When You Get Older

[Mobasser]

Yesterday I was clearing out some small trees on my property. These were thorn locust trees.                                     I was wearing long sleeves and gloves, but still managed to get poked in my left hand by the small thorns on these trees.                                  When I finished my left hand became swollen, with patches of red all over my hand. I could barely close my hand in a fist.                                    My wife insisted I go to the hospital. They gave me some antibiotic medicine for this. Feels and looks better this morning.                                   As a kid, I remember getting poked by these thorns many times, and it never bothered me. The same thing with poison ivy, oak or sumac. As a kid these things never bothered me. Now, I get it if I even get close to it.                                          It's true. When we get older, our system changes. I'll have to be more careful, or pay someone to do this work in the future.                            Has anyone else noticed this as you've gotten older?

[Darth-Baiter]

truly the ONLY real benefit of being more mature is the fact that i now have more money.  hahaha..

 

it sucks getting physically older..financially older is okay.    i'm still okay in the healing department.  the hair on my head is a moot point, and my reading glasses need ticks me off. 

[gim]

Next time wear gloves.

 

I have heard of people reacting differently to things like bug bites or itchy plants as they get older.  My body reacts terribly to poison oak/ivy so I avoid going in the woods this time of year at all costs.

[Choporoz]

@Mobasser, maybe the tree toxins are like wasp stings, where the second and subsequent exposures can be worse than the first.

 

I got stung a couple weeks ago and it was far worse than any stings I ever got as a kid.  Not sure if it was my aging nervous system or some cumulative effect

[roadwarrior]

Youth is wasted on the young.

[Darth-Baiter]

my allergist doctor friend said that humans change allergies every 7 years.  

 

not sure this is true or not, but i didnt go to med school, but i am now able to eat blueberries.  i used to turn full body red and rashy.  

[Will Ketchum]

I played a lot in the woods as a kid coming in contact with all kinds of stuff but never had a bad reaction. A few years ago I picked up some poison something and went to the emergency room for some diagnosis and treatment it being a first.

 

While we're talking, I got a tick bite for the first time not that long ago either and had the classic bullseye reaction. Was treated with an antibiotic and it seemed to work.

[padlin]

As a kid I got poison ivy often, usually pretty bad. I still get it now, in my mid 60's, but very mildly.

 

Unfortunately, I now have what I call thin skin. If I get poked at all with a stick of some sort, it's going to bleed, even a dog jumping up does it.

 

Just saw on this am's news, a vaccine for Lyme disease is in final trials. Of course they've had one for pets for years.

[A-Jay]

I live 'in the woods' and cover up 'everything' every time I venture out into it.

Includes but may not be limited to most lawn maintenance, cutting wood, and hitting the trail with Tank.  Keens, tall socks, long pants & shirt, hat, gloves & buff.

Besides keeping the bugs off me (ticks & biting flies mostly),

helps reduce contact skin irritations that I'm apparently fairly sensitive to. 

Plenty of plants, shrubberies and itchy & pokey vines here to contend with. 

More in warm weather than cool.

So Summer, I'm a mummy and spring & fall, I can lighten that whole deal up a bit. 

A-Jay

 

 

[gim]

6 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

I'm a mummy

 

[Captain Phil]

Growing old is not for wimps.  It seems like everything hurts.  You can't eat what you used to and a new health adventure is always right around the corner.  Attitude has a lot to do with how you deal with it.  If you let it get you down, you will sit in a chair all day watching the news waiting to die.    I hurt most of the time.  I force myself to do things.  I find I can do most everything I want just not as long as I used to.  I went fishing on Monday.  In the first hour I caught a 4 pound bass throwing a spinnerbait.  When it got hot two hours later, I loaded the boat and went home feeling satisfied.  As long as I can do that, I'm happy.  

[flatcreek]

I’ve got thorn locust trees on my property line down around my shop.Every Winter I’m grabbing the chainsaw and cleaning up their mess.I despise the heck out of em.They do make for a nice walking stick when you skin em down though.Everytime I think I’m rid of them they come back like flies.

[steve carpenter]

When you turn 65 your immune system becomes weaker. I agree its not for wimps. I am 75 and have had two major surgeries in the last three years. I make myself walk and lift weights and keep my mind active. Has helped me to continue fishing and other physical activities. You just keeping trying and do your best.

Don't get down because of a bad day or two.

[Log Catcher]

I know what you mean about things changing as we get older. A few years ago I was talking to a neighbor that retired a few years before I did. He said he could still do a lot of things he used to do but it took him a lot longer to recover than it did before. What he said is true. I now know that for myself. I hate this getting old crap.

[TnRiver46]

12 hours ago, Choporoz said:

@Mobasser, maybe the tree toxins are like wasp stings, where the second and subsequent exposures can be worse than the first.

 

I got stung a couple weeks ago and it was far worse than any stings I ever got as a kid.  Not sure if it was my aging nervous system or some cumulative effect

My buddy David is the same way. His last two encounters with yellow jackets have landed him in the ER. The Doc suggested he hire his lawn mowed because his reactions were only getting worse and worse with age 

[Hammer 4]

Just to add, I'm 74, and have scoliosis and arthritis in my back. Takes me about an hour when I get up, just to able to stand straight. I've gone through a Ton of pain, but I stretch, and have the attitude that I'm either going fishing, or go to the golf course.

Remember, a body at rest, stays at rest, a body in motion stays in motion.

And yes, I can still out drive a bunch of guys 1/2 my age on the golf course.. 

[GreenPig]

I'm 47, at 38 my neurologist said I had the back of an 85 year old. That means my back is getting dangerously close to 100. I'm not really sure how old I want to get. Thankfully I can still fish a bit. My wife has orders to put me down when I can no longer fish.

[steve carpenter]

It is not like they show in the brochures

[Columbia Craw]

It’s a fair trade off for the 10 percent Monday senior discount at Dunkin Donuts.

[Bankbeater]

When I was around 10 I came inside and my arms and legs were red and swollen.  Allergist said that I had become sensitized to grass.  That was the last year I walked barefoot outside.

[N Florida Mike]

I’m very blessed health-wise for being almost 62.

I just  have lower back pain occasionally, and a mysterious shortness of breath I’ve had for half my life off and on ... Doc said it’s caused by stress, but I’m not really stressed about anything much. 

I’ve been stung or bit by many different creatures but I’m not allergic to anything I know of. 

I did get a little short of breath after being stung by a few yellow jackets a few years ago… That was definitely stressful!?

[DitchPanda]

On 8/9/2022 at 12:10 PM, A-Jay said:

I live 'in the woods' and cover up 'everything' every time I venture out into it.

Includes but may not be limited to most lawn maintenance, cutting wood, and hitting the trail with Tank.  Keens, tall socks, long pants & shirt, hat, gloves & buff.

Besides keeping the bugs off me (ticks & biting flies mostly),

helps reduce contact skin irritations that I'm apparently fairly sensitive to. 

Plenty of plants, shrubberies and itchy & pokey vines here to contend with. 

More in warm weather than cool.

So Summer, I'm a mummy and spring & fall, I can lighten that whole deal up a bit. 

A-Jay

 

 

We want...a Shrubbery! Then when you have found the shrubbery you must cut down the mightiest tree in the forest...wiiiiiith..a herring!

[Captain Phil]

On 8/10/2022 at 5:31 AM, GreenPig said:

I'm 47, at 38 my neurologist said I had the back of an 85 year old. That means my back is getting dangerously close to 100. I'm not really sure how old I want to get. Thankfully I can still fish a bit. My wife has orders to put me down when I can no longer fish.

 

If I may offer a word of advice?  Overall, I have been healthy all my life.   At 75,  I take some blood pressure medicine but I'm rarely sick.  In my fifties, I started having pain in my legs when standing.  I went to an Orthopedic hospital and they gave me an MRI.  They told me I had spinal stenosis that was compressing the nerves in my back.  They also told me to wait to see how it progressed.   In my sixties, I had another MRI as the pain had worsened.  I tried epidural shots, physical therapy and Chiropractors.  At 73, I had major back surgery.  After 18 months, I can fish, drive, walk and do most everything I want to do.   Surgery can fix many issues, it does not restore you to the way you were thirty years ago.  Most people are disappointed to find this out.  If I had not had my surgery I would be in a walker or wheel chair by now and I didn't want to spend the rest of my life like that.  What happens when you have surgery is you trade one pain for another.  You will need to decide which one is worse. 

[Mobasser]

I'll be 65 in October. I've made a real effort to keep my weight in check, eat healthy, don't use any tobacco or drink in excess.              My last checkup went well. We can do our best to live a healthy lifestyle. Still we can have health problems. I consider myself lucky. I attribute my current health to physical activity. I simply refuse to become lazy or non motivated. At some point, I know I'll slow down. Untill that day comes, I'm thankful to be able to be on my feet and breathing strong. Hammer 4 has a good point in this post. " A body at rest, stays at rest. A body in motion, stays in motion". I plan on staying in motion for as long as I can.

[GreenPig]

1 hour ago, Captain Phil said:

 

If I may offer a word of advice?  Overall, I have been healthy all my life.   At 75,  I take some blood pressure medicine but I'm rarely sick.  In my fifties, I started having pain in my legs when standing.  I went to an Orthopedic hospital and they gave me an MRI.  They told me I had spinal stenosis that was compressing the nerves in my back.  They also told me to wait to see how it progressed.   In my sixties, I had another MRI as the pain had worsened.  I tried epidural shots, physical therapy and Chiropractors.  At 73, I had major back surgery.  After 18 months, I can fish, drive, walk and do most everything I want to do.   Surgery can fix many issues, it does not restore you to the way you were thirty years ago.  Most people are disappointed to find this out.  If I had not had my surgery I would be in a walker or wheel chair by now and I didn't want to spend the rest of my life like that.  What happens when you have surgery is you trade one pain for another.  You will need to decide which one is worse. 

Thanks Captain. I actually had a fusion at 39 and it helped with in allowing me to stand for more than 10 minutes but pain wise there's was no change.