Navigating senior years.

[KARNUT]

52 minutes ago, Donstar said:

Your pants are the pattern of the suit I wore on our wedding day!  I

Bell bottoms, don’t forget those.

[diyer2]

Update on my shoulder surgery on Sept. 6th to repair 2 tears in the rotator cuff and reattach my bicep muscle to the bone.

Still have pain, limited use of my arm and dexterity problems with my hand. Can't write, dealing with buttons when dressing is a problem, eating, shaving. I'm left handed and it's my left arm and hand. Vehicle maintenance is hard, painful, frustrating and takes longer.

Went to the doctor recently, now diagnosed with stenosis in neck vertebrae 4,5,6, and 7. Going to try shots first, surgery last resort. To be honest I'm scared of neck surgery, braces, screws and other parts not to mention the recovery time.

 

Arthritis in lower neck and lower back plus degenerative disc's doesn't help. 

 

Still having issues with sciatica, standing and walking causes pain, almost 2 years now. My mobility issues, pain and dexterity problems have led to depression. Been hard for me to deal with being I was always very active, so I'm on meds for that.

My sitting has led to a weight gain of 25 lbs. never weighed this much. 

 

For almost 2 years now the wife has had to do things I can't, hard to watch her struggle physically. I help when I can but being one armed, one handed since before my shoulder surgery and limited mobility from sciatica she has a lot more to do. It's beginning to wear on her. Neck surgery would be more work for her.

 

"Mr. FiX It" is out of commision.

 

 

 

[customboss]

1 minute ago, diyer2 said:

Update on my shoulder surgery on Sept. 6th to repair 2 tears in the rotator cuff and reattach my bicep muscle to the bone.

Still have pain, limited use of my arm and dexterity problems with my hand. Can't write, dealing with buttons when dressing is a problem, eating, shaving. I'm left handed and it's my left arm and hand. Vehicle maintenance is hard, painful, frustrating and takes longer.

Went to the doctor recently, now diagnosed with stenosis in neck vertebrae 4,5,6, and 7. Going to try shots first, surgery last resort. To be honest I'm scared of neck surgery, braces, screws and other parts not to mention the recovery time.

 

Arthritis in lower neck and lower back plus degenerative disc's doesn't help. 

 

Still having issues with sciatica, standing and walking causes pain, almost 2 years now. My mobility issues, pain and dexterity problems have led to depression. Been hard for me to deal with being I was always very active, so I'm on meds for that.

My sitting has led to a weight gain of 25 lbs. never weighed this much. 

 

For almost 2 years now the wife has had to do things I can't, hard to watch her struggle physically. I help when I can but being one armed, one handed since before my shoulder surgery and limited mobility from sciatica she has a lot more to do. It's beginning to wear on her. Neck surgery would be more work for her.

 

"Mr. FiX It" is out of commision.

 

 

 

You took longer to get there but welcome to my world. In my experience Don’t fear neck surgery IF surgeon experienced. It stabilizes neck. Injections band aids. 
 

Im trying to fix things with left hand and arm. Right outta commission 

[Donstar]

Thank you for the update, diyer2.  Your comments help me/us/you appreciate we're not alone.  This stage in life has some pretty sad moments and I particularly hate watching my wife dealing with my increasing needs.  She also has her own challenges  and hates losing her younger self.  The fact is, this is where we are today.  I strive to be her boyfriend and she my girlfriend.   My wife and I do a lot of talking and strategizing how to accomplish tasks with our increasing physical limitations.   One strategy that has proven useful is planning how to deal with the irritability that comes with our physical and mental stress.  We've verbally agreed to  tell/warn  each other in advance if we feel "irritable".   This may sound obvious but we don't always know what our partner is feeling.   It is seldom we will find ourselves in a fight when we've been warned!

[KARNUT]

I find myself warning my younger family members about taking care of their bodies. I tell them the same about eating and drinking. Your body turns on you if you don’t take care of it. I tell them the same about finding a life partner and saving money. I wasn’t warned about the first part. I was blessed with the second. 

[diyer2]

I wasn't' smart enough to realize that the physical work I did to pay the bills would catch up with me. The handwriting was on the wall though if I would have payed attention.

I used to wake up, jump out of bed. Now I wake up, swing the legs over the edge, sit up and evaluate my physical being before standing up.  

[customboss]

Count your blessings guys, you aren’t losing your ECM. My brain is melting and poor partner came back to help me. I gave her a chance to leave this train wreck. 
Losing your brain control system is scarier than I first thought. 
Life is scary and comfort is fleeting. 

[Donstar]

22 hours ago, customboss said:

Count your blessings guys, you aren’t losing your ECM. My brain is melting and poor partner came back to help me. I gave her a chance to leave this train wreck. 
Losing your brain control system is scarier than I first thought. 
Life is scary and comfort is fleeting. 

I bet you'd do the same for your partner!  

[Donstar]

23 hours ago, diyer2 said:

I used to wake up, jump out of bed. Now I wake up, swing the legs over the edge, sit up and evaluate my physical being before standing up.  

Same here and getting into bed can be a challenge!  I do look forward to getting out of bed in the morning and always have a goal to achieve for the day.  Yesterday, I went to see my Doctor about a current concern.  It was the visit where we get the talk about maintaining a high fiber diet,  drinking lots of water and walking more.  Of course, I already know this but apparently us seniors need to step it up in order for our basic functions  to produce. These healthy habits can make the getting in and out of bed a far bigger problem!    

[Donstar]

Customboss

23 hours ago, customboss said:

Count your blessings guys, you aren’t losing your ECM. My brain is melting and poor partner came back to help me. I gave her a chance to leave this train wreck. 
Losing your brain control system is scarier than I first thought. 
Life is scary and comfort is fleeting. 

Life is scary and there is nothing more frightening than losing our "ECM".  I only know you from this forum but I have to tell you that your positivity and contributions are inspirational for me.  I am certain most others will agree.  Your module may sometimes be in safe mode but the engine is still running in V8!

[KARNUT]

2 hours ago, Donstar said:

Same here and getting into bed can be a challenge!  I do look forward to getting out of bed in the morning and always have a goal to achieve for the day.  Yesterday, I went to see my Doctor about a current concern.  It was the visit where we get the talk about maintaining a high fiber diet,  drinking lots of water and walking more.  Of course, I already know this but apparently us seniors need to step it up in order for our basic functions  to produce. These healthy habits can make the getting in and out of bed a far bigger problem!    

My wife started me on magnesium and fiber supplements 11 years ago. Wasn’t a problem she just decided I should start since I got serious about losing weight. I take vitamins at night as well as other supplements. She added a new one that’s supposed to counter any ill effects of the Covid vaccines. Shortly after those my hands started shaking at times. I would get wobbly sometimes. Could be from getting older, side effects from the vaccine or blood pressure medication. Ain’t pointing fingers. Since retiring I walk 4-7K steps a day. I laugh when I take the pills at night. She could slip one in and poof I’d be gone. 

[Donstar]

I'm sure you know to keep a list of all your medications, prescription or not, and share it with your Doctor(s) and/or pharmacist occasionally.  Your list may differ from what your Dr. is seeing on his computer   I keep an updated list in my wallet.  I felt a little strange when I had to disclose all of my medications for a recent pre-op appointment.  I had to reveal all drugs including alcohol and nicotine.  The nurse was excellent in explaining, without judgement, the role each can play in my surgery and recovery.  It is a little insidious how our pill intake can grow in our later years.  It is up to us to monitor and consult with trusted professionals when we wish to alter our intake.

[KARNUT]

1 hour ago, Donstar said:

I'm sure you know to keep a list of all your medications, prescription or not, and share it with your Doctor(s) and/or pharmacist occasionally.  Your list may differ from what your Dr. is seeing on his computer   I keep an updated list in my wallet.  I felt a little strange when I had to disclose all of my medications for a recent pre-op appointment.  I had to reveal all drugs including alcohol and nicotine.  The nurse was excellent in explaining, without judgement, the role each can play in my surgery and recovery.  It is a little insidious how our pill intake can grow in our later years.  It is up to us to monitor and consult with trusted professionals when we wish to alter our intake.

With being on blood pressure medication since I was 19 I periodically asked my doctor about weaning off. Years ago after losing weight I half my dosage and saw no increase in blood pressure. My doctor agreed. As with any medication there’s side effects. As I get older the side effects get more pronounced. I’ve lost 30lbs since the last visit so I’ll try again. 

[customboss]

6 hours ago, Donstar said:

I'm sure you know to keep a list of all your medications, prescription or not, and share it with your Doctor(s) and/or pharmacist occasionally.  Your list may differ from what your Dr. is seeing on his computer   I keep an updated list in my wallet.  I felt a little strange when I had to disclose all of my medications for a recent pre-op appointment.  I had to reveal all drugs including alcohol and nicotine.  The nurse was excellent in explaining, without judgement, the role each can play in my surgery and recovery.  It is a little insidious how our pill intake can grow in our later years.  It is up to us to monitor and consult with trusted professionals when we wish to alter our intake.

15 different meds a day. 

[customboss]

5 hours ago, KARNUT said:

With being on blood pressure medication since I was 19 I periodically asked my doctor about weaning off. Years ago after losing weight I half my dosage and saw no increase in blood pressure. My doctor agreed. As with any medication there’s side effects. As I get older the side effects get more pronounced. I’ve lost 30lbs since the last visit so I’ll try again. 

Congrats on all loss of weight. I’m trying.

Edited May 13, 2025 by customboss
****ing talk to tap six