kenv
Trail Wise!
Posts: 974
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Post by kenv on Dec 22, 2016 11:05:23 GMT -8
That's the only acceptable attitude. Good for you, Roger. Agreed and might I add that such an attitude is almost certainly part of living an "authentic life" and opposite to just accepting and "being true" to who we are.
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Westy
Trail Wise!
Diagnosed w/Post-Trail Transition Syndrome
Posts: 1,960
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Post by Westy on Dec 22, 2016 11:12:26 GMT -8
New EEU's (Eyeball Enhancement Units) From Left to Right: - Color Coded Classic Swiss Army Knife -Easier to find
- Folding Pocket Magnifier - For reading contour lines and map details at night in the tent
- Old Glory version (easy to find in tent) lightweight micro vison folding glasses for all-round backcountry reading use
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mk
Trail Wise!
North Texas
Posts: 1,217
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Post by mk on Dec 22, 2016 15:25:12 GMT -8
people who have real problems to put this in perspective and remind me to be thankful for all I do have. Yours is a real problem, too. So mourn the loss of your youth and good health and then you'll be ready to face the upcoming challenges. (that's what I'm attempting, anyway!)Best of luck to you -- I hope you can get this resolved with some good results. Loss of vision is a scary proposition.
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Post by autumnmist on Dec 22, 2016 16:14:48 GMT -8
Getting old does suck, but not being alive to get old sucks even more.
My hopes for success go out to all who've had problems, whether with vision, joints or other medical issues. Not getting competent medical treatment is really disappointing, challenging and unsettling. I hope your next visits are with qualified medical people and are more successful.
I also hope all of us, including me, are able tot take away from this thread the fortitude we need to keep going and overcome the trials and tribulations of getting old. If I'm able, I keep reminding myself I'm entering a more challenging time of my life - just staying injury free! Hopefully I can get enough perspective that I can turn the problems into challenges, and then into success in adapting to the new limitations.
I too have found that I injure more easily, don't recover as quickly, and have to make a lot of changes. If we have a blustery January, I'll be spending time moving things around so that I can access them more easily w/o back strain, which has been plaguing me since July. I'm getting a lot of use out of my herbal heating pad.
My father is 98; I know now I don't ever want to live to be that old. It's almost traumatic to see the changes began to happen more quickly now.
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Post by hikinggods on Dec 22, 2016 20:32:43 GMT -8
Yes-- NOT living to see old age sucks worse! In one year I have transitioned, at 57, from being blessedly free of the usual age related annoyances, and enjoying a life of near perfect health, to a diagnosis of advanced stage cancer. I'm pretty determined, but will have to really beat the odds to even survive to old age.
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daveg
Trail Wise!
Michigan
Posts: 565
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Post by daveg on Dec 22, 2016 20:39:49 GMT -8
Rant on! It sure sounds like it's justifiable. It's also an inalienable right of aging. The older we get, the more we get to talk about our physical impairments and health problems.
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RedDoug
Trail Wise!
Trail active, stand back.....
Posts: 634
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Post by RedDoug on Dec 22, 2016 21:40:55 GMT -8
This is the kind of talk you hear from old people. I play pickle ball with them most mornings. I hear about Aches and pains from head to toe and all the joints in between. Being 68 in 8 days I could add to this discussion, but I won't. This is what old people do.
My advice, eat more carrots. Or whatever.
Now, I am not beyond the age of extending sympathy to those in need of it. I just don't want to spend what amounts of it I have left too quickly. I do have some for those with eye problems. Serious eye problems trump knee pain any day and you can't fix eyes with a shot of cortisone like you can knees and shoulders.
On the yahoo GreatLakeHikers group there was one poster (lives in Michigan around Ann Arbor) who was almost totally blind and backpacked all the time. Amazing character.
And those of us who remember Mata Hari Hiker, and JimmyC and a few others with medical problems......
See this post pulled me.
I need to find out if water left in a metal resupply box on the Florence-Kelvin Hwy in January will freeze. I am going to do 95 miles on the AZT in 4 weeks and I have questions that need answering. The backpack trip is sort of a birthday present to myself for getting to 68 after the 50/50 chance expired. Just had to toss that 50/50 chance in there.
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rebeccad
Trail Wise!
Writing like a maniac
Posts: 12,693
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Post by rebeccad on Dec 22, 2016 21:56:51 GMT -8
Yes-- NOT living to see old age sucks worse! In one year I have transitioned, at 57, from being blessedly free of the usual age related annoyances, and enjoying a life of near perfect health, to a diagnosis of advanced stage cancer. I'm pretty determined, but will have to really beat the odds to even survive to old age. And that really sucks. I am crossing fingers and toes that you will be able to kick the big C into orbit.
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rebeccad
Trail Wise!
Writing like a maniac
Posts: 12,693
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Post by rebeccad on Dec 22, 2016 21:58:37 GMT -8
My father is 98; I know now I don't ever want to live to be that old. It's almost traumatic to see the changes began to happen more quickly now. My grandmother used to say that getting old was no fun, but it beat the alternative. Until, finally, it didn't. My mom's older sister died last spring at 95; her decline at the end was eye-opening, and in the end I think she just decided enough was enough.
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Post by trinity on Dec 23, 2016 5:23:12 GMT -8
Wow, hikinggods , I'm really sorry to hear that. I'll be keeping you in my prayers.
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toejam
Trail Wise!
Hiking to raise awareness
Posts: 1,795
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Post by toejam on Dec 23, 2016 5:57:20 GMT -8
Wow, hikinggods , I'm really sorry to hear that. I'll be keeping you in my prayers. Ditto. Hope you have lots more hikes with us mortals before hiking with the gods.
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Post by autumnmist on Dec 23, 2016 6:46:14 GMT -8
RedDoug, I understand your points, and respect them. I used to feel that way too, and still try too, but sometimes a change in physical health changes your life so much that it's an uphill battle to overcome the restrictions. Cancer can be that kind of a change. So can a leg or hip fracture. And the physical limitations that often accompany old age create significant changes themselves. When you can no longer maintain your own house and yard and have to start hiring out services, it's the beginning of a paradigm shift, not only b/c you can't do them but if you're retired and relying only on SS, it's another dip into an already limited financial resource. rebeccad, this is a phenomenon I've seen as well. My father has said he intended to live to be 100; now when almost anything can require an EMT escort to the hospital and a month or so of rehab, he's not so sure he wants to live that long. And the caregivers are often the first to see how age changes and compromises their parent or older relative, and they begin to change their own perspective on longevity.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Dec 23, 2016 14:08:03 GMT -8
I need to get out and do something for people who have real problems to put this in perspective and remind me to be thankful for all I do have. This....or just get out and enjoy what's left. I love your attitude. Never quit....perspective is everything...focus. Same for you Roger... I hope I am up to the challenge of aging. I've followed your posts for years.....your up for it....there's no doubt in my mind.... Jer's lead the way.....new knee and off to the slopes....you've got to love his grit.... Mary Burger won the PRCA barrel racing championship in Vegas this year....she's 67....smoked the youngsters....with almost twice the points of her nearest competitor. No sir...you fellow's aren't done yet....
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Post by hikinggods on Dec 23, 2016 20:30:24 GMT -8
Thanks, Rebecca, Trinity! After a few hellish months, I am feeling remarkably like my old self again, and planning my next BP trip for March.
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Post by hikinggods on Dec 23, 2016 20:31:45 GMT -8
Woops! And Toejam. I think I have MANY more trail miles in me!
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