How many body parts regularly hurt now that did not regularly hurt 10 years ago?
No more, but now they hurt more.
How many times a week do you walk into a room in your house and then forget why you went in?
I forget.
How much louder is it when you get up out of a chair or couch than it used to be?
The same. My hearing has deteriorated a lot.
How many ongoing medications are you on compared to ten years ago?
The same as ten years ago, when I was a young 71.
How many body parts regularly hurt now that did not regularly hurt 10 years ago?
Lower back a bit more, but only when I get out of bed in the morning
How many times a week do you walk into a room in your house and then forget why you went in?
Probably 2-3 times
How much louder is it when you get up out of a chair or couch than it used to be?
Oh, definitely that!
How many ongoing medications are you on compared to ten years ago?
For internal issues: 0 then, 0 now. I’m almost 72 and realize I’m lucky in that regard.
External: 1 then, 1 now for occasional minor flare-ups of eczema
Bonus question:
How many artificial parts do you now have?
Lucky here, at the airport I just tell 'em "All Bone, No Metal
doctor that I used to work with wd often drop by midweek with pizza..tho he always called in advance..We wd pull something good from te cellar and enjoy..I think our yellow lab, Eddi, looked forward to these visits as much as we did..Dr J and I wd give her pizza crusts which she loved..My wife still cringes every time I tell that story..tho Eddi did live to be the oldest lab in oru Vet’s practice,
My original set of questions would have been better drafted if they’d all said “when you were 50” instead of 10 years ago, because as you point out the measure of whether you are an old folk is not how at 81 you compare to yourself at 71, but rather how at whatever age you compare to yourself before all of these things start happening to most of us.
what things?
I don’t remember.
I noticed the “Seattle” on your shorts..The year before I turned 80, my wife and I ran a half marathon in Seattle..Celebrated my 80th with a half marathon in Syracuse..still drinking wine but a lot less of it than I used to as our food choices have changed.
I got Seattle on my shorts years ago. No matter how many times I wash them, it won’t come off.
My cognitive and bodily functions are in a race to the bottom.
I’d tell you who’s winning, but…
Shit happens - And that’s on a good day.
Hemingway was asked: “How did you go bankrupt?”
“Two ways. Gradually then suddenly.”
Kravitz was asked: “How did you get old?”
“Two ways. Gradually then suddenly.”
Much as I’m hoping to get an Old Folk’s wine topic going (in order to justify our continued inclusion in the Wine Talk Forum), I’ve got a new topic that shockingly hasn’t been raised but which I’ll bet 50% of the old folks on this thread have experienced; knee replacement.
I’m 69 and still pretty mobile, walking the dog an hour daily, alternating singles tennis once or twice a week (just hitting casually, not at all competitive) and walking 9 holes of golf a couple times a week whichever is in season. I’ve had meniscus surgery twice on my left knee (last time about 15 years ago) and have managed fine since.
But reality is my knee is constantly sore and no question I have very little (if any) cartilage left. I’m a candidate for replacement but don’t really want to do it until I have to.
My question is is delaying the procedure a bad idea (assuming Medicare covers me). On the one hand, I’m still managing OK and my sense is the longer I wait the better the technology will be. On the other hand, I’m told the recovery gets harder the older you get. Further, good results are not guaranteed. I’ve heard horror stories of results, although they may be somewhat from a while back.
So I’m guessing half the readers of this thread (that are truly Old Folks and not you young lurkers) have had this procedure. What are your thoughts.
Thanks.
Mike
You need to head over to the Asylum to talk about this. They’re almost certainly is a thread for it.
Next up. Dental implants!
I met with my oral surgeon friend yesterday. Going in two weeks for two implants. I offered to pay him Brown paper bag of cash.
There are some treatments in the pipeline that can potentially regrow cartilage.
I will say that in terms of improvement of quality of life, the three best procedures in medicine are 1) CABG 2) Hip replacement 3) Knee replacement. In this day and age the outcomes are almost uniformly excellent. The prosthesis does have a life expectancy so delaying it until you really need it isn’t the worst idea.
I’d put cataract surgery atop that list. Almost/complete restoration of function, extremely fast recovery, extremely low serious complication rate.
I can personally attest to the appropriateness of hip replacement being on the list.
No personal experience with knee replacement, but I hear recovery is tougher than hip replacement. High success rate, though, if you do the rehab work postop.
I haven’t had a knee replacement yet – I’m currently in a similar situation to yours. Here’s my $0.02…
I’m age 63. A few years ago, an MRI on my left knee revealed Grade 3 (Moderate - on the K&L system) OA in the medial compartment, along with “moderately complex” tearing in the meniscus (fortunately, lateral compartment relatively intact). Haven’t had any imaging on the right knee, but consensus among the Ortho docs seems to be that I likely have similar OA on that side, too.
Currently, I have some discomfort with my left knee. And I constantly have to be aware of my body’s tendency to adapt with sub-optimal “guarding” tendencies on that leg, especially when it gets heavier loading. That being said, it doesn’t yet have major impact on my life activities. I still participate in endurance sports (triathlon, road cycling, etc), though I’m a bit more careful with managing my run volume. I also have a strength training program, designed by my physical therapist, that is focused on maintaining balanced gait patterns by building leg muscle strength and mobility.
My goal is to delay the need for a knee transplant as long as possible. My take is that the surgical process, and materials used in the artificial knee, will keep continuing to improve. And that will also be less time that the eventual replacement will need to last. I’m going to ride this train as long as I can, until the OA impacts become a significant enough limiter on my life activities. Then I’ll pull the trigger. Given the pattern of my OA, I will likely need to consider the option between partial and full knee replacement. But no need to choose now.
While I’m hopeful that I can forestall long enough to be able to take advantage of cartilage re-growing therapies some day, I don’t share Mr Chang’s optimism regarding that timeline. From what I’ve seen, there’s been a ton of money thrown for quite a few years at developing therapies to reverse OA, but the projections just seem to continue to be “… we’re a few years away from being able to re-grow…”. At this point, I’m skeptical – though I hope to be proven wrong…
I do know a number of folks who have had hip and/or knee replacements. If I had to choose, I’d take a hip replacement over a knee replacement. Just about everyone I know who has had hip replacement has seen fabulous results – improved mobility and use, along with relatively quick recovery time. The improvement trajectory I’ve seen on knees has been a bit more mixed. Extended recovery times, and more variability in post-replacement capabilities.
My take is that, if you are going to proceed with knee replacement, “pre-hab” is absolutely critical. That is, getting as strong and fit as possible before the surgery. And then, after surgery, being ready mentally for being rigorous in re-hab for a likely extended recovery period. Plan for the worst, hope for the best.
One last comment… Universally, across all the Ortho docs and PTs I’ve worked with, they agree on at least one thing – the best lifestyle action anyone with knee issues can take is to keep their weight down. Every added pound one carries around impacts directly on the loads our knees need to carry. Staying active and fit is super critical…
That’s the official list based on quality of life years.
That’s one of the first ones used in clinical practice. There are some being used in Europe that will work for severe OA.