Oldmanoblems
I don't feel old.
Ok fuck it, I might as well be honest; sometimes I feel old.
I'm fit and generally healthy - it takes effort - but not quite as fit and healthy as I was in my mid 20's to mid 30's. Time weighs on a person I guess and what we do with our bodies, the demands we make on them in our younger years, take a toll and I definitely asked a lot of mine. I've needed operations to rectify damage and injuries and have had to curb enthusiasm for some of the more demanding physical actions that in my younger days I'd have simply done without question.
I'm ok with it because I'm still rockin' it...just a little differently...more passively and with more care for things that I know could occur should I push too far.
Oldmanoblems
Last Saturday I met a friend for coffee in the early morning. It was a struggle as I've been suffering with the flu (knocked me around a bit) but I got up early and we caught up.
We were supposed to play squash but I wasn't up to it so we chatted about the old days and all those stories people who have done things that most never have the chance to do tend to have. It was enjoyable but we ended up moving on to the fact that those things are firmly in the past - certainly in the ways and intensity in which we used to do them. Sad? Nah, not really because we lived well, attacked life with our full effort, and have no, or few, regrets.
But...then we started talking about oldmanoblems.
As humans age physical and mental ability diminishes; people experience it in greater and lesser degrees, sooner or later in life and in many different ways but what's common is that should one happen to live long enough the mind and body will degrade. It's not just a man thing either of course.
In the animal kingdom, the weak, infirm and elderly who cannot keep up fall and either die of starvation or are are prey for other animals. Humans were the same I guess, but not anymore, they're cared for. Either way, problems happen and we have to deal with them. So, my mate was talking about his oldmanoblems.
He's a few years older than I am and his biggest oldmanoblem is his enlarging prostate gland which he was whining about like a little bitch; poor fucker. Add in failing eyesight requiring laser treatment, arthritis in his hands and fingers and a knee issue that has never been good since he blew it out on a deployment plus his slowing mind...the last is in his opinion only, not diagnosed. He's a tough guy though and pushes on despite these problems.
These and other things are so typical for many and for most men well, it's a scientific fact that the prostate will enlarge over time and possibly cause issues, and then there's prostate cancer as well - kills about 3700 Australians men every year. Fuck!
I don't like talking about oldmanoblems, it cuts too close to the bone considering my age of 154 years old; but I think it's important to share the burden of dealing with them because failing to do so can give rise to other issues, mental health issues, and that's especially so for men who tend not to open up about things as readily. I listened to my mate talk, discussed some of my own concerns like the reality of being a type-1 diabetic, something that went completely undiagnosed for many years and cut 10-15 years off my projected life expectancy, and how I've dealt with it. It was a good talk.
We're both go-getters, we don't sit back and wait for things to fall on silver platters held out in expectant hands; we work hard, earn what we have and that means our health (lives) as well. It's not easy but we only have one life so figure it deserves some effort. That doesn't mean bad things, issues and problems, won't arise, just that we're more able to deal with them or the ramifications of them when they do. Hopefully.
I know so many people who feel more comfortable sweeping issues under the rug, out of sight out of mind, but that's not the best way to go with one's health, physical or mental, in my opinion.
What do you think? Do you prefer to ignore health issues altogether or do you stand up and face them? Do you open up and talk about your issues to help process them and work towards planning for and around them? Are you careless towards your own or other people's issues or do you apply empathy and care, attention and importance to them?
If you'd like to comment then go ahead, if you don't care to comment then don't waste your time.
Note: Oldmanoblems, was not formerly a word until I made it up for the purpose of this post. Now it's a word.
Design and create your ideal life, tomorrow isn't promised - galenkp
[Original and AI free]
Image(s) in this post are my own
I think "Oldmanoblems" can catch on as a term seeing how universal all these problems are. A few years ago my older friends complained about shoulder problems and tendons out of place. I couldn't believe how that could happen and wondered why they didn't just work out more. Ten years later and it's my tendon that gets pulled. I'm got gonna waste anymore time talking about "Oldmanoblems" but just want to make it clear that it will happen. This then created a paradigm shift in how I saw older people. I will be like them in one way or another, old.
I rock it to be honest, it being whatever...life and being me I guess, but it's different. I guess just like when I was a kid doing dumb fucken things that could have gotten me badly hurt...I didn't think ahead until I grew up a bit and realised that common sense brings a measure of caution (or more creative thinking). Now, the fact a lot of my life is behind me I've got experiences and wisdom to help me and it's that which strongly confirms that rockin' it until I no longer can is the best way to go.
So I rock it.
On my new word, imagine seeing it in ten years time in a medical journal! 😂
At 49 I can relate to this stuff even though I am still in pretty good shape myself, but most of the things you talked about except Diabetes and Arthritis are starting to apply to me.
I don't feel old, but I realize that I am and I am facing it...
I think it's important to acknowledge these things, know they're there; it helps to underpin the importance of staying active (body and mind) and working to mitigate the issues that time often brings. I don't mind being my age, am financially secure, have a good girl by my side, everything I need and want and a good future...but getting older sucks I guess, in some ways at least.
I feel old :)
I started feeling that after my second daughter was born. I am told that there is a possibility of getting younger after they leave for college. So I am hopeful!
Haha, yeah you'll start to reverse the effects of time and children once they bugger off!
Long may you reign! (And before long, you'll look 19 again.)
I had pneumonia 13 years ago, spent 2 months in hospital, almost died. Since then I try to take care of my health. I am 49 years old, the last time I took cold pills (antibiotics) was 1.5 years ago. I do only light physical exercise, I walk, preferably where there is clean air and good food.
It sounds like you have a really good handle on how to look after your health as time moves on; it'll make the next year'ls much better for you.
At 49, the best thoughts are that your health will not get worse. It will not improve, it will remain the same. With each new year of life at this age, the statistics are against us.
Indeed.
I wear strong glasses. Have to drink a tablet from high blood pressure. And at times my back hurts a bit. But other than that I still feel good. Not really looking forward to seeing what old age has in store for me...
Me either... but it's still much better than the alternative.
who knows it may not be that bad, right? I am just happy that I am not paralysed and don't have alzheimer's... That would really suck.
You're pretty young aren't you? Still, problems can occur at yoing ages too. I hope you avoid most of those that come later in life.
Young fucker then...I'll be 143 next year. 😉
Man that fucking prostate, I know it well enough... Maybe he is not aware, you could forward him this, if the flow gets too weak, his bladder will weakened over time until it can't recover anymore, if he has enlarge prostate there 2 options, pills (there's 2 types to take, one to control prostate dimensions and one to improve the flow) and go ahead until it works, or go under surgery, it's not a dangerous one but if it makes too much scars you are fucked up... The scar crap happened to me and I had to do 4 surgery in total for that, what a fucking nightmare that was
Type1 diabet is so lame, you are just born with that, there's nothing you can do... I hope you can handle it properly
As for me I noticed things went down the hill after 35ish, then problems start to pop up, I try and sort them by myself if I can and it's not huge problems
Yep, that prostate thing is a fucker for sure...something that can be worked around though, and one not to be ignored. Sounds like you had some strife, that sucks, but at least you had it looked at.
I was not born with type 1 diabetes, it wasn't an issue until I was almost 40. I manage it well though, very well in fact, but it takes a fuck load of work man, constant fucken diligence, ownership, discipline and responsibility.
Getting old is shit...but we all have to face it.
Yeah, I had to change like 3 docs tough, in the end i have become as expert as them or even more on that thing
You have to take pills or injection? It sure gotta take a lot of effort expecially with food, I know people say like "i don't care i take the pill and eat what I want rather than no pill but strict diet" because of lazyness but I don't really like that approach
Type 1 man, injections every time I eat or drink.
Not enjoyable. There (currently) is no oral version of insulin, just Metformin which is taken orally and helps a functioning pancreas produce insulin; if it doesn't then injections are required. Type 2 diabetes is medicated with Metformin usually because the pancreas is still insulin-pelrodicing. It's complicated though, this is just a simplified version.
I saw a few days ago that an Australian group are developing (trying to develop) an oral insulin but because insulin has to go into the blood it's complicated. They start trialling it on humans later this year - I won't do clinical trials though. Fuck that shit.
What a pain in the arse that must be every single time...
I agree, i would skip being used for clinical trials unless I get some illness that's a death sentence, let others risk their health if they want to... But hopefully sooner or later something oral can get done
Type 2 diagnosed in 2019 later in life. Metformin right off the bat prescribed. However, three months later, I developed an awful rash over my entire body. During the entire time, the bathroom was my best friend. Good thing I was retired. Anyway, after a year, I was given a combo along with Glipizide, Glipiride, and any other Glip they could think of before trashing all. Ozempic / Trulicity now. Have lost 50 pounds. A1C fell from 15 to 5.
I'm a happy camper now, but feels like I've aged ten years going through these tumultuous six years.
It's often a horrific and stressful journey and can seem endless at the time but if diligence is applied, hard work and discipline, then the results speak for themselves.
I wasn't on the Glips but have had a strong of other things. Now it's Novorapid for bolus usage (when I eat/drink) and Optinsulin for basal once every 24 hours to maintain non-food sugar levels...my old pancreas just doesn't have the ability to produce insulin and so I have to be my own pancreas. Sucks ass, but no choice if I want to live.
Thanks for sharing.
You are right...no choice if we want to live. Take care and have a nice upcoming weekend. It's the 4th of July weekend here, so hoping the predicted rain comes. I'll keep hope alive because those illegal fireworks are stressful.
Happy 4th July, a big day for y'all, and hopefully you don't get hit by a stray firework! 😉
It was a bittersweet celebration with the catastrophic flooding in another part of the state that claimed the lives of some youth at summer camp.
Not good news at all.
Dude! This is a great post. Us men have to get way better at talking about our issues, especially our health issues. So many older guys have died or become disabled because of totally preventable issues that they ignored or were too shy or scared to see a doctor about. It's a massive problem.
This video of Ryan Reynolds and Rob getting colonoscopies is perfect for exactly that reason, just destigmatizes the whole thing.
I've been doing cardio kickboxing in the mornings and while I'm currently fitter than the younger guys, I'm getting bogged down by tendonitis issues that no one else seems to have to worry about... so that's fun.
Thanks mate. Like you say, we don't open up too much and even what I've said here, I'd not tell many in my real life. Don't know why.
I'm no Ryan Reynolds, but I hoped this post would help someone speak up to someone or just be more aware of what's going on in their lives and be more diligent. You said it well, preventable issues can only be prevented if acknowledged and confronted.
Kickboxing is cool, a whole body thing. Tendonitis...not so cool. Just one of those things we have to face as we age and I don't think any are immune to such issues completely.
Thanks for commenting, much appreciated.
Let me speculate..
You feel the same, mind wise but your body doesn't move as well and you're pestered with persistent aches, not bad ones.., but niggles. But not all the time..
I feel it trying to edge through a small window. Leg wont bend far enough. I have to use my hand to move the damn thing!
Exactly right. It's those little things l, and knowing that they'll get worse, or more will come. I remember not even thinking about what I can't do when I was younger, everything was possible...now...well, you get it.
It depends how lucky you are. I am in touch with some people from school days and they all seem to be faring worse than me. Not smoking and being only the occasional drinker has some say.
Yep, I'm both of those too, non-snoker and an occasional drinking. Like I say in the post, I think I'm going pretty well, but time will have the last say.
Ah, the oldmanoblems... The worst thing about them I think is that they mount up. It it was one thing in isolation you could shrug it off but there are always others.
But still fuck it, still here 😃
Ah Boomy me old mate, you get it but also (like me) fucken rock it like a fucken Titan even despite the occasional wine-opening rib-breakage.
I mean, no worries, broke a fucken rib no biggie, but when that comes with a myriad of other things...well, that's when one has to Titan the fuck up right? 🤔
Oldmanoblems...no good. But, and I say this with all seriousness, we get better with age...all the ladies say so.
You can't argue with the ladies. They know best. 😃😃
I have told my ribs to man up so no more nonsense on that front!
They need to drink a cup of concrete and harden the fuck up, dem ribs of yours.
We are at an advanced stage of negotiations on that front 🤣🤣
Probably want over award rates, and coffee and tea in the office kitchen. These sort of negotiations can spiral out of control, I get it.
I'm glad this word now exists: Oldmanoblems. Now it can be used.
Time passes and things appear either naturally or because at some point we overexert our bodies or don't exert our minds.
Several years ago, I had an injury to my right knee. I took care of it and it healed, but years later I had to make an effort that I shouldn't have made... well, as a woman, I was told that I shouldn't have done that... it caused tendinitis in one of my knees. Now I take good care of it, exercising, walking, and not doing crazy things like I did before.
I hope I can live to be 155 years old!
As you get older more things will happen, or you'll just die; it happens to everyone. Women don't get oldmanoblems though, they get oldladyoblems.
Exactly! The biggest problem with women is that we become crazier!
Yeah, crazy fuckers to start with and then...crazier! 🤣
Here that phrase of yours that says that life cannot be lived by default makes great sense. Youth is the vigorous stage in which we do everything or almost everything we want with our body, but, it is the stage in which we can do it and it is necessary to do it to the maximum.
Either way, the passing of the years will bring problems that come in the calendar package.
As for hiding health problems I don't like to do that because it would be hiding a problem that kills me physically and mentally. For example: talking about my prostate problem allowed me to discover the disease in time and that, as serious as it is, I lead as peaceful a life as possible.
The other problem with this is that sometimes people avoid talking about it, but when the condition worsens, it is too late for any solution.
Happy journey.
Cheers and best regards
It's best to confront health issues because ignoring them won't make them go away as you say, but so many stick their heads in the sand and I guess they wonder why down the track things go worse for them. Idiots.
That's right.
By the way, I forgot to tell you that I could not find the translation of the word that gives title to your publication, but I saw the answer at the end of your publication.
Yeah, I made it up. Sometimes I like to wordmaginate. Meaning I imagine words and make them up.
Also, I made up the word wordmaginate. 😁
Excellent exercise for the brain 🧠
Cheers and best regards.
I know I count as old. Plenty of people younger than me are grandparents, but I'm not yet. I don't think I'm doing too bad though. I started running in my late 40s and I think that has helped and I can outrun a lot of young people at parkrun. I see guys there in their 70s who are still pretty quick.
Ageing is inevitable though. My parents are in their 80s and feeling it, but they still do a lot.
My eyes started getting bad in my early teens, so I've nearly always had glasses. I've got a nerve issue that has affected my right hand, but I still play guitar and drums. I've only really got into playing with bands in the last few years and I love it.
I think people of our generation expect more from their older years and may have taken better care of themselves. I never smoked and I eat okay. Life can still trip you up as there is plenty to go wrong and it's pretty much a lottery. We just have to make the most of what life we have.
You say it well and pretty much I'm the same, healthy and fit, eat well, stay off alcohol a lot, no smoking, loads of sleep...active mind, active body, and so on. So yeah, I'm with you there. I liked what you said about our generation as well.
I think we were more inclined to think forward and into older age where these days it's about instant gratification..we were that was as well, but we balanced it.
You know, here people are drawing on their superannuation (government permit it) well ahead of time for such dumb things...shows a lack of foresight. I thinknits the same with their health, they just don't look down the road and think, maybe what I do now will massively affect what I can do later.
Life is a lottery indeed, well said, but I see little point in adding to that with dumb and unproductive decisions and actions. I attack life man, I'm good at it, because I know I'll die at some stage...I've taken risks for sure, but they were calculated. I got lucky alit I guess too. I think there's a lot to be said for seeing and acknowledging our issues as we can confront them...work on them...and I think men should be better at talking about them.
The young people? Well, they may have to learn the hard way.
I'm not saying we can't enjoy ourselves. I'll have a drink and eat well too. I just want to have a good quality of life for as long as possible.
I just hope that the young people of today can have a good life. There are challenges ahead, but then we lived through the cold war and other threats. My kids seem okay anyway.
I agree, enjoyment and some longevity - it's all a balance.
I was racking my old tired brain wondering when and where we met and talked.
Thought you were describing me there for a moment.
I should probably go get the feature film made of my Colon. It is passed due. I already know I am an asshole. I don't really want to see it in HD. 😳
Yeah right? I guess issues like this are comment to many but no one really comes out and says, hey, I have this problem, and sonutvgoes in priced. I suppose we all have our own lives to worry about, but for men (who usually hold things in) I think there's value in opening up a little.
💯%
I could talk a lot about my oldmanoblems, but after reading all the comments I will rest my case.
Ok, well rested.
I try to talk about my issues because I don't want any of my friends to have to deal with the same thing. My hope is if they do, they can catch it sooner rather than later. My good friend just suffered a mini stroke and stuff like that scares me. You can seem totally healthy and then bam. It's not like you had a feeling but ignored it. I know you probably know all about that because of your brother. It scares the crap out of me. My wife said to me last night as we went to bed, "you need to stay healthy for me" and I said "I'm trying baby".
Yep, I get it for sure. I just feel that sometimes sharing the burden, not whining can be of advantage to the individual and can also help others around them process things and feel like they're being proactive.
Yes, I totally agree with that. Especially since many of us are going through the same or similar things it helps to have that support.
Yep, this is what's behind my group that works with military veterans. I have written about it before. It's not to get them better, to cure them in any way...just to give them a place to talk, company, people who understand and can relate. Men's groups (done correctly) make a big difference to those who really need it, and those who provide the support.
It sounds like a very worthwhile undertaking!
Had my second knee replaced last week. That is both done. At 68 I am happy to work on looking after my health. One day at a time.
That sounds like a good plan, a day at a time...and with new knees I reckon you're good for years to come.
Sometimes I feel 8.... sometimes I feel 80... ha ha... I think I saw that somewhere one time, but it fit me so perfectly.
I have issues! I guess I've just accepted them as part of aging. I am off and on about taking care of myself like I should. Sometimes I get everything caught up, sometimes I let it slide as if when I get up tomorrow they will no longer be necessary. LOL.. Obviously I'm not bragging about that!
My Mom and I had a conversation and a little laugh years ago about all your life you realistically know that one day you will be a goner and you read and hear about accidents, diseases and etc, but nobody at the time seemed to talk about how you start falling apart very slowly.... one piece at a time over many years....each new thing, having to learn how to adapt and make it work in your life as best as possible.
It's a challenge, but you do it because... what else are you going to do?? I'm glad to still be here having to figure it out, but that doesn't make it less annoying.
It's as you say and that's just life I suppose. If only our younger selves could have seen the big picture, made different choices, maybe we'd be better off later but that's not really how it works I suppose...and life would be different then and now if we manipulated it that way. I'm content with most things I did and accept what happens now, those little things you mention, that mount up. I'm not one to feel regrets much at all and I've had a good life.
News flash: Still having a good life.
Did I not reply to this?? Och...just count that among my oldladyoblems. Forgetfulness, confusion, lack of time management....did I mention forgetfulness? Actually, I count as fortunate any person who makes it to the 'oldoblems' stage of life. I may have aches and pains, but I earned every one of them.
I like your penchant for making up your own words. Maybe they deserve their own chapter in your book!
No worries, we all miss a comment here and there. Wordmissiosity they call it in the trade.
I like making up words, I mean there's not always the right one so creating one is the only option sometimes.
Hello galenkp!
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STOPor to resume write a wordSTARTThat reminds me, as a fellow old fucker, to get mine checked. Yep, fingers up the, you know. My dad has a problem with his right now. He’s 83 and I’m 53, his brother had cancer in his. The writing and that proverbial wall heh.
Yes indeed... unpleasant, all of it, but it's an essential part of life and checks/early detection works better than finding out too late.
Yup