Aging . . . Sometimes seems like a cruel joke!!

When I was in my 60's I was in complete denial of my aging progress!

That's easy to do when you are feeling great and don't really have any health issues that make you feel sick.

However, all it took was a few bouts of problems that put me into the hospital at least 4 times and a couple surgeries that made me have to admit that maybe this aging thing was for real!!

I mean, problems and surgeries can happen at any age but I think it was the time it took to recover and gain some of my strength back that made me accept that possibly I was a senior, an elder,

 an old person??

Yikes!!

I began to notice other things too.

I'm not able to lift 40 lbs. any longer.

I'll confess now, I can't even lift my western saddle up onto my horse!

I have aches and pains all over, not only my back and shoulder!

New age spots seem to be appearing daily.

And what is happening to my face!

Food that I used to eat with no problem, seems to have turned against me!

Lack of contact with people bothers me more.

Social media has become more important to me.

(Especially Periscope and Facebook live!)

I am talking to my dog and other animals much more!

Maybe to even myself!

Hmmmmm . . . . .

Then there's the memory thing.

Losing things that you had in your hand 10 minutes ago!

So far, in this house, I have lost:  

A brand new full croquet set, 

My Spiralizer for making zucchini noodles, 

My blood pressure cuff,

And, I swear to God, I forgot the 4th thing just now!

 

To continue with the no memory thing . . . 

Going upstairs or downstairs only have to do it again because you forgot what you went there for.

Forgetting words when you're trying to hold a half-way intelligent conversation.

That one really bothers me and makes me feel like a nit-wit!!

They call these the "golden years"??!!!

That can't be right!

Well . . . there's funny things too.

Hunting for my cell phone while I'm actually talking on it.

Getting into the shower with my glasses on.

The other night I was getting undressed, trying to take off a snug sweater and long under-ware top at the same time and I got it stuck over my head.  I couldn't pull it off because of my bad shoulder and it all of a sudden struck me as so funny.

I was laughing hysterically all my myself in the bathroom!

Yes, I finally got it off!

I walk slower, I fumble with my hands more and worry is sometimes out of control.

When one thing seems to be getting better, here comes another problem.

My best hope is that I've had my 2 years of health issues and now things will be getting better.

I am regaining some strength back and I think if I get back to the Silver Sneakers exercise classes at the Rec. Center, it will help.

I've actually gotten back to riding my horses a few times and hope that I can do that a lot more since the weather is getting warmer.

Or is this more like it??

Something to ponder . . .

Shirley

Searching For Words

I know I wrote about this before but it is really bothering me lately.

One of the top three really bothersome things about aging is the problem thinking of words when you are trying to talk.

Those of you that have reached this age of perceived dumbness know exactly what I'm talking about.

If your younger and don't have any idea what this is like, count your blessings and keep using your words as much as you can.

It's hard to explain to someone that doesn't know . . . the words are there, but just a little out of your mind's reach.  The harder you try to think of the right word, the further it goes away.

Then when you're least expecting it, the word that you trying to think of an hour ago just pops into your mind!!

Where was it when you needed it??

I have become very aware of this problem the past couple weeks as I try the new app online called Periscope.

It's live video broadcasting.  

People all over the world are involved.

It's fun and very addicting.

I have tried it a few times.  There is no editing yourself.  Your broadcast goes out on the air as you are talking and videoing with your phone.

If you don't know about what it is all about, just download the free app and watch.  

You don't have to broadcast, you can just watch.

The broadcast only stays on for 24 hours in the replay section, then it's gone.

Anyway, doing the few I have done, I see that I have better days than others.

Or maybe better times of day than others.

On the replay I can just see and feel myself searching for the right word I want to use.

It's painful!!
(I feel like shouting, "I used to be smart and articulate!")

Periscope is fascinating to me though and I'm stubborn enough to keep trying.

I'm thinking that maybe if I get more comfortable doing it, that it will be easier.

We'll see.

I really think not being with people and having to talk makes this word problem worse.

My mind can be constantly thinking, going a mile a minute but if you don't actually have to verbalize in sentences, you slowly lose that ability.

And the words go further away.

It's a frightening thought.

I'm not sure if word puzzles or those mind exercises that you can get online help with the actual speaking or not.

Can't hurt I guess.

I think maybe increasing my talking to myself and my dogs may help just as much!

It is just so frustrating.

I know other people have the same problem.

I've heard it when they're talking.

Is there any magic answer?

Shirley

I wander when I walk!!

I weave when I walk!!

I can't walk in a straight line unless I have a cart!

I remember my mother telling us that.

Now it's me.

If you walk with me on my blind side, I'll most likely run you down!!

It's more noticeable when I walk slow.  When I walk fast, like on the track at the rec. center, I walk pretty straight.

I wonder why you wander when you get older??

I'm not wandering more right than left or I'm not weaker on one side.

Just wondering if anyone else has this problem?

I've tried to look it up on good old Google but can't really find any answers.

Wandering my way through life!!

Shirley

These Bedtime Snacks Help You Sleep!

There was an article in my hometown newspaper today that just goes perfectly with my previous blog about sleep!

And right up my alley too!

Bedtime snacks!

I always have to have one before bed!

I'm not makin' this stuff up!

This is according to the National Sleep Foundation:

Changes in sleep patterns are a part of the aging process.

Many people experience difficulty falling asleep and then staying asleep as we get older.

Here's the good news.

There are certain snack foods that may help to improve quality of sleep!

AARP notes that the following are a handful of snack foods that promote better sleep.

•  Almonds:

Magnesium is a mineral with muscle relaxing properties, and almonds contain enough magnesium to help you get a better night's sleep.

A small amount of almonds before bedtimes may be enough to make falling and staying asleep easier.

•  Bananas

Much like almonds, bananas provide a substantial amount of magnesium.  

Bananas also contain the amino acid tryptophan, which many people relate to that sleepy feeling after that Thanksgiving turkey dinner!

A banana shortly before bed might be just what you need to fall and stay asleep.

 •  Cheese and crackers

Cheese and crackers contain tryptophan and some carbohydrates which can induce a better night's sleep and help you fall asleep sooner.

•  Cherries

Cherries contain the sleep hormone melatonin.

AARP notes that people who drank tart cherry juice on a regular basis fell asleep more quickly and slept longer and better than participants who did not.

•  Walnuts

Walnuts, like cherries contain melatonin which contributes to better sleep.

•  Peanut butter

Another snacking item loaded with tryptophan.

Spread some on a some carbohydrate like a piece of toast and sleep better!!

•  Hummus

The main ingredient in hummus is chickpeas, which are loaded with tryptophan, folate and vitamin B6.  Folate has proven especially helpful to older men and women who need help regulating sleep patterns while B6 helps the body regulate it's clock!

So there you have it!

Many men and women experience difficulty sleeping as they age.  But the right foods may just help combat such problems and help men and women get a more adequate night's sleep.

I'm all for that.

What about you!!

Shirley

Do Your Routines Rule You?

I think, as we age, our routines become ingrained in us.

I think they make us feel more secure, more comfortable with daily living.

Maybe we do it as to not forget things.

I know that if my morning routine is interrupted, I often forget important things, like forgetting to take my morning medications!

I sooner or later remember but sometimes it's after I have left the house.

Here's my morning routine.

Get up

Get totally dressed

Let the dogs out

Take fresh water to the barn cats and let the chickens out into their run.

Give the hens some scratch and meal worms.

Bring the dogs in and feed them.

Take cats wet food out to them and check for eggs from hens.

Come in and fix my breakfast.

Sit down, watch the news, check my emails.

Take my meds.

That's pretty much my standing routine.

It gets everything done that I need to do in the morning.

I mean, I'm not OCD about it but I feel better when I keep "the routine"!

I'm wondering if maybe as we age, it's better to switch up our routines.  I mean better for our minds.

What do you think?

It would make us use our brain a little more!

It seems my mind is being used plenty though, just trying it remember where things are and what I have scheduled for the day.  Of course I have a calendar and also everything is on my phone calendar so I get beeped an hour before any important appointments!

I really don't think I had real regimented routines when I was young.

Maybe that's why young people say that elders are "set in their ways". 

Is that the same as being in a rut?  I don't think so.

Daily routines certainly keep us from sitting in front of the TV all day and becoming increasingly depressed,

(That is if THAT isn't your routine!!)

I don't mind changes after I get those morning things done!

But I do better if I know about changes a couple days before hand and can put them in my schedule!

I've recently added more activity and exercising and have made a better sleep schedule.

It takes awhile to make new things a real habit but I'm working on it.

Sooooooo . . . .

Do you think routine is good or bad as you age?

Do you think it's helpful?

Shirley

Anxiety and Aging

Until recently, it was thought that anxiety decreased with age.  However, mental health experts are altering their views.  

Aging brings added stress and anxiety because of increasing health problems, loses of loved ones, and other major life changes that build up as you get older.

The smallest things or thoughts can start anxiety and worry; sometimes, just life in general.

I know, my life has changed considerably.  I used to hardly worry at all.  

I had children and was working in a high stress job in the ER as a nurse never knowing what there was coming though the ER doors, you'd think those things would cause more anxiety and worry.

My mother, worried a lot, even when she was younger.

My anxiety and worry has definitely gotten worse in the past few years.

And with glitches in my health, my anxiety has sometimes hit the roof!

There's a lot of fears that are related to aging.  Fears of instability and falling causing debilitating injury.  Fears related to money issues, being victimized, being dependent on others and just feeling alone are a few.

If you are younger, there is no way you can fully understand these feelings.

You can't just stop worrying or stop being anxious.

I'm truly blessed and am so much more fortunate than some but still I have these anxieties.  Feeling on edge most of the time is not pleasant.

I've recently read up on Generalized Anxiety Disorder.(GAD)

Everyone feels these things once in awhile.

If you have 3-4 of these symptoms that last over 6 months, it could be GAD.

•Depression

•Impaired sleep

•Problems concentrating

•Problems with memory and attention

•Agitation

•Restlessness

•Fatigue

•Muscle tension

All these can lead to limiting your daily activities and social interactions.

Increased isolation.

Losing interest in hobbies and pleasurable pastimes.

Reluctance to leave home.

Loss of self worth.

This all sounds "depressing", right!

I'm looking into ways to get more involved outside the home.

There's also treatments for GAD that don't involve medications.

There's a lot of good articles on line.

I'm going to read up on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

and maybe see a therapist.

I don't want to end up being a hermit in my house with my dogs, my cats and my chickens!!!

Let me hear from anyone having similar problems.

I know you're out there.

Us oldsters have to stick together!!!

Here are just a few of the links to go to for more information:

http://www.adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/generalized-anxiety-disorder-gad

http://www.gmhfonline.org/gmhf/consumer/factsheets/anxietyoldradult.html

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/579825

There's many more if you Google "Anxiety with aging" or something similar.

Shirley

  

Inflexability

It seems as I age, I am becoming more and more inflexible.

It doesn't really bother me but it seems to irritate other people!

I realize that being somewhat inflexible has made my world a little smaller than it used to be.

That doesn't really bother me either!

I'm comfortable here.
It doesn't mean that I'm not doing things and moving around a lot.  I don't just sit and watch TV!  In fact, I watch very little TV.  I seem to find things around the house or running errands that keep me quite busy!

I don't really want to travel anymore.
Since I've been posting "Parts of My Life" on face book's Throwback Thursdays, even I am amazed at the things I've done and the places I've been!

I do seem to have to plan things more now however.

I'm not one to just pick up at the drop of a hat and go somewhere out of my comfort zone unless I plan for it at least a couple days beforehand!!
My plans for the day are written in my datebook and on the calendar on my iPhone.
My comfort zones consist of going to town and to the barn.
I know that does sound small but I do go other places too, but there's rules.
I have to plan ahead of time, I like to get started before noon and get back home before dark!
Boy, that does sound "old"!
Well, I have my dog to feed and my chickens to put away after-all!!!
Of course, unexpected things happen in life and we all have to adjust but, I'm saying, it's harder now than it used to be.

Shirley

You can also find me on my main blog here:
http://shirleys-world.blogspot.com/

And on Face Book here:
https://www.facebook.com/shirley.corwin?ref=name

Imagination Running Wild

My imagination is so strong.

And it usually isn't imaging the best senario for things!!

Why is that??

Am I that negative??

Well, here's the most recent one.

I've had a growth on my scalp, under my hair for years.  Like it started at least 6-7 years ago.

This past year it has grown in size significantly and become painful.

My hair covered it, so it was easy to keep a secret.  Only my hairdresser had seen it!!

Why did I keep it a secret?  Well, because I was afraid it was something awful and I kept putting off showing the doctor.

I know he would've yelled at me for not showing him sooner.

I just avoided the whole thing and buried my head!

Dumb?  Yes!
Especially when you're a nurse!

Well, I finally admitted to myself that something had to be done.

I imagined that it was cancer and had probably invaded the skull, now giving me bone and brain cancer!

That's what imagination can do for you!!

I stressed so much about the appointment that was scheduled for today that I got a cold sore.

Stress induced!

I signed into the Dermatology clinic at 10:30am.

Saw the doctor who said,

"Oh, we'll just take that off right here and now."

He's pretty sure it is benign and it was removed with a local anesthetic in about 3 minutes!!!

Years of worry!!!

Fixed in 3 minutes.

No I don't have a picture of it because it was really horrible looking.

But it's all gone.

Sigh!!!!!

I go back next week for a whole Derm exam because I have moles and age spots and all those great aging things!

There's a lesson here somewhere!!!!!!

Shirley 

Where Are My Words??

One of most maddening things about aging is forgetfulness!

Especially when it comes to words.

It can happen mid-sentence.

Sometimes, I swear, I must sound like a real dolt!

The harder you try to remember a word you want to use, the further back it goes.

Where DOES it go!!

Do I have early dementia, am I getting Alzheimer's!

Every senior that is forgetful asks themselves those questions!

I don't think so.

Or else everyone I know would have them.

I'm not worried about it but it sure is frustrating.

Just saying!

Shirley

Observations at Panera

I had lunch at Panera this afternoon, as I do about once a week.

I sat next to a table where a "little old lady" was sitting with a slightly heavyset older man.  

He had a tee shirt on that said something about rehab.

I had been up at the coffee bar waiting for this little lady to get done putting her cream in her coffee.  Everything was in slow motion.  She was only about 5 foot tall and all bent over.

She walked slowly to her seat and the server brought their food.  She said something to the man about how nice the bread looked.  I didn't hear him respond.  They sat there and ate with not a word uttered between them the entire time.

That's what amazed me.

I'd steal glances over at them.

Her posture was all bent over when sitting also, with a Dowagers Hump, a sign of sever osteoporosis.

She concentrated on her food and finished everything.

I was surprised when he evidently told her he wanted a refill on his drink.

I had thought all this time that he was taking care of her.

She slowly got up and went to the counter and got him a refill.

When they were done eating, she gathered her things and took them to the clean-up area.  He then pushed his tray to her so she would clean his place up too.

I was just really surprised.

Not at all the way I thought it would be.

She shuffled so slowly but got it done.

However when they were ready to leave, he turned and pulled out a walker that had been out of sight on the other side between a couple chairs.

He opened it up, stood with some difficulty and using it, he shuffled out the door.  As she was getting up, she caught my eye and sort of shrugged.

I would've loved to sit and talk with her awhile but of course that wasn't possible and I would've never intruded.  She might have liked to have someone to talk too.

Strange and sometimes sad how life is.

Shirley

Aging, Such a Joy!

Yes, of course, I'm thankful that I am aging instead of the alternative but "Oh, My", some days!!

I think I have been doing really well on watching and changing my diet though.

I have not had one huge spike in blood sugar the whole time I've been testing.

In fact, nothing really out of the ordinary!

I'll be anxious to see what my next A1c is next month.

OK . . . . The Aging thing!

I hope there's other seniors out there reading my blogs on-line and plodding along with me!

Please feel free to comment if anything looks familiar!

Or if you have any suggestions!

I finally let the color grow out of my hair!

After the bad winter I had with hospitalizations and surgeries, I thought, 

"What the heck am I coloring my hair blond for!

Nobody thinks I'm 30 or 40 anymore!

So I got it cut short and that took care of most of the color.

I'm pleased that it has come in nice and white.

I have colored my hair since I was 20!!

I didn't even know what stages of color my real hair went through!!

I still have 5 boxes of Clairol and L'oreal hair color upstairs.

I'd buy it when I had coupons or when it was on sale.

I guess I'll take them to GoodWill.  They are fairly new and still sealed.

Here I am with my son's two.  My grandkids.  They are 5 and 7.

I surprised everyone and actually went in their pool on Saturday!!

Of course, no bathing suit!!  NOOOOOOO!!!!

Just a tee shirt and clam diggers!

I got a pedometer for myself to see how many steps I take most days.  I was just curious and read it is good for your heart to do 10,000 steps a day.  Well, I haven't ever even reached over 7000, and that was only once.  It's usually around 5000.  Even on slow rainy days I make sure I'm over the 3000 step  "sedentary" mark by going to Target or someplace and walk around.

It helps me to have a basket to push so I don't weave all over.  I swear I can't walk straight anymore.  What is that!!!  I remember my mother used to say that.

OMG, I am my mother  : ))

(Bless her heart!)

Shirley