Gettin' Old Ain't for Sissies

[Mamanyt1953]

SILLY WOMAN!  And now, you will go to the doctor and say, "Doc, it hurts when I do THAT!"  and he will say, "Stop doing THAT!"  I canNOT count the number of times I have reinjured myself just when I was feeling normal again, doing something without thinking.

I am so tired tonight I could cry.  I don't even want to cook supper.  Would a handful of Cheezits and a scoop of ice cream count?  I got up at 8:30 this morning to wait for the maintenance man and the cable guy, who was due at 10.  Sean never made it, but called to say he had gotten tied up on an emergency call, and would see me tomorrow.  I do understand, but could have used that extra hour of sleep.  Cable guy was here for an hour, but the internet isn't going out twice a day now, so time well-spent.  THEN I had to go to WalMart and do the monthly shopping.  Got back, got everything put away, went out to sit for a bit before feeding Little Bit.  My neighbor came by and offered to take me BACK to WalMart in his van to pick up the daybed, SO IT IS HERE!!!!  

 I'll put the little bassart together tomorrow.  LORD I'm worn right out!  I was thinking about hot dogs for supper, but I don't feel like dicing the onion.  I may do a fried egg sandwich.  Although the idea of Cheezits and ice cream really better suits my energy level right now.

 

[margd]

It's times like this that a box of cereal comes in handy.

1.  Take box down from shelf.

2.  Take bowl out from dishwasher and try to remember if it's clean or dirty.

3.  Rub with towel, just in case.  Repeat process with spoon.

4.  Open refrigerator.

5.  Shove stuff around until you find milk.

6. Take cautious sniff

7.  Whew!  It's okay.

8.  Open box and pour a big pile of cereal into bowl.

9.  Pour milk over cereal. 

10. Quickly stick milk back in refrigerator.

11. Rearrange when refrigerator door won't close.

12. Take bowl of cereal, glare at Hekitty and tell her "Paws off."

13.  Collapse in comfy chair.

14.  Eat one or two bites.

15.  Fall asleep.

16.  Wake up as bowl slips from hands and contents land on rug.

17. Glare at Tortie drinking milk.

18.  Throw paper towels over mess to keep Tortie from drinking milk she can't digest.

19.  Stomp off to bed.

 

[neely]

 
My neighbor came by and offered to take me BACK to WalMart in his van to pick up the daybed, SO IT IS HERE!!!!  

 I'll put the little bassart together tomorrow.  

Glad you were able to pick up the daybed - Yay! 

  I'm sure the little son-of-a-gun can wait until tomorrow. 

  Did you end up having Cheezits and ice cream for dinner?

 

[Margret]

 

 
I have had cortisone shots=sometimes it takes a few days to weeks to see noticeable results...remember it takes basic tissue to rebuild itself in 7 to 10 days. Hoping you feel results soon. I didn't have luck with them. I had 2 of them in my elbow but they said it was only a 1 time shot or 2 at the most..something about risk of damaging tendons if more than that BUT that was in 2006. So here it is 11 years later-maybe it has changed.

It takes about 2-3 days before you feel any relief. It also feels worse, because they are injecting fluid into an already tight space. If you are having it done in your shoulder, it is best to go to a specialist who can inject it directly into the area, (muscle, tendon) with ultrasonic guidance. Yes, and ultrasound; otherwise, you can never be certain where the injection will end up.

I am such an idiot!!!

So I woke up this morning feeling like a million bucks.  Pain?  What shoulder pain?  I saw your posts and realized the cortisone had kicked in.

When I have a passenger in the car I put my purse in the seat directly behind me.  I needed my cell phone and reached behind me for my purse.  I've done that so many times I barely have to turn to wrap my arm behind me to snag it.

Well, when I did that today, my shoulder immediately reminded me why I went to the doctor yesterday.  So now I'm hurting again.

This is one of the big problems with cortisone shots.  A lot of professional athletes have had career-ending injuries because they got cortisone shots and kept playing, turning a fairly minor injury into something major.  And some team owners, coaches, and doctors have knowingly sacrificed players' careers (and bodies) for the sake of winning a big game.

You have to be careful about this with all effective pain meds.  When they really work, they can tempt you to forget that you're injured and do something that aggravates the injury.

So, now that the damage has been done, you may be tempted to think, "Well, that's that.  There's no point trying to take care of it; I've already made the injury worse."  Please don't do that.  Take care of it and give it a chance to heal.  It may help to get an Ace bandage and wrap your shoulder, so that the bandage reminds you not to do things that further aggravate the injury.

Margret

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

 
It's times like this that a box of cereal comes in handy.

1.  Take box down from shelf.

2.  Take bowl out from dishwasher and try to remember if it's clean or dirty.

3.  Rub with towel, just in case.  Repeat process with spoon.

4.  Open refrigerator.

5.  Shove stuff around until you find milk.

6. Take cautious sniff

7.  Whew!  It's okay.

8.  Open box and pour a big pile of cereal into bowl.

9.  Pour milk over cereal. 

10. Quickly stick milk back in refrigerator.

11. Rearrange when refrigerator door won't close.

12. Take bowl of cereal, glare at Hekitty and tell her "Paws off."

13.  Collapse in comfy chair.

14.  Eat one or two bites.

15.  Fall asleep.

16.  Wake up as bowl slips from hands and contents land on rug.

17. Glare at Tortie drinking milk.

18.  Throw paper towels over mess to keep Tortie from drinking milk she can't digest.

19.  Stomp off to bed.

I've told myself not to laugh so hard at this.  Didn't work.

.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

 
Glad you were able to pick up the daybed - Yay! 

  I'm sure the little son-of-a-gun can wait until tomorrow. 

  Did you end up having Cheezits and ice cream for dinner?

Sort of.  I actually grabbed a handful of them, and after eating them my blood sugar was high enough to go ahead and cook a pork chop with rice and broccoli.  With Ice cream for dessert!  I should NOT skip meals, especially when I have a lot on my agenda for the day.  I have very mild diabetes, and letting the blood sugar get too low is counter-productive in the extreme.  I get just wiped out.  I do control it very well with diet, to the point that occasional ice cream and such is not an issue.  Maybe later, but I keep it to a VERY low roar.

 
It's times like this that a box of cereal comes in handy.

1.  Take box down from shelf.

2.  Take bowl out from dishwasher and try to remember if it's clean or dirty.

3.  Rub with towel, just in case.  Repeat process with spoon.

4.  Open refrigerator.

5.  Shove stuff around until you find milk.

6. Take cautious sniff

7.  Whew!  It's okay.

8.  Open box and pour a big pile of cereal into bowl.

9.  Pour milk over cereal. 

10. Quickly stick milk back in refrigerator.

11. Rearrange when refrigerator door won't close.

12. Take bowl of cereal, glare at Hekitty and tell her "Paws off."

13.  Collapse in comfy chair.

14.  Eat one or two bites.

15.  Fall asleep.

16.  Wake up as bowl slips from hands and contents land on rug.

17. Glare at Tortie drinking milk.

18.  Throw paper towels over mess to keep Tortie from drinking milk she can't digest.

19.  Stomp off to bed.

LOL...and THIS is PRECISELY why I now have instant oatmeal in my cupboard!   This has happened before.  More than once.  More than twice.  And dealing with a tortie with attitude AND violent diarrhea is NOT my idea of a fun evening!  She doesn't care for the oatmeal with fruit, so I'm reasonably safe.  I had to stop getting the maple and brown sugar, it wasn't worth the battle.  One of those few, odd human foods she likes.  That and raspberry sherbet.  Don't ask me why!

 

[neely]

A friend sent this to me and I thought it would be appropriate to post here. 

Texting Codes for Seniors     Young people have theirs, now Seniors have their own texting codes: * ATD    -   At the doctor's * BFF   -   Best friend's funeral * BTW    -   Bring the Wheelchair * BYOT    -   Bring Your Own Teeth * CBM- Covered by Medicare * CUATSC   -      See You at the Senior Center * DWI - Driving While Incontinent * FWIW  - Forgot Where I Was * GGPBL - Gotta Go, Pacemaker Battery Low * GHA -  Got Heartburn Again * HGBM - Had Good Bowel Movement * LMDO - Laughing My Dentures Out * LOL - Living on Lipitor * OMSG  - Oh My! Sorry, Gas * TOT - Texting on Toilet * WAITT  - Who Am I Talking To? Hope these help.   GGLKI   (Gotta Go, Laxative Kicking in!)

 

[arouetta]

 
Sort of.  I actually grabbed a handful of them, and after eating them my blood sugar was high enough to go ahead and cook a pork chop with rice and broccoli.  With Ice cream for dessert!  I should NOT skip meals, especially when I have a lot on my agenda for the day.  I have very mild diabetes, and letting the blood sugar get too low is counter-productive in the extreme.  I get just wiped out.  I do control it very well with diet, to the point that occasional ice cream and such is not an issue.  Maybe later, but I keep it to a VERY low roar.

Low blood sugar can actually increase food consumption.  I sometimes wonder if it's survival instinct kicking in trying to get the sugar up, but many people I know who've had problems with low blood sugar say that they eat and eat and eat after a bad episode, which I do too.

Maybe keep nuts or trail mix on hand?

 

[Margret]

 

 
Sort of.  I actually grabbed a handful of them, and after eating them my blood sugar was high enough to go ahead and cook a pork chop with rice and broccoli.  With Ice cream for dessert!  I should NOT skip meals, especially when I have a lot on my agenda for the day.  I have very mild diabetes, and letting the blood sugar get too low is counter-productive in the extreme.  I get just wiped out.  I do control it very well with diet, to the point that occasional ice cream and such is not an issue.  Maybe later, but I keep it to a VERY low roar.

Low blood sugar can actually increase food consumption.  I sometimes wonder if it's survival instinct kicking in trying to get the sugar up, but many people I know who've had problems with low blood sugar say that they eat and eat and eat after a bad episode, which I do too.

Maybe keep nuts or trail mix on hand?

When I had a real low blood sugar episode (as opposed to minor), and was off of the anti-seizure medication, I had a seizure and woke up in the ICU 2 days later.  After which I had a heck of a time persuading the hospital to give me food I could actually eat, with no teeth and dentures that A) weren't there and B) didn't fit anyway.

"You want a hamburger?  No, we can't give you that because of your diabetes."  "Yes, I know I have diabetes.  That's why I asked for a hamburger with no bread and no toppings!"  "But, the hamburger has other things that are bad for diabetics, like fat."  "Fat doesn't raise my blood sugar, and there's nothing else on the menu I can chew."  "Well, I'll talk to the nutritionist and see what she says. ... Okay, the nutritionist says you can have the hamburger, on condition you're willing to talk with her about your diet afterwards."  "Sure, as long as she gets to my room before I check out."  Then they included the bun and toppings on the hamburger so that I had to remove them myself, and the nutritionist never showed.

As a general rule, when my blood sugar is low I try to raise it just enough, with something that would be good for me if I didn't have diabetes, like a little fruit or some such.  If I go with cookies or candy it's very difficult to stop.  But, once the blood sugar is once again on an even keel, I no longer feel insatiable.  I may still be hungry, but a normal meal will do me just fine.  And that totally insatiable feeling is a dead giveaway that my blood sugar is too low.

Margret

 

[ginny]

The hospital told you that fat was not good for diabetes?  That's weird, and just plain wrong too.  We've always been taught to teach patients to increase their fat when they want to cheat (because everyone does so why not plan for it?)  You are right that fat has no affect on your insulin level, it slows absorption of sugar into the bloodstream and prevents spikes.  

I think I may be having some diabetes symptoms myself, I don't know.  Last April my fasting blood sugar was 101, the highest it's ever been before.  I have a big problem saying no to sweets and have tried so many different ways to deal with it that I just sometimes give up for a while.  I've had that spot of numbness on my right thigh for some time now, but I've also noticed a spot on my left foot on the bottom - a little dime-sized spot that went back to normal after a few weeks.  I've noticed some numbness in my left last 2 finger tips.  I even noticed some numbness around my lips for a few days a couple weeks ago.  I don't know what the heck is going on there but I don't rule out anxiety.  My left ulnar pulse is 2+ so I don't think it's a vascular problem.  Going to the chiropractor tomorrow to see if maybe some spinal subluxations are to blame.  Hope it's something simple like that.  It's been forever since I went to a chiropractor, some of them are just plain quacks, but the one I'm seeing tomorrow is recommended even by our local orthopedic surgeons.  

About the sugar addiction, there is a dietitian Cassie Bjork who recommends a modified high fat/lower carb diet and broke her own sugar addiction by taking several different supplements.  She has a Facebook closed group that I might just have to join (it's $25/month if my memory serves me correctly) but I may just have to bite the bullet and see if her recommendations can help me. It sounds like her addiction to the white stuff was pretty severe too. Anyway, if I already have type II it can be reversed, but it'll take commitment on my part.  

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I am aching in places I didn't know I had.  I know what caused it.  It was the combination of putting the daybed together and hauling the mattress all over the front room while doing it, and going to Helen's (a neighbor) apartment to pick up the very pretty set of art deco brass and glass shelves that she gave me and hauling it all home balanced on the walker.  The hauling wasn't bad at all, but the two trips from one end of the complex to the other, and the dragging and lifting the thing ONTO the walker was a different story!  However, my apartment is looking more and more like someone lives here, rather than is camped here.  I'm going to spray paint the shelves bronze when I get my next social security check.  The brass is a bit the worse for wear, but once painted, it will be lovely.

 

[Margret]

I ran into this story this morning on the SmartNews app on my smartphone, and immediately thought of this thread: https://www.newscientist.com/articl...al-women-become-pregnant-with-their-own-eggs/

There was a time when I very much wanted to become pregnant, but decided not to because I'm a DES daughter (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diethylstilbestrol) and at that time (the recommendations have changed since) they were recommending that DES daughters who wanted children should:

1. Get pregnant as soon as possible.
2. Have amniocentesis as early in the pregnancy as safe.
3. Plan on aborting 3 or 4 fetuses before coming up with a viable one.

I just couldn't put myself through all of that for the sake of having a baby, so we used good birth control.  It hurt, and I still grieve for the children and grandchildren I'll never have, but thinking about having a child now, when I'm in my mid-60s, is an incredibly scary idea.  The fact is, at my age I'm not fit to be a mother to a small child; I no longer have the necessary tolerance for noise and upset.  A cat with the zoomies is about my limit.

Plus which, women are born with all of the eggs we'll ever have; this procedure doesn't produce new eggs, it just invigorates the ovaries to release some of the eggs that are still there, and that have had decades of exposure to background radiation and other environmental mutagens, which greatly increases the chance of having a damaged baby.  I have to wonder about the wisdom of this, at least for procreation.

Also, I don't know about anyone else, but I've always felt that the one really nice thing about menopause is not having to use contraception any longer. 

Margret

 

[Willowy]

Eh. . ."women between 34 and 51" aren't exactly elderly. 34, jeez, now I feel old :tongue2:. And some 51-year-olds have conceived naturally, although that's rare. It's not like they're impregnating 70-year-olds. My mom didn't go through menopause until she was 58, so we used to joke about her getting pregnant. . .yikes. 30 years between kids is a bit rough .

I've considered that myself. I wouldn't mind having kids. But it would have to be with donor sperm or by adoption. My aunt had kids after 40. . .and now she's sick at age 63 and her girls are still young enough that they're having a hard time dealing with it. But my mom is about the same age and isn't sick, so you just never know. One of my co-workers adopted 2 kids after 40. So, ya know, it's an option. But I'm torn on whether it's a good idea or not.

 

[Margret]

In terms of child-bearing, 35 or over is generally considered to be elderly.  Chromosomal abnormalities are a greater risk, congenital malformations may be a lower risk (the study in question has not yet made it into a peer-reviewed journal).  http://www.webmd.com/baby/news/2014...y-have-lower-risk-for-certain-birth-defects#1   Try a Google search on "risk of birth defects by maternal age."  The birth itself also used to be more dangerous for the mother; modern medical techniques seem to have taken care of that problem.

I'm sorry if I've made you feel old, but I was definitely feeling old (in terms of my abilities to deal with rambunctious children) before I was 50.  If you aren't, more power to you.

I didn't mean that as a blanket condemnation of the practice; but the older the mother the greater the risk of chromosomal abnormalities.  I once met a baby with really major Down Syndrome.  He was deaf and blind, had heart problems that meant he would likely die in childhood, and it's hard to say how badly his brain had been damaged by it.  Utterly terrifying, from a parental standpoint.

My own mother died a bit over a year ago.  She was in her 30s when I was born and was almost 98 when she died, of old age.  There is no such thing as "being ready" to lose your mother, not if she was a good mother.  But if it had happened when I was, say, 40, that would have been utterly devastating for me, and 40 is certainly a mature age.

By the same token, there are all sorts of reasons to put off having children -- careers, lack of money to raise a child, lack of a husband, or simply the feeling that one is too young to make a good mother.  And, yes, I realize that menopause can occur either very early or very late.  But I still feel that, in general, menopause is nature's way of saying "It's probably not a good idea to have children at your age."  In terms of evolution, of course, an older mother would have been much less likely to be able to raise her children to adulthood, simply because life spans were so much shorter back then, so there's nothing absolute about it.

Margret

 

[Mamanyt1953]

HUH.  At 64, if I got pregnant (not that I'm being exposed to it at all), I think I'd put a gun to my head.

 

[Margret]

 
HUH.  At 64, if I got pregnant (not that I'm being exposed to it at all), I think I'd put a gun to my head.

Killing yourself is, indeed, one way to get rid of an unwanted pregnancy.  Abortion might be the better way to go, however.

Margret

 

[Willowy]

There is no such thing as "being ready" to lose your mother, not if she was a good mother.

That's certainly true. But it's definitely more difficult for a 23-year-old to have to figure out how to get her mother into an assisted-living facility, when she barely knows how to rent her own apartment :/. At least by my age most people have figured out how to adult sufficently.

 

[Margret]

 

There is no such thing as "being ready" to lose your mother, not if she was a good mother.

That's certainly true. But it's definitely more difficult for a 23-year-old to have to figure out how to get her mother into an assisted-living facility, when she barely knows how to rent her own apartment :/. At least by my age most people have figured out how to adult sufficently.

You quoted only part of my paragraph.  The whole thing read:

 My own mother died a bit over a year ago.  She was in her 30s when I was born and was almost 98 when she died, of old age.  There is no such thing as "being ready" to lose your mother, not if she was a good mother.  But if it had happened when I was, say, 40, that would have been utterly devastating for me, and 40 is certainly a mature age.

{Emphasis added retroactively.}

In other words, yes, that's what I said, except that I had it pegged even higher, at 40.  You're perfectly right about 23 being much too young to deal with something like that, although I know that there are plenty of young people who do have to deal with it, including children.  It's a terrible thing.

Margret

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Someone sent me this in a FB message, and I shared it there.  However, I know a LOT of you don't do the FB thing, and it is worth reading.

Written by a 90 year old

This is something we should all read at least once a week!!!!! Make sure you read to the end!!!!!!

Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio .

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 42 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I've ever written.

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short – enjoy it..

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family will.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Stay true to yourself.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. Save for retirement starting with your first pay check.

9. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

10. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

11. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

12. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

13. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it...

14 Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

15. Get rid of anything that isn't useful. Clutter weighs you down in many ways.

16. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

17. It's never too late to be happy. But it’s all up to you and no one else.

18. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

19. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

20. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

21. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

22. The most important sex organ is the brain.

23. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

24. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

25. Always choose life.

26. Forgive but don’t forget.

27. What other people think of you is none of your business.

28. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

29. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

30. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does..

31. Believe in miracles.

32. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

33. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

34. Your children get only one childhood.

35. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

36. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

37. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

38. Envy is a waste of time. Accept what you already have not what you need.

39. The best is yet to come...

40. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

41. Yield.

42. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

I especially like #35.  It says that you loved, not that you ARE loved.  But I've found that one begets the other.

 

[neely]

 
Someone sent me this in a FB message, and I shared it there.  However, I know a LOT of you don't do the FB thing, and it is worth reading.

I especially like #35.  It says that you loved, not that you ARE loved.  But I've found that one begets the other.

I like #26 and have learned to do this, "Forgive but don't forget."  Thanks for posting.