Taking care in your health in your senior years...
By bigal3
@bigal3 (1231)
Thailand
May 17, 2010 6:21am CST
How many of you "MyLoters" out there are "SENIOR" citizens? When I was a youngster in my teens up through my mid thirties I thought my body was indistructable. I was very active in all kinds of sports and activities. Then one day,(on my 40th birthday), I received a rude awakening when a friend who was at my party called me "OLD MAN" That's when it dawned on me. I am actually,really getting up there in age. No problem I just laughed it off and continued business as usual.
Along came the 50's and though I had slowed a bit I still was in fairly good shape. Just had a few aches and pains I thought were from old sports injuries. Toward the end of my 50's the pains became sharper and the stiffness more pronounced.
Well I moved to Asia and the first few years I was ok. After awhile the pain got worse and I went to a doctor who told me I had "RHUEMATOID ARTHRITIS" in "ALL" my joints. The point I am making is this, had I taken better care of my body when I was young I might not have the problems I have now.
Too often when we are young we do not think about what might be down the road. If you have a health problem such as aches and pains when you are young from sports be sure to take care of them right away. I did not and now I have to deal with it.
Are any of you in the same boat?
1 person likes this
9 responses
@mysdianait (66009)
• Italy
17 May 10
I am not yet a senior sitizen but I'm not far off and Iknow that I am going to havw problems later on 
Smoking will make several problems I'm certain. It will be hard to run up the stairs and I guess that just an ordinary cold will turn into something much worse each winter too. I eat more or less correctly but I have never been a sprty person and that is going to causee problems soon too.
Just as long as I can still see, hear and use my hands and fingers, I should be able to get through the days without being too much of a problem I hope.
Smoking will make several problems I'm certain. It will be hard to run up the stairs and I guess that just an ordinary cold will turn into something much worse each winter too. I eat more or less correctly but I have never been a sprty person and that is going to causee problems soon too.
Just as long as I can still see, hear and use my hands and fingers, I should be able to get through the days without being too much of a problem I hope.
I guess that's better than sending it through a PM 
@mysdianait (66009)
• Italy
19 May 10
PM = Private Messages.
We can communicate with any Lotters who are on our friend list by using the PM system here. Those messages remain private between the users involved. They do not earn for us.
@peavey (16936)
• United States
17 May 10
Yep... not with rheumatoid arthritis, but other things that I could have prevented or minimized. I'm in my mid-sixties and still have a lot of living to do, if my body allows it. My biggest problem was a lack of exercise over the last two decades. I believe that caused a serious decline in my health. I am doing what I can now, but may never fully recover from that. It's so much harder when you're older.
Young folks, listen up. We know what we're talking about. Take care of your bodies while you can!
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
18 May 10
and lose weight if you are really overweight while you are still without symptoms of diabetes as overweight is one of the big causes of diabetes type two. Our pancreases are working still but not enough as the fat cells are slowing down the whole process of getting sugar into the muscle cells and insulin is not helping enough because of the fat cells. so a lot of sugar now floats freely and does all sorts of bad things to ones body if not stopped with insulin and medications for diabetics.
@bigal3 (1231)
• Thailand
19 May 10
I am lucky in that respect. I have a metabolism that works overtime. I am not little (5'8"). Nor am I big boned. I weigh about 49 kilos. For me that is fine.
I can remember when I was a young man in Navy bootcamp I went up to 140 pounds. That was the heaviest I have ever been. Although I was excercising everyday I still felt bulky and it really was not all it's made out to be. Being muscular I mean.
As for eating sugar; I have to due to "HYPO-GLYCEMIA", or low blood sugar. I have to have it,sugar I mean . The key is the kind of sugar you intake. I eat a lot of fruits and veggies which contain the "RIGHT" kind of sugar.
Thank you for your comments. They were "right on".
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
18 May 10
hi bigal3 oh yes indeed if I had only been smarter at thirty five and forty I would not now be overweight and a diabetic with a bad leg
and having to fight high and low blood sugar. I did not realize just mho much harm being overweight can do in regards to blood sugar. A lot of fat
causes the muscles cells to refuse to open to let in the glucose they need to thrive so the sugar is left free in the blood to do harm to almost any organ in your body. insulin is made but not enough to conquer the damage the fat has caused so you are now diabetic and will be so for the rest of your life. but at least we now have many ways of controlling our blood sugar so we can still lead happy and productive lives. but much could have been prevented had I known more at a much earlier age.I am very much a senior citizen at age 83.
@bigal3 (1231)
• Thailand
19 May 10
I know what you mean. Why do we humans always learn after the fact? Now that you know what the situation is it sounds like you have taken steps to correct the problem. Just believe it is never too late. Take comfort in knowing better and continue from there.
It sounds like you have done just that."GOOD FOR YOU"! As the saying goes,"NO SENSE CRYING OVER ALREADY SWALLOWED GOODIES". (I just made that up.) Well you know what I mean. Take care.
@creative_genius (992)
•
17 May 10
A good diet and yoga can do a lot to mend damage done when younger. I myself discovered this though I am still fairly young. I think it's all about how you think about things. My mum is in her fifties and seems fitter than people half her age, because she still thinks like a young person. Injuries need to be looked after, though fortunately I've not had any problems in that area.
@bigal3 (1231)
• Thailand
19 May 10
I am fortunate to be living in a country where the people are very respectful of their elders. I have really been lucky in that where I live the landlady is also a masusse. (sp?) I also occasionally go swimming and helps alot. I've been also lucky to have neighbors who also kind of look after me since I am the oldest person in the complex. Love that Thai culture. My next door neighbor is from England and has lived here for a long time and knows the city I live in very well He has introduced me to his doctor who is Thai and a specialist in my problem. The guy is really outstanding. To me better than the doctors I have come accross in the states. After my first visit to him I felt 50% better before that day was over. the meds he gave me were amazing. Now I am under his care and I am almost back to normal actvity.
I really have to be careful over here. I could really get spoiled to the great attention I get. It's not like that in the states. By-the-way did I menton it is at least half the cost of what I would have to pay in America and that REALLY makes me feel better.
@bunnybon7 (50973)
• Holiday, Florida
27 Jun 10
yep, got rhuematoid arthritis, COPD, and stomache problems. pretty much all is falling apart
from smoking, staying up late, and sometimes just over doing everything. 
but yes, ive had fun. ive done almost everything there is to do that i wanted to. 
@mario_stevens (6971)
• Malaysia
25 May 10
hiya bigal!
i'm not that senior yet in age, but i do understand what you're saying 
i've been advised to really start taking my own health seriously from now. i can't party as hard as i used too. i can't run as far as i could. i can't fornicate as much as i want to anymore....oops, did i say fornicate?
hehe..
you do have a point regarding the sports bit. i was quite active back in my school & college days, and i almost always sprained my left ankle. only through the nagging of my friends & mother at that time did i pay attention to getting it healed properly. now i'm seeing some of my ex-schoolmates who were as active as i was, starting to develop numerous problems with their joints. and they're still in their early 30s! 
well, just goes to show that we got to take care of ourselves and take our health seriously right? :)
i've been advised to really start taking my own health seriously from now. i can't party as hard as i used too. i can't run as far as i could. i can't fornicate as much as i want to anymore....oops, did i say fornicate? hehe..
you do have a point regarding the sports bit. i was quite active back in my school & college days, and i almost always sprained my left ankle. only through the nagging of my friends & mother at that time did i pay attention to getting it healed properly. now i'm seeing some of my ex-schoolmates who were as active as i was, starting to develop numerous problems with their joints. and they're still in their early 30s!
well, just goes to show that we got to take care of ourselves and take our health seriously right? :)
@Pose123 (21635)
• Canada
17 May 10
Hi bigal, I guess I'm one of the fortunate people in that way, at age 70 I am still in good health. I need to lose a few pounds but I have no arthritis. I have a brother who is 75 and is taking medication for rhuematoid arthritis which is working well for him. It's very true that young people rarely think about what may happen down the road. I've warned people to watch their weight because I've found it's much more difficult to shed the pounds when we get older. Blessings.
@umabharti (3972)
• India
18 May 10
hi,Yes you were right ,if we take a little care where we are young it can stop us from getting a bigger on in the future.However who takes this in to consideration,unless the point reaches to its high no one cares.Very rare are to be said in the category who care for themselves .
@oldchem1 (8132)
•
18 May 10
As we get older, we're more likely to develop conditions that are rare in younger people.
But I certainly don't think that just because we are in your 60s, all our cards have been dealt when it comes to health. We can make changes even now that can significantly improve our health and, in some cases, reverse the damage that has been done in our younger years.
I think that one of the biggest mistakes that people make is thinking it is "too late" for them. Simple things like getting our weight under control, eating lots of fruits and vegetables, exersing at least 2.5 hours a week and not smoking will improve our health and standard of life at any age
I think that one of the biggest mistakes that people make is thinking it is "too late" for them. Simple things like getting our weight under control, eating lots of fruits and vegetables, exersing at least 2.5 hours a week and not smoking will improve our health and standard of life at any age