Getting old is not for sissies

C.I.--

I understand that hearing aids are being repackaged and marketed as fashion accessories.

Even the old-fangled, dowdy sorts of hearing aids don't interfere with smiling.

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hi C.I. -------------------- sorry you & your wife have health problems

Getting old is not very funny. It has even less humor if you have bad health concerns. I can understand what you are going thru.
9 years ago I was diagnosed as having Parkinson's Disease. Not long after that, my wife was declared as having diabetes. No one is fireproof, but we battle ever onward. The symptoms keep gnawing away at us & getting worse. Rust never sleeps. Still. We get good medical treatment & a good level of care. We still have a car & a reasonable level of independence. We are not housebound, yet. We are both registered as disabled & retired pensioners. It's not all doom & gloom, even when Joe Public & his wife have too wait behind us at the checkout. The supermarket attracts some impatient trollops huffing & puffing at having too spend a few minutes longer to get thru. I remind them that they also may be old one day.
A little ways back on this thread someone mentioned blindness. I lost the sight in one eye about 55 years ago. That tho didn't stop me from winning in this world & having a good life..

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Hi oak, Nice to see you. Yeah, my wife was diagnosed as pre-diabetic over a year ago, so she now watches her sugar intake. We both take multi-vitamins in addition to the Rx our doctor prescribed for high blood pressure, chloresterol, and those that tries to fight the battle of the aged. We keep chugging along, but I believe in staying active to keep our muscles and bones in relative good health.

You and yours have a Grand Holiday Season, you hear?

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Noddy- My brother is an audiologist, so if I get the aids, it will be at his cost. I would get tested here, and the results sent to my brother for evaluation.

The audiologist down here knows that, so it it is not like he is attempting to sell me something. I actually think that my hearing is borderline, but I want to be tested, if for nothing else, to get a baseline.

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I saw the audiologist a few years ago, and he showed my the kind that inserted into the ear and the ones that hanges behind the ear. The ones that are inserted have a drawback, because you can hear yourself talk, so I picked the behind the ear. I rarely use them, but when I do, they work really well. The ambient noise is filtered out pretty good. Went in about 3-4 times to get them adjusted.

The in-ear ones are more expensive, and the most expensive ones cost over $3,000 per ear. The ones I ended up with cost half that, and my insurance paid for all of it.

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C.I.- Often, the type of hearing aid that one chooses is directly related to the nature of the hearing loss. For instance, Mr. P. is getting new aids. When my brother saw his test, he said that the open fitting would probably be fine for him. Mr. P. had an impression made for an ear mold, which my brother said that he could make if the open fitting was not sufficient.

Quote:

As far as sound quality and wearer comfort are concerned, open systems are always preferable, i.e. the ear insert is always kept as open as possible. Latest developments even make it possible to do without an ear mould. The tube is inserted directly into the ear canal. However not all behind the ear appliances are suitable for an open system. The hearing aid must have an excellent quality of sound reproduction, with imperceptible noise levels and an effective suppression of feedback. On the other hand the open set could lead to unwanted amplification of signals picked up by the microphone and amplified again (feedback) causing an unpleasant high-pitched whistling sound.

An open system is not suitable for all kinds of hearing loss. It is most appropriate for cases of slight to medium loss of hearing, or for loss in the high-frequency range (precipitous hearing loss). The greater the hearing impairment, the more closed the ear mould needs to be, thus reducing the occurrence of feedback and achieving the necessary amplification.

http://www.hearing-siemens.com/en/04-products/09-acuris-life/02-open-fitting/open-fitting.jsp

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Luckily, I never suffered from "feedback" noise, but that's not to say it won't happen in the future. After I install new batteries, I cover both with my hands after installing them to my ear, and I can hear the screeching sound - to tell me it's working.

I usually wear mine when I'm on a cruise and sit at a meal table for 6 to 8, because so many people talk so softly.

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A New Year's Resolution of sorts from Kaiser:

Healthy, optimistic thinking has many (serious) benefits to your health, not the least of which is feeling good. It can help you:
* improve your mood and self-esteem
* decrease depression, anxiety, and hostility
* lessen pain and other bodily symptoms
* speed recovery from surgery
* enhance your immune function
** possibly extend your life

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Another bugaboo of old age; dry skin. I really suffered from dry skin in Tibet last month at 12,000 feet and very, very dry climate. I brought body lotion with me, but it didn't help much. It's better now, but I still need lot'sa lotion/creams to keep my skin moisturized.

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c.i. wrote :

Quote:

Another bugaboo of old age; dry skin.

that makes me laugh and remember an old friend !
the last five years with my company i worked with "bill" who was quite a bit older than i . bill was an ex-canadian airforce squadron-leader - a little rough on the outside but the best co-worker and friend .
during the summer bill left precisely at four pm for the golf-course - you could set the watch by it !
i noticed that bill always stealthily opened one of his desk drawers stuck one hand in , pulled it out and rubbed his face before leaving .
one day i stood behind him as he went through the motions and discovered that bill was putting some fancy skin-cream on his face and hands .
he noticed me and started muttering : "i would have ever thought i'd have put cream on my face GRRRR ! dry skin , the curse of old age GRRR ! " .
bill passed away recently and i was happy to share some of my memories with his sons at the wake . they told me that they thought that he always considered himself to be on duty and would certainly NEVER touch face-cream ! we were all able to smile at the crusty chap who had a lot of "soft spots" - thanks to face cream !

now i'm at bill's stage and carry a tin of NIVEA in my bag with the swimming trunks . i also use it rather "stealthily" in the change room after swimming in the chlorinated water Laughing

hbg

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I just want to wish all my senior compadres A HAPPY, HEALTHY, PROSPEROUS, NEW YEAR.

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to one and all :

HAPPY NEW YEAR ! GOOD HEALTH AND HAPPINESS - and a few $$$ jingling in the pocket Laughing

hbg

(in germany the chimney sweep and the pig are considered to bring luck)

http://www.zinnfigur.de/oscommerce/images/1305569c.jpg

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Set has commented that I'm a world champion watch-misplacer. I can put my watch down in the same place every day, and still not be able to find the watch at least once a day.

Then, there were the Christmas cd's. I bought some cd's and dvd's a few days before we were to go to the hamburgers. The cd's were for the car (including one of Set's favourites - ABBA) - to listen to on the highway. The dvd's were to watch with the hamburgers.

Could I find the cd's or dvd's the next day or the next day or the day we were leaving? well, of course not.

Today when we got back, I was muttering and fussing. Where are those things? What? They're in a small SDM bag. Oh.

Never mind. Here they are. In a small SDM bag, in a really obvious spot.

aaaaaaaarrghhhhhhhh

~~~

Not precisely forgetfulness, but something that didn't use to happen like this.

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I think it's all down hill from 40, and down hill on roller skates starting at about 50. I'm 46 and in pretty good health, mostly due to diet, active job life, and good genetics (I have relatives over 100). However, I noticed my strength and stamina have decreased considerably over the last 5 years. I also can't do garden work on my knees or stay in a squat for more than a few minutes. I thought I was developing arthritis a couple of years ago, but George (of A2K) had me check something out that lead to my problem being fixed by a massage therapist. (Thanks George). I also don't recover as quickly as I once did and I rely more on my gardening crew to do the grunt work.

I got good advice from my family about money growing up, and I've had an IRA since I was 18. I made a lot of money when I was in my 20's and always lived a rather frugal life style. I now live on very little income (by most standards), but I have no debt, I own my little farm, and all the trappings that go with such a venture, plus I have savings. My husband is also of the Voluntary Simplicity philosophy, so we think we live a pretty comfy life.

Biggest worry is illness and health insurance. As Lash mentioned a few pages earlier, a health issue can wipe you out, and I've seen it happen with a few people who had what was considered good insurance and personal savings.

Right now I'm on track to retire (if I chose) in my early 60's, but a big medical landslide could change all that.

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I was going to list my bitches but after reading a goodly number of the posts here all I can say is I don't really have many by comparison.

So I'll wish everyone here all the very best, and if anyone ever makes it to the Lower Mainland of BC I have a nice big house on 1/2 acre overlooking the ocean and a lake, tucked into the mountains at the end of a dead end road. A spare bedroom for guests, cook your own breakfast damnit!

http://www.belcarra.ca/

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Quote:

I think it's all down hill from 40, and down hill on roller skates starting at about 50

With this outlook and an IRA, how can you go wrong? Laughing

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Green Witch wrote:

down hill on roller skates starting at about 50.

There's my problem. 50, and no roller skates Confused

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CI (for his lovely wife)---and anyone else who is told they are borderline diabetic--

This happened to me, too. I had recently started working out and dropped sugar from my diet---and the next check and all the subsequent ones were great.

Treadmill and sugar substitutes may allay this problem.

Good luck, CI!! I think you and your wife are on the right path.

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Hi Lash, Thank you for your good luck. Now, if only I can help my wife not lose her eyeglasses all the time!

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Lash wrote:

CI (for his lovely wife)---and anyone else who is told they are borderline diabetic--

This happened to me, too. I had recently started working out and dropped sugar from my diet---and the next check and all the subsequent ones were great.

Treadmill and sugar substitutes may allay this problem.

Good luck, CI!! I think you and your wife are on the right path.

Plus- I know this may sound a little crazy, but look into eating lacto fermented foods like sauerkraut (not the heated kind). Just Google it for plenty of info, I've seen it work for a few people.
The only sugar substitute you should use is steevia.

Oh come on ehBeth and Snood, I'll challenge you both in a roller derby- looser buys the other two a case of Depends and some Geritol. Now if I can only remember where I put my skates...

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Getting old is not for sissies

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