<p>"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, “Woo Hoo! What a ride!” "</p>
<p>That, and yes, we are all paying the price of maintainance for a life well lived, or the price of not listening to our parents’ advice when we were younger. (My knees, joints and digestive system are fine, but I’m paying the price now for not flossing as a kid.)</p>
<p>fauxmaven – that is WONDERFUL news about your D! So happy to hear things worked for her.</p>
<p>More things bother me than they used to. I still have this banging ache in my right calf (not a fracture, nothing showed up in x-ray or ultrasound), and at night, I itch – my legs itch, my back itches – never during the day – only at night. Maybe I’m allergic to being home.</p>
<p>My warranty must have run out at 45. I had to take more sick days that year than all other years of work combined. It was one thing after another. Fortunately my family hasn’t traded me in for a new model.</p>
<p>I HATE filling out papers in a doctor’s office when they ask you to list surgeries. Are you KIDDING me? (“female” surgeries, 2 back surgeries, 3 knee surgeries, one ankle reconstruction…). </p>
<p>So you are certainly not alone in the “falling apart” category! But I figure that this life is worth living full-out, and like your home, your body is all the better for looking “lived in”.
:)</p>
<p>I’ll be 70 in two months and not having any problems. Had my second cornea transplant in 2007, the other wore out after 35 years, and it’s doing fine. I am getting stressed by two things: work and having a son who was a film major.</p>
<p>My mother was complaining of this same issue - not liking “falling apart”- this weekend. Difference is, she will be 80 next birthday and is experiencing for the first time in her life some health needs to be taken care of - had cataract surgery and surgery for 90%+ blockage in her neck artery this year . I look at her and say, " I HOPE that I am as lucky as you and don’t have to worry about any issues till I’m 80!!!" </p>
<p>No matter what your age, it’s no fun getting old(er)!!!</p>
<p>You gotta love Erma Bombeck who I think coined the skid quote. We were just at a shindig with our group and expanded group and then a bunch of people we haven’t seen in decades. When we were driving I said to my husband that I was “holding up” pretty good. I did tear my Achilles tendon a year ago and my left knee is not perfect for some unexplainable reason…both which the physician and PT chalked off to “my age.” Yuck.</p>
<p>We’re lucky to be falling apart in the 21st century instead of even a few decades earlier. In my mid-50s, I’ve already had cataract surgery. It’s like magic - no pain, just 1 day out of work, and my vision is hugely improved. Back a few years, there was a week-long recovery period of staying flat on your back and not moving your head.</p>
<p>Joint pain is one of those inevitable signs of aging. But exercise and ibuprofen do help when it first becomes an issue. We don’t like to believe it, but it would seem that biology really is destiny (though we can stave it off much longer nowadays :)).</p>
<p>When we had to switch insuramce plans a couple of years ago ,I decided to switch to a higher premium but only pay 15 to see anyone in network-best decision ever-I seem to see a couple of doctors a month. 2 weeks ago I had my first root canal and first crown!</p>
<p>In my totally unscientific survey, back in my late 20’s when I started falling apart, I was getting some treatment at the Mayo clinic. After spending almost 2 weeks there the one thing that stood out to me was that patients there were almost all either overweight or underweight, from every country imaginable too. Again, unscientific but noticeable enough that it really stood out.</p>
<p>fauxmaven- come on over to the weight loss for dummies thread! I lost 38 pounds this year and a lot of my annoying digestive/ sleep issues have resolved themselves. A healthy diet and exercise made me feel a lot healthier. Happy to hear your d is settled!</p>
<p>I am living proof that you can do “everything right” and still fall apart.</p>
<p>Never had an operation (Except that C-section). I exercise at least 30 minutes a day and watch my diet, and my doctor tells me that my BMI is perfect. (She also says “you’re one of the few thin patients I have.”) And still - 7 years ago this week I was diagnosed with diabetes. (In fact, when I told my doctor that I thought I had diabetes she laughed - at first…)</p>
<p>My Mom is 85 and is a Hogkins survivor, had the cateracts done on her 70s, a couple of other surgeries, but day-to-day she feels pretty well and is grateful. I’m hoping it’s not too late for me to say “if I knew I was going to live this long, I’d have taken better care of myself.”</p>
<p>Feeling kinship in this thread and love that it hasn’t been taken over by people saying they started running marathons in their 60s!</p>
<p>Thanks, mstee. I usually don’t complain about the diabetes stuff because in the great scheme of things, there are so many other diseases out there that are worse. Diabetes is a pain but it’s treatable.</p>
<p>Altough there are days when I would kill for a bag of potato chips…</p>