50+ Old Man Thread

I have 158 days. Then I will accept my fate.
157 days now, but who's counting
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One thing I've noticed, it takes longer for aches and pains to go away

It also takes longer for a hangover to go away...a lot longer. So now I try avoiding them. Hey, maybe that's just me maturing 😁
 
I was at a soccer game last Saturday night and we had a beer with dinner. 1 beer gave me a headache and even though I bought a beer at the stadium, I never drank it. This is old age in it's worst rendition.
 
Beer and wine put me to sleep... 2 beers, or a half carafe of red wine, and I'm done. Thankfully no headache as long as I keep it to a Porter or Stout, and red wine. If I'm awake a half hour after I get home from dining out, it's a miracle. I don't drink often, it's just a the right choice for me. Type 2 and reflux keep me from having a glass or two of wine with dinner every night, but I can live with the trade off.
 
I'm 66 and just had my enlarged prostate reduced. It was 85% enlarged and they removed the majority of that with a water jet type probe. The problem it was causing me was not being able to pee in the middle of the night. The urge to pee was there but I would stand there for 15 minutes before being able to go.

Now I pee like a race horse even though I still get up at 4am to pee.

The worst part of the operation was having to wear a catheter for 4 days post op. If you've never worn a catheter, you don't want to.
 
Dam, that's fantastic John. It was very bad years ago. Very close to Barrett's euphonous, with a hiatal hernia. Different meds for day and night. Now, If I have a minor episode twice a year, that's about it. Generally when I over indulged with food and drink... like the 28 oz porterhouse that put me in the hospital... Funny, but that was the last time Easter was on the 5th, and I wound up in the ER with chest pains that night after coloring Easter eggs... I dam near did have a heart attack when Cindy came in and told me we signed McNabb...
 
So what's better in your lives?
 
So what's better in your lives?
Very little stress. My health is a hundred times better at 65 then at 50. Slow mornings, and no rush to get most anything done. But like I said earlier, it's more retirement that made the difference then age. I took my health far more seriously starting about 5 years ago while still working full time, so it's the leisure time that's been the major change. I started young... family owned shop after school and vacations from about 12 years old, worked 2 jobs through high school, and full time until mid 2024, when I went to part time. Retired 1/1/25. After all the Injuries, 10 out of 14 surgeries over the years to keep me on the job, and wear and tare from repetitive motion, R&R is just what the doctor ordered.... I have it pretty good now. Thankfully I'm not a horse, I'd be glue by now
 
I know this is an overused term but it is so true...

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It sure feels great to be retired.

No longer getting up early, dragging myself into the shower and then driving to work every day.

No more dealing with frustrating incompetence above or below me.

No more dealing with the public and fighting to be politically correct with everything.
 
Been noticing this more often as I get older:
I think of something I need to get in the basement, or the garage, or maybe in another part of the house. When to get to the basement, garage or wherever, I have no idea what I was there to get or do.
 
Been noticing this more often as I get older:
I think of something I need to get in the basement, or the garage, or maybe in another part of the house. When to get to the basement, garage or wherever, I have no idea what I was there to get or do.
I’ve had that problem my entire life. I’ll go somewhere, get there and say. “Why did I come here again?”
 
I’ve had that problem my entire life. I’ll go somewhere, get there and say. “Why did I come here again?”
I got it! I will start playing something on the guitar and then all of a sudden I find myself wondering all over the place.

I will start out focusing on John Mayer songs and then all of a sudden that leads me to BB King and then that leads me to Howlin' Wolf and then that leads me to Muddy Waters and then I'm back into Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan, than I am back into John Mayer. ..It's a wonderful circle

"And I may ask myself, Well, how did I get here? Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down"
 
I’ve had that problem my entire life. I’ll go somewhere, get there and say. “Why did I come here again?”
Walking through a doorway often causes you to forget your goal, a phenomenon known as the doorway effect, where the brain clears temporary, episodic memories (like "I need scissors") upon entering a new environment to focus on new sensory input. It acts as a mental boundary that triggers a "fresh slate" for the brain.
  • The Cause: It is believed that entering a new room signifies a change in context, prompting the brain to archive the previous, now irrelevant, information.
  • Survival Mechanism: This cognitive trait likely developed to help humans quickly analyze new spaces for potential threats.
  • The "Reset": If you forget what you were doing, returning to the original room can often trigger the memory of what you were looking for.
 
Walking through a doorway often causes you to forget your goal, a phenomenon known as the doorway effect, where the brain clears temporary, episodic memories (like "I need scissors") upon entering a new environment to focus on new sensory input. It acts as a mental boundary that triggers a "fresh slate" for the brain.
  • The Cause: It is believed that entering a new room signifies a change in context, prompting the brain to archive the previous, now irrelevant, information.
  • Survival Mechanism: This cognitive trait likely developed to help humans quickly analyze new spaces for potential threats.
  • The "Reset": If you forget what you were doing, returning to the original room can often trigger the memory of what you were looking for.
Or too much peyote?
 
Turning 56 in eight days. My back is out almost all the time now. Last year it went out and two weeks later the pain spread down to my leg and I spent my nights sitting in a chair not sleeping for two months. Two shots in the back and several med cocktails later I was able to endure PT long enough for the pain to subside, but it comes back a lot. Today I'm on the heating pad again.

My parents are still alive. They are 81 and 90. I visit them all the time and savor the moments. They are both in pretty good shape at the moment but I know my time with them is running short. It fucking hurts.

My kids are all adults now. My oldest is on the spectrum and will probably live with us for the rest of his life. I'm terrified about what will happen to him when my wife and I die. It simply can't happen. My middle child moved several states away and just got an entry-level job at a big company. She's killing it and I smile every time I think about her. I miss her a lot. My youngest is a sophomore in college. He's always been more of an athlete than a scholar but he's figuring it out. I'm very proud. Plus, he's the big Commanders fan and keeps me interested in the team, if even peripherally.

Life is ... what it is. It's exhausting and I feel like I'm in the eye of the storm right now. I don't see it getting easier any time soon.
 
Today I'm on the heating pad again.

As someone who has dealt with this for a very long time off and on…I offer this advice- the picture below is a position that really helps a lot. (Sitting is the absolute worst thing for the lower back and exasperates the situation) Though the photo is the best I could come up with in short-order it’s not perfect…the lower legs should be parallel with the ground, not ankles above knees. You can still use the heating pad as needed.

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