Thread: Getting older

Originally Posted by ian

Graduated licencing only goes part way to addressing this training defect.
It's little wonder that new drivers of any age, but predominately young kids, are charged higher insurance premiums while they develop the in-car experience and judgement they need to drive half decently. The insurance companies are not stupid.

I love the idea of P plates because they're a great warning to other drivers, especially the aptly coloured red Ps. The 120 hours of supervised driving required in NSW would, in aviation, qualify a person to fly some very expensive hardware. In cars, it might develop the skills but not the judgement.

mick

BobL etal

I can sympathise with this thread: It is very much a case of the mind is willing but the body is weak.

Last Thursday I poured a concrete slab for an oversize lawn locker (7.6m x 2.3m) I brought the 2.5 tonnes of aggregate home on my ute and trailer and mixed it in my ancient concrete mixer. I started the process at 0630hrs and finished in the dark at 1800hrs. Apart from very light screeding help from SWMBO I did this by myself. I only completed about 7/8ths of the slab as I was unable to bring back more aggregate in one trip and I was reluctant to shovel material to the ground so I could return for more material as that would result in double handling. By the end of the day I thought I was going to die: In fact I was half hoping I would die. I cleaned up and after tea went straight to bed. I slept for more than ten hours.

The following day I went to the quarry and got another tonne of aggregate. I actually only needed just under half a tonne, but once I was there I got a full load as it was handy to have a reserve for small jobs that come up. I finished off the slab, unloaded the surplus aggregate, covered the slab with tarps or plastics to retain moisture after first wetting down and felt distinctly tired again and not a little sore. There were parts of me that had started to ache and I didn't even know I had them. I slept again for twelve hours this time.

Saturday was spent clearing up the multitude of materials and tools I had used and stripping formwork. I was still tired and for the third day in a row went to bed early. I think I may have to come to terms with the fact my future as a concreter is very limited!

I am planning to seriously limit future birthdays as I think this is contributing to the problem.

Regards
Paul

Wow Paul - that's a pretty good effort from where I'm standing (or other "not standing" - especially at the moment). It would be one thing to work hard and then reap the reward of a half decent sleep afterwards but if I do anything close to that I would hardly sleep at all.

Bob

I have to tell you I did wake a few times; It was primarily to change position and lie on a part that wasn't aching.

Regards
paul

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

Bob

I have to tell you I did wake a few times; It was primarily to change position and lie on a part that wasn't aching.

You are lucky to have such parts - I'm usually tossing and turning for minutes trying to find the least aching part.

Mom at 70 with bipolar and cancer0 and Dad at 85 with dementia for his last 5 days.
Just spoke to my Mother in Law at 90 and full on conversation.
Dementia is a living hell for all parties involved.
But not guaranteed for older age.

If Steve Jobs passed from cancer then I know there was NO cure/prevention for cancer.

So if the absolute riches of people have dementia then there is no cure.

So put your life in order EVERY year.
You DON'T want to haunt your people for unfulfilled tasks.

I'd just like to point out that while getting old has it's challenges it's probably still better than the alternative.


I was born in '65, can't remember how old I am, something around 56 ?


Anyway I've been in and out of hospital for 10 years and am missing quite a few bits, not to mention being half blind. If I live into my 70's in any sort of shape I will be doing well.


It's good to vent, just keep perspective. 2c

I see bits of me in some of the above comments.
I wish you all well, and I guess some personal peace with getting old.
Says this 74 yo.

Acknowledgement of capabilities.
My father said that once he could not drive to the excellent standard he was proud of, then he would stop. He did. I had learnt an important lesson.
The recent storms on the mornington peninsula saw me once again up a ladder again the ti-tree or on the garage roof. With a chainsaw. My father was uppermost in my mind as i plotted each step,cut and angle of balance. Roping ladder to trunk etc...Accordingly the process took days longer than if i were 40. Im 61 with dropfoot and right leg nerve issues. "If in doubt, dont" was my mantra.
This type of work is not comfortable nowadays. Next is the roof dormer windows paintjob. If i feel my self doubt too much then it wont happen.
What i am saying is the need to develop AND LISTEN TO the awareness of capability is one skill to learn that lies uniquely with older people. The discipline of ceasing certain activities is the final practical examination of this skill.
Now i'm out to the garage to continue upgrades to my Honda Blackbird rocketship. Some things are a better way to go than falling off ladders! Sorry dad, but I can still ride bloody well. )

Originally Posted by barrysumpter

If Steve Jobs passed from cancer then I know there was NO cure/prevention for cancer.

I'm going from memory (one of the few things still going okay...), but; there were conventional medicine options for Steve Jobs but he left it too late trying "alternative" medicine first.

I'm reminded of that John Stewart quip: You know what we call alternative medicine that works? Medicine. [I'm paraphrasing, I can't remember the exact quote.]

That said, Jobs did have a very aggressive cancer; so it was no guarantee.

Eight weeks ago I was trying to load a queen size mattress onto a 6 X 4 box trailer to take it to the tip. It was gusty and the wind hit the mattress like a sail. So I was having trouble getting enough strength to gut bust the thing on. It started to go my way and as I stepped backwards to get another grip my right foot found a 4" wide drain 8" deep and down I went. While I was falling I was saying "Don't break the leg, Don't break the leg". I ended up on my right side, my right foot and leg flat on the driveway and the mattress covering my lower body. The wife was in the car with aircon and motor idling. I was yelling out for help but alas she couldn't hear me. My right ankle was starting to get sore while the rest of me was struggling to comprehend just what happened.
I got out from under the mattress then stood up. My ankle was not happy and started swelling. I somehow stood up and went to the car to tell the wife what just happened. She remarked that she hadn't heard a thing.

I found that I could put all my weight on the swelling ankle and there was no pain just felt uncomfortable. Off we went to the tip with me driving. By the time we got back home I needed assistance to walk as the swelling made it uncomfortable but still no real pain. Because of the lack of pain I diagnosed that I had sprained it ankle and not broken it. I had a Doctors appointment in 2 weeks time so I figured I could put up my foot until then. The son-in-law loaned me some crutches for the first week and then I graduated to a walking stick. Went for appointment with the Dr saying I probably sprained it but sent me off to X-Ray just to be sure. The X-Ray showed that I had cracked a bone that pivots the foot from the leg bone. He said that I needed to go to the Fractures Clinic at the hospital and that they would ring me with an appointment.......one and a half weeks later I went for the appointment. Another X-Ray. The hospital lDr told me that if I had come in immediately after the fall she would have put 2 screws into the cracked bone and fixed it that way. On the X-Ray it showed that the crack showed signs off the bone "knitting" the crack. So she told me to keep the foot elevated and come back in 4 weeks. "Oh take a Moon Boot with you" she said. So here I am just starting my eighth week keeping it elevated and not being able to do much otherwise.

The Moon Boot was put on by the Hospital Pysio then sent home. The Moon Boot was on my leg but the leg was loose inside it. When I got home I googled how to fit a Moon Boot and I found just how slap dash the Pysio was. We have been having a lot of rain of late and the grass is getting high. My daughter did volunteer to cut it which was very good of her. She ran out of fuel in the mower last weekend and left a patch about 6 square meters so On Wednesday I thought I would knock it down before it got too high (snake season). I put on gum boots so the Moonboot would stay clean. I paid for the exercise the next day with the foot feeling quite uncomfortable but still no pain.

Yes I know I was stupid to do what I ended up doing but in my defense;
I didn't go to Out Patients because I didn't have a lot of pain and the hospital was a little clogged with CoVid
people, I also figured all they would do was tell me it was a sprain and just elevated it

Hindsight is such a clear and wonderful thing.
My Black Dog is lurking not far away and we also have Christmas on the door step. (Christmas is usually not a good time for me) I have a long list of jobs I should/could do but they all require standing so its not a good idea......whinge, whinge whinge.....grumble grumble grumble

Originally Posted by markharrison

I'm going from memory (one of the few things still going okay...), but; there were conventional medicine options for Steve Jobs but he left it too late trying "alternative" medicine first.

I'm reminded of that John Stewart quip: You know what we call alternative medicine that works? Medicine. [I'm paraphrasing, I can't remember the exact quote.]

That said, Jobs did have a very aggressive cancer; so it was no guarantee.

You may be thinking of this? Even if not, it's worth a watch...

dara o'briain vs homeopathy - excellent clip! - YouTube

Originally Posted by damian

Anyway I've been in and out of hospital for 10 years and am missing quite a few bits

Me too, but bits have been removed from me in several different countries . At this rate, I'll end up spread (thinly) all over the planet !

Speaking of missing bits, I 'm missing a few: Toe joints, finger joints, hip joint. And there are the bits that have been removed to a supposedly better position. They all have one thing in common - incompetent surgeons. My big toe now points to the sky, never sees the ground. My index finger is bent like a boomerang - sideways. After my third hip surgery. I now can't walk out of sight on a dark night, not that that's a problem, after all, my one lung couldn't handle a walk any further than that anyway. My elbow swells up like a balloon anytime I use my hand. And then there are the bits I haven't given surgeons the chance to completely ruin, most are swimming in steroid solutions. Yep, getting old is a lot of fun.