What Have You Lost The Ability To Do Now You're Older ?

I've had trouble with my knees since I was in my 30's so age has nothing to do with it. I was in a bad car accident when I was 18 and my legs got banged up pretty badly. I wound up with two torn meniscuses that frankly used to cause me more trouble when I was younger than they do now but I rarely kneel on them. I have glaucoma so about 15 years ago after my first surgery and the issues that came with it caused me to stop driving for the most part. I still wouldn't be able to drive at night because headlights just take over my line of vision plus I have bad night vision anyway. I can't think of anything else I can't do.
 

I've gotten so used to my middle-of-the-night insomnia that it just seems a normal part of the night by now. That's when I get the crossword puzzle done, plus some reading. It's kind of nice not to fight the problem, just incorporate it into my life.

I once went to a lecture by a sleep doctor who said that in the old days, people used to refer to "first sleep" and "second sleep." It was totally normal and expected to wake up in the middle of the night. People used to get work done then. It was probably the industrial age that put a stop to that leisurely pattern of sleep.

The "second sleep" part of the night is when I get most of my dreaming done, and have the most restful (REM) sleep.
 
peramangkelder said:
I used to be able to sit on the floor and cross my heels behind my neck....why anyone would want to do this I have no idea 😜
Oh and I could stand on my head but again why anyone would willingly want to do this I don't know 🤪
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Only upper-crust people do such things, and of course it's in one's breeding. ;) 😊
 

Treacle said:
Not able to lift or carry as much as I did but I will try and can be very determined, hence the aches and pains the following day. :giggle:
Don't drive as much now as I've lost confidence and night driving is a no no although I do have a pair of night driving glasses that dim the headlights from oncoming cars. (They are yellow tinted).
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i have trouble with the night driving too.
 
Butterfly said:
I can't kneel without considerable pain in my knees. The arthritis in my hands affect my ability to do things like get lids off bottles and jars, and I can't really hold a needle well enough to sew by hand any more.
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you sound like me Butterfly.. I have OA in my fingers in both hands , started about 5 years ago, and can be very painful at times particularly in the winter, and of course like you I've lost my grip because of it
 
DaveA said:
Wouldn't expect everyone to post their ages but my experience was that, at 60 the decline in ability was quite gradual, even through my early 70's. Still able to walk well for fairly long distances, use the chainsaw without trepidation, etc. From my mid 70's 'til now (pushing 87) the decline has become quite rapid. I hardly want to pick up the chainsaw, even if it's not running. Afraid I'll lose my balance and fall on the "teeth". 😦

Although driving on local streets and expressways doesn't bother me, I don't have the vision for night driving. And walking without my cane is a challenge even on level ground. I can't believe the difference 10-15 years make after you pass into your mid 70's. I wasn't prepared for it and thought that I'd be in reasonably good shape "forever". Guess I was wrong, at least in my case.
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Reading your post reminded me of early labor with my first child. I went to my OB's office to be checked and the doc sent me to the hospital. As I left the office, the nurse I was friendliest with asked how it was going. I shrugged and said it really wasn't too bad. She gave a small laugh and said, "Yeah. That's what I thought with my first, too. Just wait."

Seven hours later I was no longer cocky about how easily I would breeze through this experience. Five hours after that I was pretty sure the pain was going to kill me.

Dave, your insider information is invaluable. I'm in my late 60s and was blessed with a relatively easy life regarding physical labor, good genes, good health and parents who encouraged good nutrition habits. So far I haven't yet noticed many aches and pains or decline in abilities, but I know that if I live long enough those declines are surely a-comin' my way. No smugness here.

Thanks for the head's up.
 
hollydolly said:
you sound like me Butterfly.. I have OA in my fingers in both hands , started about 5 years ago, and can be very painful at times particularly in the winter, and of course like you I've lost my grip because of it
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Same here. Can't make a full fist with my left hand. Not all of my fingers are affected yet, but it's bad enough that I had to stop crocheting. Winter is worse for me, too.
 
At 75 , I'm fortunate to able to do most physical things ( golf, lawn mowing, edging, tree trimming, etc.) but with more breaks and at a slower pace. I try to stay away from climbing ladders though. Cataract surgery a year ago brought vision back to where it should be so reading and model railroad building remain to be strong interests.
 
My ex F-I-L, lives near me and only this last year has he had to have help with his garden... he's 98 years old, and very upright .. he's losing his sight now, but he can still manage to do things like put his own wheelie bin out for collection, and cook , although he gets a little help to change beds, and shopping, until 5 years ago he was still driving a Moped type scooter ... (y)
 
hollydolly said:
I can no longer stand on my head.. or do a cartwheel
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I never could do those, or even a summersault
Anything involving putting my head upside down got me all discombobulated

.....and now.....at 71....well.......going down is an adventure
I got one bad knee
The other one, worse
I generally look for something to pull up with, like a chair, or wheelbarrow, or a small child

I got one good eye
One good ear
It's good we came with two

I no longer run
Come to think about it, I never ran

Let's see......I still hike, but consider calling a cab when turning back

Driving long distance, the right cheek of my hind end tends to go to sleep

Chopping wood requires stopping ever so often to hang from a stout limb and unkink my lower back

Guess I can still do most everything I could when younger

Jus' takes some thought.....and time....more time
 
I have had both my knees replaced. I have found that on the few occasions that I kneel it helps considerably to use the foam kneeling pad that I bought in the hardware store.
 
hollydolly said:
you sound like me Butterfly.. I have OA in my fingers in both hands , started about 5 years ago, and can be very painful at times particularly in the winter, and of course like you I've lost my grip because of it
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Sometimes I feel like I am trying to do everything with an oven mitt on. It is so frustrating, especially when dealing with so-called child proof caps on things.

Do some of your fingers ever feel like they get "stuck" and you have to unbend them with the other hand? My hands are not too painful most of the time, but they look awful.
 
Gary O' said:
I never could do those, or even a summersault
Anything involving putting my head upside down got me all discombobulated

.....and now.....at 71....well.......going down is an adventure
I got one bad knee
The other one, worse
I generally look for something to pull up with, like a chair, or wheelbarrow, or a small child

I got one good eye
One good ear
It's good we came with two

I no longer run
Come to think about it, I never ran

Let's see......I still hike, but consider calling a cab when turning back

Driving long distance, the right cheek of my hind end tends to go to sleep

Chopping wood requires stopping ever so often to hang from a stout limb and unkink my lower back

Guess I can still do most everything I could when younger

Jus' takes some thought.....and time....more time
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Been a long time since heard "discombobulated." It's a great word -- my dad used it all the time.
 
Butterfly said:
Sometimes I feel like I am trying to do everything with an oven mitt on. It is so frustrating, especially when dealing with so-called child proof caps on things.

Do some of your fingers ever feel like they get "stuck" and you have to unbend them with the other hand? My hands are not too painful most of the time, but they look awful.
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Yes I have to do that sometimes... not often but particularly in the winter or when it's raining they start to curl in a little bit towards my palm . My hands can be very painful when the bone spurts are growing.. but otherwise not too, too painful, ( although If anyone squeezes my hands it's painful, so I try not to shake hands with anyone) just as you say..FUGLY !!!... My o/h tries to calm me by saying no-one notices ( I have 3 fingers on one hand and 2 on the other affected) .

When it first started showing about 3 or 4 years ago, and was very painful, the doctor explained while stroking my hands quote'' Oh,dear, it's Osteoarthritis.. it will get a lot worse, and it will look very ugly, but at least it won't be painful'' ( I was in agony with it at the time)... and then he squeezed my hand as in a handshake, I nearly fell to the floor with the pain ! WTH!!:eek:..fortunately that initial pain has abated somewhat

I agree about the childproof caps, I wish they would make some without safety caps.. fortunately I have my O/h to open really stubborn tops, or I use a rubber glove, but it's frustrating , and I'm dreading them getting worse...yours sound worse than mine TBH ...

I use these to exercise my hands, there's 3 balls and they're all different strengths

 
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@hollydolly and @Butterfly: I'm in the same boat. Sometimes very painful but usually not so bad. During flare ups I use finger sleeves for mild compression which helps with the swelling and pain. Via trial and error I realized that wrapping my knuckles slightly snugly with Band-Aids eased the pain and swelling during flare-ups. I looked around in the drug store for a better solution and discovered finger sleeves.

When it feels like heat will help, I sometimes wrap them in a towel and warm them up in the microwave for a few seconds.

These are inexpensive - a pack of 12 for $3.00. Since they're fabric, they're reusable and last a long time. They bring me some relief, perhaps they'll help you, too.

Finger sleeves.JPG
 
StarSong said:
@hollydolly and @Butterfly: I'm in the same boat. Sometimes very painful but usually not so bad. During flare ups I use finger sleeves for mild compression which helps with the swelling and pain. Via trial and error I realized that wrapping my knuckles slightly snugly with Band-Aids eased the pain and swelling during flare-ups. I looked around in the drug store for a better solution and discovered finger sleeves.

When it feels like heat will help, I sometimes wrap them in a towel and warm them up in the microwave for a few seconds.

These are inexpensive - a pack of 12 for $3.00. Since they're fabric, they're reusable and last a long time. They bring me some relief, perhaps they'll help you, too.

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Excellent suggestion , I'll go look for those now SS...,thanks muchly , sorry you're a sufferer too
 
hollydolly said:
Hope you don't mind me asking, but what do you mean by that exactly pepper?.:unsure:. do you mean you would no longer get into a physical fight, or you've lost the will to verbally battle ..or do you mean you've lost your own courage to bear things personally ?
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I meant I can no longer depend on myself physically to do what I want to do. Being this way has led to a lack of mental courage.
 
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