

[droodzilla]

I retired in 2006 at age 57 and joined pfm in 2009. I will be 72 in May. Apart from an occasionally dodgy knee and loads of missing teeth I seem to be doing okish. I walk about five miles most days with Tinkerbell - see my avatar; she is now 17 years old! - do the garden, and prior to lockdown swam twice a week at the gym. I've recently taken up open water sea swimming which has become very popular down here over the winter months. It's invigorating. My doctor once told me that apart from obvious stuff like injury trauma and smoking, most health issues were hereditary and that we could only tinker at the margins. Two wives have predeceased me but my mother is still alive at 93 and her brother (my uncle) is 99 and still going strong so I may have longevity in my jeans. I was taken aback today when one of my dog walking female acquaintances told me I'd be a "good catch", and then promptly invited herself round for afternoon tea on Saturday. I'm viewing this with a mixture of mild excitement and trepidation.

Penultimate tango in Halifax?

 

[Bob McC]

I retired in 2006 at age 57 and joined pfm in 2009. I will be 72 in May. Apart from an occasionally dodgy knee and loads of missing teeth I seem to be doing okish. I walk about five miles most days with Tinkerbell - see my avatar; she is now 17 years old! - do the garden, and prior to lockdown swam twice a week at the gym. I've recently taken up open water sea swimming which has become very popular down here over the winter months. It's invigorating. My doctor once told me that apart from obvious stuff like injury trauma and smoking, most health issues were hereditary and that we could only tinker at the margins. Two wives have predeceased me but my mother is still alive at 93 and her brother (my uncle) is 99 and still going strong so I may have longevity in my jeans. I was taken aback today when one of my dog walking female acquaintances told me I'd be a "good catch", and then promptly invited herself round for afternoon tea on Saturday. I'm viewing this with a mixture of mild excitement and trepidation.

Keep it in your genes...

 

[sean99]

The saying here in the US is "Getting old sucks, but the alternative is worse." Just be glad you get to enjoy getting old.

 

[martin clark]

Saw this today. If anyone has photoshopping skills , please put some bite marks around the edge.

Not sure what your post was aiming at on this thread, so I do hope I've totally misinterpreted & subverted it by pointing out that for people with, and their families, there's not one damn thing funny about eating disorders. Here's a 'funny' pic to remember that by.

 

[Mullardman]

Wow!!. Just.. err.. Wow!!

What a phenomenal response to my OP.

Firstly, I didn't intend it to come across as a whinge. I'm well aware that I'm much better off than many.. I genuinely wanted to compare notes with those of similar age to see what they are experiencing and how they view it. Far too many responses to get into individual comments...so please assume I like all responses. They all add value to the discussion. Just one I'd like to quote:

Serious question. Have you any cardiac history?

How long have you got?
A heart attack in 1996 left me with a significant portion of dead muscle in my right ventricle. Heart muscle does not self repair. Back then angiograms weren't routine so this was not seen until some years later. The major cardiac artery which used to supply that muscle is now totally blocked and although the technology exists (now) to clear it.. it's seen as a lot of risk for small..if any gain. The remanider of my right ventricle gets its blood supply from 'collaterals'..smaller arteries and roundabout routes.
As seems to be an inevitable consequence of the MI, I now have progressing Left Ventricular Failure. A recent series of tests seem to show that this has gone from 'mild to moderate'. to straight 'moderate' .. though mercifully it is not of the 'crashing' variety...which can take people out in months. I've also had a couple of small strokes.

I had a brief 'wobble' involving an overnight hospital stay last autumn. For reasons unknown my heart slowed to about 40 bpm and stayed there for some time. I was in 'bi-geminy' (missing every other beat).. and assorted other 'geminy's ('Tri'.. and 'Quadri' for hours before it all came right again. I'll confess it's a bit of a worry because people with my cardio conditions are much more likely to experience a sudden 'arythmia'. ( as in no heart beat.. or Cardiac Arrest) But then I could also get hit by a bus... so I try to stay positive.

In practice.. the above boils down to something akin to a four cylinder engine only firing on three.. E.G. being unable to run more than a few yards..and although I love swimming for example.. it has to be done in short bursts of around 50 metres, with a short rest before the next 50 metres.. etc. I can do most normal activities.. but just more slowly.

I'm hoping to be able to resume swimming soon. This mainly because walking is currently out. My heart doesn't stop me from walking.. although hills are increasingly challenging. The main thing is a knackered knee. I was told 13 years ago that I needed a new knee... but the Surgeon was quite direct. "Not advised because your heart is ****ed and you've just had a stroke". No ambiguity there..... so I carried on. It's only in the last few weeks that the knee has really given up. Walking.. climbing stairs, descending stairs.. whatever. Getting onto my feet after sitting or lying in bed is a long and painful process... Doing anything much is painful.
And of course I need to walk... or do something... to try to keep my heart functioning as well as poss.
I have a phone consult booked with the local Musculo-Skeletal lot next Tues and will go from there.. but I really think I now need some sort of surgical intervention.. even if its a bit of arthroscopy and a 'wash out'.

Coming onto the retirement bit. I'm not one of those who 'needs' to work as some form of validation. I'm quite happy to have spent 50 years in everything from labouring work, to reasonable professional/graduate level ranking. Some who managed to work from 16 up to early retirement in 'safe' occupations..ending up with better pensions than me..and more cash in the bank.. don't make me envious.... because their whole concept of life seems grounded in what is 'expected and approved'. Bollocks to that.

The other side of retirement though.. I had a 'roadmap' of things I wanted to get sorted.. a sort of ''battening down' of the hatches... so that I could just siit back and really relax. Mostly things I couldn't afford to 'get a man in' for... and wanted to do myself. Much of that hasn't yet happened and is looking less likely by the minute. It's mundane stuff. Decorating ..alterations, that sort of thing. Time to spend the savings I suppose.

 

[Mullardman]

My doctor once told me that apart from obvious stuff like injury trauma and smoking, most health issues were hereditary and that we could only tinker at the margins.

I'm also a strong believer in that. My Father and Sister both died from what would now be called COPD. My late Mum and stil here Brother share my preference for Cardio issues. I suspect I might prolong my life a bit by giving up booze, enjoyable food etc... but I want my remaining years to be spent in a resort.. not a waiting room..

 

[gordon]

I’m still 27

and dyslexic

 

[Hazelberry]

I'm just a couple of years into my 50s. I'm lucky that (except for a half buggered right shoulder) to be in good health. I'm fit and active and last year got a statin-ready cholesterol problem under control with diet only. I live alone and worry about the chance of having a stroke. BP is fine.

I have an outdoors job I love, yet since my late 40s every summer season has felt so much longer and more taxing on the body that this year I wondered if I'd survive another one. The good news is that the boss is well over it too and is planning a major change in business focus by the end of the year. It should keep work more sustainable and enjoyable for everyone, so I hope the risk pays off. That said, I'd love to be able to cut down to three days a week!

 

[Del monaco]

I’m on a four day shift at Amazon Warehouse at the moment. I was 54 when I started 4 weeks ago. I think I’ve aged 5 years with each consecutive week since then. I need a hot bath and some Epsom’s.

Week five ending today.At this rate they’ll be taking me out in a box by May.

 

[MikeMA]

Not sure what your post was aiming at on this thread, so I do hope I've totally misinterpreted & subverted it by pointing out that for people with, and their families, there's not one damn thing funny about eating disorders. Here's a 'funny' pic to remember that by.

If I came across that sign in a hospital car park my first thought would be "what's a Managed Clinical Network?"

 

[Woodface]

Wow!!. Just.. err.. Wow!!

What a phenomenal response to my OP.

Firstly, I didn't intend it to come across as a whinge. I'm well aware that I'm much better off than many.. I genuinely wanted to compare notes with those of similar age to see what they are experiencing and how they view it. Far too many responses to get into individual comments...so please assume I like all responses. They all add value to the discussion. Just one I'd like to quote:




How long have you got?
A heart attack in 1996 left me with a significant portion of dead muscle in my right ventricle. Heart muscle does not self repair. Back then angiograms weren't routine so this was not seen until some years later. The major cardiac artery which used to supply that muscle is now totally blocked and although the technology exists (now) to clear it.. it's seen as a lot of risk for small..if any gain. The remanider of my right ventricle gets its blood supply from 'collaterals'..smaller arteries and roundabout routes.
As seems to be an inevitable consequence of the MI, I now have progressing Left Ventricular Failure. A recent series of tests seem to show that this has gone from 'mild to moderate'. to straight 'moderate' .. though mercifully it is not of the 'crashing' variety...which can take people out in months. I've also had a couple of small strokes.

I had a brief 'wobble' involving an overnight hospital stay last autumn. For reasons unknown my heart slowed to about 40 bpm and stayed there for some time. I was in 'bi-geminy' (missing every other beat).. and assorted other 'geminy's ('Tri'.. and 'Quadri' for hours before it all came right again. I'll confess it's a bit of a worry because people with my cardio conditions are much more likely to experience a sudden 'arythmia'. ( as in no heart beat.. or Cardiac Arrest) But then I could also get hit by a bus... so I try to stay positive.

In practice.. the above boils down to something akin to a four cylinder engine only firing on three.. E.G. being unable to run more than a few yards..and although I love swimming for example.. it has to be done in short bursts of around 50 metres, with a short rest before the next 50 metres.. etc. I can do most normal activities.. but just more slowly.

I'm hoping to be able to resume swimming soon. This mainly because walking is currently out. My heart doesn't stop me from walking.. although hills are increasingly challenging. The main thing is a knackered knee. I was told 13 years ago that I needed a new knee... but the Surgeon was quite direct. "Not advised because your heart is ****ed and you've just had a stroke". No ambiguity there..... so I carried on. It's only in the last few weeks that the knee has really given up. Walking.. climbing stairs, descending stairs.. whatever. Getting onto my feet after sitting or lying in bed is a long and painful process... Doing anything much is painful.
And of course I need to walk... or do something... to try to keep my heart functioning as well as poss.
I have a phone consult booked with the local Musculo-Skeletal lot next Tues and will go from there.. but I really think I now need some sort of surgical intervention.. even if its a bit of arthroscopy and a 'wash out'.

Coming onto the retirement bit. I'm not one of those who 'needs' to work as some form of validation. I'm quite happy to have spent 50 years in everything from labouring work, to reasonable professional/graduate level ranking. Some who managed to work from 16 up to early retirement in 'safe' occupations..ending up with better pensions than me..and more cash in the bank.. don't make me envious.... because their whole concept of life seems grounded in what is 'expected and approved'. Bollocks to that.

The other side of retirement though.. I had a 'roadmap' of things I wanted to get sorted.. a sort of ''battening down' of the hatches... so that I could just siit back and really relax. Mostly things I couldn't afford to 'get a man in' for... and wanted to do myself. Much of that hasn't yet happened and is looking less likely by the minute. It's mundane stuff. Decorating ..alterations, that sort of thing. Time to spend the savings I suppose.

A friend of mine had knee surgery & was kept awake on a local so you knee sounds pretty serious. Hopefully when pools open that will help.

 

[Rcook]

My dad is 79, and doesn't do anything much these days, hasn't for years. Mainly sits in front of the television all day. He gets forgetful, and is showing signs of dementia starting. Has had health issues since 2005, mainly from a lifetime of drinking and smoking too much.
My father-in-law is 89, still sharp as a tack mentally, and runs ten miles a day. A neighbour is 88 and cycles 15 miles a day.
As for me (early 50s), I have decline to come. I try and walk or cycle most days, or stay active. Have noticed I can't do as much as I used to over the last couple of years though, and aches and pains are more frequent these days. I do frequently need to take a nap in the middle of the day, but mainly because I have a habit of waking up too early and not being able to get back to sleep.

 

[MikeMA]

..... The main thing is a knackered knee. I was told 13 years ago that I needed a new knee... but the Surgeon was quite direct. "Not advised because your heart is ****ed and you've just had a stroke". No ambiguity there..... so I carried on. It's only in the last few weeks that the knee has really given up. Walking.. climbing stairs, descending stairs.. whatever. Getting onto my feet after sitting or lying in bed is a long and painful process... Doing anything much is painful.
And of course I need to walk... or do something... to try to keep my heart functioning as well as poss.
I have a phone consult booked with the local Musculo-Skeletal lot next Tues and will go from there.. but I really think I now need some sort of surgical intervention.. even if its a bit of arthroscopy and a 'wash out'....

Has your Consultant considered operating on/replacing your knee under epidural anesthesia (you, not the consultant) ? I know people for whom general anesthesia was considered too risky who have had their hips replaced that way with no problems. Knees are different of course but it might be worth asking?

 

[gintonic]

on/replacing your knee under epidural anesthesia

I know two people who have had that done in the last few weeks. For the older and less fit of the two, she was in hospital for 4 days, and the younger and fitter, was discharged after 1 night in hospital.

 

[Ponty]

You know, reading some of these tales makes me want to retire much sooner, not later, and enjoy life frugally, rather than working my ass off to buy stuff I don't need. My goal is still to retire from the rat race at 55, but only if I can fill my days with fulfilment and discovery (of the good kind) rather than vegetation and daytime tv....

JFDI. I quit the rat race early, not knocking it but had enough. As you say, you earn more to buy more stuff you don’t need. You just need to work out what is ‘enough’ and have a plan. You can always have more money but you can’t have more time.