Can You Get Botox for Knees? And Other Joys of Growing Old

[Evo]

The days when I could sneak upstairs without a making a sound are gone. Due to numerous injuries, my knees and hips snap, crackle and pop as I climb the stairs.

I find that I can't stand still for long periods or bend constantly without groaning.

I can work in the garden on my hands and knees for hours, I just can no longer stand back up without assistance (sometimes accompanied by a small scream of pain).

My knees are getting wrinkled. Can you get botox for knees?

Oh, and guess what? I've decided to buy an electric mower! My riding mower is in the shop and I remember a neighbor of mine had one...

Ok, we're taking bets. How far can Evo go before she mows the power cord?

A) 5 minutes

B) 10 minutes

C) Are you kidding? She won't make it onto the grass before the cord wraps around her legs, drags her to the ground, pinning her to the mower THEN the cord hits the blades.

 

[berkeman]

You know you're getting old when cross-training becomes a necessity. You can no longer do the same workout two days in a row (swim, bike, run, MX, etc.)...

 

[radou]

The days when I could sneak upstairs without a making a sound are gone. Due to numerous injuries, my knees and hips snap, crackle and pop as I climb the stairs.

I find that I can't stand still for long periods or bend constantly without groaning.

I can work in the garden on my hands and knees for hours, I just can no longer stand back up without assistance (sometimes accompanied by a small scream of pain).

My knees are getting wrinkled. Can you get botox for knees?

After reading this, I'll have to go for C).

 

[Artman]

The second sign of getting old is loss of memory.

I can't remember what the first sign is.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

The days when I could sneak upstairs without a making a sound are gone. Due to numerous injuries, my knees and hips snap, crackle and pop as I climb the stairs.

I find that I can't stand still for long periods or bend constantly without groaning.

I can work in the garden on my hands and knees for hours, I just can no longer stand back up without assistance (sometimes accompanied by a small scream of pain).

My knees are getting wrinkled. Can you get botox for knees?

Oh, and guess what? I've decided to buy an electric mower! My riding mower is in the shop and I remember a neighbor of mine had one...

Ok, we're taking bets. How far can Evo go before she mows the power cord?

A) 5 minutes

B) 10 minutes

C) Are you kidding? She won't make it onto the grass before the cord wraps around her legs, drags her to the ground, pinning her to the mower THEN the cord hits the blades.

I'm betting on C.

Funny, I almost started a thread like this the other day. I guess we are both feeling old these days.

As for Berkeman, , you are old when cross training means that you walk up the hill and then pass gas.

 

[Chi Meson]

Evo,

I'ts about time I told you that we have a print of the same painting (same as your avitar) of the Lady of Shallot in our foyer. There's a story behind this print, but later...It's some thing about the...anyway I didn't think at first...you see

the woman has been getting younger! In the picture! She's getting younger! Something is terribly wrong!

 

[Evo]

Evo,

I'ts about time I told you that we have a print of the same painting (same as your avitar) of the Lady of Shallot in our foyer. There's a story behind this print, but later...It's some thing about the...anyway I didn't think at first...you see

the woman has been getting younger! In the picture! She's getting younger! Something is terribly wrong!

 

[Evo]

Funny, I almost started a thread like this the other day. I guess we are both feeling old these days.

It's spring, time for yard work, the old bones aren't ready yet.

As for Berkeman, , you are old when cross training means that you walk up the hill and then pass gas.

 

[Astronuc]

Hey, don't forget membership in AARP!

 

[arunbg]

For those are experiencing the joy of growing reeaaallllly old, is it true that you tend to become more religious when you grow old (provided you are not atheist of course) ?
In my place, I find this true for a large majority, especially elderly women.

 

[arunma]

For those are experiencing the joy of growing reeaaallllly old, is it true that you tend to become more religious when you grow old (provided you are not atheist of course) ?
In my place, I find this true for a large majority, especially elderly women.

Interestingly, I've noticed that the proportion of old people at my church back in college was about 1/4, which was curiously high, considering its proximity to campus. I remember always being scared of being late to church; all the college students went to the early service, and if I showed up for the late one, I'd be sandwiched in between old people.

Not that I don't like old people too. It's just that my college friends tolerate my constant physics-related discourses more easily.

 

[radou]

For those are experiencing the joy of growing reeaaallllly old, is it true that you tend to become more religious when you grow old (provided you are not atheist of course) ?
In my place, I find this true for a large majority, especially elderly women.

I can't imagine my mother being religious.

 

[marlon]

The days when I could sneak upstairs without a making a sound are gone. Due to numerous injuries, my knees and hips snap, crackle and pop as I climb the stairs.

Ok, these are small discomforts but they don't seem to be that bad. IMO, older people have a lot of charm. Personally, i am looking foreward to grow older because it means :

1) i will look more "esthetic" and more "experienced"
2) an older face expresses the experience of life and shows more character and class
3) more money as your professional career grows
4) you are climbing the social ladder
5) young women will like me more because of ... err...you know... $$$

I will be truly happy when i am around 50-55. I will be at the top of my career, i will be the richest ever in my lifetime and 25 year old women will think : "ohh, look at the distinguised gentleman with his nice Jaguar and his $$$$$ bank account. This guy "knows life" ..."

Ahhh, the joys of growing old, indeed. I am looking foreward.

marlon

 

[edward]

"The older I get the older "old" gets." How old do we feel is the question.
Today I feel about 16 in dog years.

 

[Astronuc]

For those are experiencing the joy of growing reeaaallllly old, is it true that you tend to become more religious when you grow old (provided you are not atheist of course) ?
In my place, I find this true for a large majority, especially elderly women.

I don't see that as necessarily the case, but for some, it is a place to socialize. I have seen more women at church than men - in general - regardless of age.

Certainly as one gets older, one faces one's mortality, especially when friends and siblings start dying off. My parents, who have reached the mean age of longevity in the US, have had many friends and colleagues die already.

 

[radou]

2) an older face expresses the experience of life and shows more character and class

Well, it depends.

I would second that if I could look like Jack Nicholson, for example.

I will be truly happy when i am around 50-55. I will be at the top of my career, i will be the richest ever in my lifetime and 25 year old women will think : "ohh, look at the distinguised gentleman with his nice Jaguar and his $$$$$ bank account. This guy "knows life" ..."

Ahhh, the joys of growing old, indeed. I am looking foreward.

marlon

It's great to see such optimism. Thumbs up!

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Hey, don't forget membership in AARP!

Quit laughing.

 

[marlon]

I would second that if I could look like Jack Nicholson, for example.

I do, with a slight Marlon Brando touch on the side.

marlon

 

[arunbg]

Certainly as one gets older, one faces one's mortality, especially when friends and siblings start dying off.

This was what I think is the reason. For the majority I think, prayer is a way of finding inner peace and forgetting the grief. It is also considered as a way of atoning for one's past sins. And as you mentioned, socializing with people of same age group is another reason.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

For those are experiencing the joy of growing reeaaallllly old, is it true that you tend to become more religious when you grow old (provided you are not atheist of course) ?
In my place, I find this true for a large majority, especially elderly women.

How do you know that they weren't always religious?

 

[turbo]

I'm 55, and since I worked on concrete floors for many years (paper machine operator, pulp mill chemist, consultant work) my knees have really gone to hell. I've had cartilage removed from both of them and although I can tough it out when standing , walking, etc, I cannot kneel anymore. I used to canoe through class 4-5 white-water for fun, but I can't stay on my knees long enough to do that, nor can I kneel and weed the garden or kneel and repair plumbing under a sink, for example. The arthritis due to wear without the cartilage is quite painful in some circumstances, but given the state of the art, knee replacement is not an option at my age. My doctor suggested anti-inflammatories and perhaps pain-killers, but I don't like taking drugs and masking the symptoms simply so I can cause more damage without being aware of it. As they said in "Space Cowboys" "getting' old ain't for sissies".

 

[radou]

I do, with a slight Marlon Brando touch on the side.

marlon

The slight Marlon Brando touch doesn't count without at least a slight touch of his voice.

Btw, the one and only aesthetic reason because of which I could perhaps say that I'm looking forward to growing old is my genetic predisposition to early-age hair-greying. At least I'll look compact then. Not that it's tragic yet, but I predict that half of my hair will pretty much be gray in my early thirties.

Although, women say it's charming. (Expecting confirmation. )

 

[marlon]

The slight Marlon Brando touch doesn't count without at least a slight touch of his voice.

Btw, the one and only aesthetic reason because of which I could perhaps say that I'm looking forward to growing old is my genetic predisposition to early-age hair-greying. At least I'll look compact then. Not that it's tragic yet, but I predict that half of my hair will pretty much be gray in my early thirties.

Although, women say it's charming. (Expecting confirmation. )

grey hair is very cool (for a guy )

 

[arunbg]

How do you know that they weren't always religious?

I never said that they weren't. All I'm saying is that the once "casually' religious become "zealously" religious. This is what I gather from my observations of elderly people in my family and around me.

 

[turbo]

grey hair is very cool (for a guy )

Gray hair can be very attractive in ladies, too. When Emmylou Harris started going gray, she just rolled with it. I've seen her live, front-row, at a cabaret club, and she was gorgeous.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

arunbg, I tend to think it can go either way. People often grow more cynical.

I have a personal theory [by observation] that people become negative about the fate of the world as they grow older because they have a hard time thinking of life going on without them - that in a way, we all secretly want the world to end when we die. This is one reason why I tend to shy away from old [McCain] political leaders. But then Reagan was all about inspiration, so it's not absolute by any means.

I also think this is why people freak out over end-of-the-world prophesies. Why worry about that when our own death IS the end of the world for each of us? The reason is I think that by some sort of subtle psychological process, each generation wants to be the last.

 

[Physics_wiz]

We had an electric mower once...my brother and I managed to mow the power cord 2 times.

 

[marlon]

Gray hair can be very attractive in ladies, too. When Emmylou Harris started going gray, she just rolled with it. If seen her live, front-row, at a cabaret club, and she was gorgeous.

Anyways, when i will be a 55 year old CEO i want to have a mistress/secretary like this :



ohh yeahh, i am sooooo going to make it...

marlon, who loves stereotypes

 

[Astronuc]

Quit laughing.

Sorry, but that response made me

Hey, I hit the big Hawaiin birthday this year, along with Artman.

 

[Astronuc]

This was what I think is the reason. For the majority I think, prayer is a way of finding inner peace and forgetting the grief. It is also considered as a way of atoning for one's past sins.

Well, there is that. But I think Ivan made a good point, there are those who are borderline religious, maybe one foot in the door, who may be more likely to 'get religion' later in life. Or, perhaps 'lapsed' <fill in the blank> who decide to go back and give it one last shot.

I've seen people at churches who are not so much religious as they simply want to connect socially with other people, and for many, the church is the only practical place to do that, especially if there are others of one's age group there.

 

[Evo]

We had an electric mower once...my brother and I managed to mow the power cord 2 times.

That's what I am afraid of.

 

[Moonbear]

I knew I got old when...Oh, wait! I'm not old yet! Neener neener! I don't plan on getting old either, but I do wish they'd stop admitting younger and younger students into college.

 

[edward]

That's what I am afraid of.

Get a cordless mower. They are so quiet you won't even hear it when you cut your toes off.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Hey, don't forget membership in AARP!

They sent me a letter last week. WTF? I'm still ten years away from membership age.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Wait until they start sending you discount coupons for coffins at Costco.

Of course [as per George Burns] you know you're old when you have check the obituaries before getting up... If you're not listed, then you might as well get up.

 

[FredGarvin]

I got my hair cut the other day. When I sat down and the woman asked me how I like it cut, she paused and said "we are having a special on hair coloring this week."

Damn.

I'm like Berkeman, I can't do my favorite workouts 2 days in a row any longer . The bumps and bruises I get get every workout now take weeks to disappear .

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I got my hair cut the other day. When I sat down and the woman asked me how I like it cut, she paused and said "we are having a special on hair coloring this week."

I'm sure that you would look good in purple.

My theory is that my barber is somehow killing my hair follicles as I'm sure that it's not all falling out by itself for no good reason.

 

[turbo]

I'm sure that you would look good in purple.

My theory is that my barber is somehow killing my hair follicles as I'm sure that it's not all falling out by itself for no good reason.

My barber is a sweetie that I glommed onto about 25 years ago. She rented a space in a beautician's shop owned by a friend's wife, and I stopped in for a walk-in haircut. My friend's wife was busy and so were most of the other ladies, so she asked if I wouldn't mind getting my hair cut in a back room by the new girl. I said that I'd be pleased to try her out. I asked her how long she had been a beautician and she shot back with "I'm a barber, dammit!" (Much higher licensing standards in Maine for barbers.) She's been cutting my hair ever since. Since I have a severe sensitivity to fragrance chemicals, she either comes to my house to cut my hair, or we arrange to meet in an open-air space and I throw a patio chair and a cape (that she gave me) in my truck.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I received some very sad news last night and I wanted to mention it, so please ignore the rest of this post if you don't want to read something really depressing.

My longest, oldest, and best friend [after Tsu] in life is now about eighty years old with severe Parkinsons disease. The worst of the complications are now setting in, and keeping in mind that he already had a colostomy and several radical surgeries due to cancer and other problems, his doctor is now worried that they may have to amputate both of his legs. This poor guy has been though hell - the story is years long and gut wrenching - but he is absolutely amazing. Like the Energizer Bunny, he just keeps going. But I think we are finally nearing the bitter end. It is just so sad to see him like this, and so unfair. He has devoted his life to not only education [my high school physics teacher], but also to civil service as a politician dedicated to serving his community. He has been a great asset to his community, and he can claim probably hundreds of scientists as friends and former students. As for me, I can easily attribute my physics degree directly to his contributions to my life. He helped to inspire my love of science and played a large role in converting me from a kid who had ditched 40 days the previous semester [no joke], to an honor roll student, by graduation time.

 

[Huckleberry]

Second Hand Lion

I wish I knew how to properly express sympathy for something like this.

I might have some idea of what you are feeling. My uncle will also be likely to lose his legs sometime in the future. He has diabetes and the blood was not circulating to his legs and feet like it should. He was complaining about numbness and discoloration in his feet and has had vasular shunts put into help. He also has 3 surgically fused vertebrae in his back when two discs were ruptured in a trucking accident. Both conditions seem to be worsening. There isn't much that doctors can do for his back pain. He takes morphine in doses that would kill most people. There seems to be some concern about the effectiveness of the shunts. Does anyone know if shunts are a permanent solution, or does it just buy him some time? Either way it is a matter of time before he is in a wheelchair, which is something I don't think he will survive for very long given his physical nature and age.

He was born in Poland after WW2, lived in France and moved to the US as a child. He volunteered for two tours in Vietnam as a recon marine. He came back with a few more holes, malaria and infertility. He was a drill instructor for a while after the war. He drove truck for several years until he was injured. He's crazy and anti-social and blunt and crude, yet kind, compassionate, curious, independent and loves children and animals. He's my favorite uncle and one of the most interesting people I know.

 

[turbo]

Oooh, boy! My father-in-law was in India, Burma, and SE Asia during WWII helping the indigenous forces build air fields to support the Chinese, acting as a liaison, training, and accompanying them on forays into Japanese-held territory. He suffered the effects of malaria the rest of his life, and when his diabetes kicked in really bad in his 50's he ended up with both legs amputated. He loved to garden, and loved fresh vegetables, so he supplied the soil, the manure, and the seeds, and I supplied the labor. He also raised REALLY hot peppers in a wash-tub in a sunny place in the house, so he could tend to some plants, at least, and he had a nice assortment of cacti and succulents growing on window-sills everywhere. For someone who gave so much for his country, he got so little back from the VA, and it was painful for me to watch him deteriorate. At the time that his health took a nosedive (mid-70s), the VA was overwhelmed with Vietnam vets. If we're going to ask young men to put their lives on the line, we should take care of them in the aftermath.

 

[Astronuc]

I wish I knew how to properly express sympathy for something like this.

You did.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I wish I knew how to properly express sympathy for something like this.

Thanks. Maybe you or Turbo or Astronuc can answer this: What in the hell do you say to someone who is in this condition? I don't even know how to be a friend other than to commiserate with him. It used to be that I could get his mind off of things, but anymore and understandably, he is completely consumed by his difficulties.

 

[Astronuc]

Thanks. Maybe you or Turbo or Astronuc can answer this: What in the hell do you say to someone who is in this condition? I don't even know how to be a friend other than to commiserate with him. It used to be that I could get his mind off of things, but anymore and understandably, he is completely consumed by his difficulties.

Not knowing your friend it's hard to say what to do. One could try humor - but if one is suffering significant pain or discomfort, humor may not work. I wias thinking that you could tell him that when you grow up, you want to be just like him.

One could convey the appreciation for one's friend, and that he will not be forgotten.

Perhaps one could contact a local hospice or caregivers program. I don't the details out there in Portland - one could check local religious institutions, or try http://www.caregiverconnectionpdx.com/hospice.htm (based on Portland).

 

[turbo]

Thanks. Maybe you or Turbo or Astronuc can answer this: What in the hell do you say to someone who is in this condition? I don't even know how to be a friend other than to commiserate with him. It used to be that I could get his mind off of things, but anymore and understandably, he is completely consumed by his difficulties.

I never knew what to say to my father-in-law, and I could not possibly have said anything pertinent about something as serious as the loss of his legs. Instead, when I stopped in, I talked to him about what we wanted to plant in the garden, about local and state politics, just about anything. We both took our turns steering the conversations and he enjoyed the visits. His wife and his grown children spent a lot of their time with him commiserating over his poor health, asking him if he needed anything, etc, which was appropriate for them to do, but I think that he enjoyed having one-on-one conversations into which his illnesses and dependency did not figure. I never made an effort to ignore "the elephant in the room" and always asked how he was feeling, but after his perfunctory answer to that question, I treated him like any other guy.

I'm sorry, Ivan, but that's all I've got - I hope it helps.

 

[Astronuc]

. . . , but I think that he enjoyed having one-on-one conversations into which his illnesses and dependency did not figure. I never made an effort to ignore "the elephant in the room" and always asked how he was feeling, but after his perfunctory answer to that question, I treated him like any other guy.

And that is the way to go about it. Don't try to ignore the obvious - just treat the person as a person.

 

[Huckleberry]

Thanks. Maybe you or Turbo or Astronuc can answer this: What in the hell do you say to someone who is in this condition? I don't even know how to be a friend other than to commiserate with him. It used to be that I could get his mind off of things, but anymore and understandably, he is completely consumed by his difficulties.

I don't talk to my uncle much. When I do I ask how he is feeling, but never ask details about his health. I visited him before I moved to Portland and was there for a week or so. All that time I only remember him bringing up the subject of his feet once, and that was just to describe the sensation he was feeling on that day. I really had no idea what to say, so I just listened to whatever he wanted to tell me.

I don't know how your friend would react, but I think if I had a problem like this I wouldn't want to spend the rest of my life focusing on it. I wouldn't want it to dominate every relationship. It's hard to talk to someone when you can see in their eyes that they are focused on something else. I would probably want to suffer in silence and keep my relationships the way they were before the illness. If someone did bring it up I would want them to be very direct about it, no messing around trying to spare my feelings. Ask like a child would ask, with the same amount of curiosity and innocence. They have an amazing ability to ask a serious question one minute and the next they are out in the sandbox playing with their matchbox cars. Living life in the moment is probably very important to your friend right now. I imagine he is concerned more with how he will be remembered than what he has done at this point. If you have to pull off the band-aid, do it all at once.

 

[Huckleberry]

Oooh, boy! My father-in-law was in India, Burma, and SE Asia during WWII helping the indigenous forces build air fields to support the Chinese, acting as a liaison, training, and accompanying them on forays into Japanese-held territory. He suffered the effects of malaria the rest of his life, and when his diabetes kicked in really bad in his 50's he ended up with both legs amputated. He loved to garden, and loved fresh vegetables, so he supplied the soil, the manure, and the seeds, and I supplied the labor. He also raised REALLY hot peppers in a wash-tub in a sunny place in the house, so he could tend to some plants, at least, and he had a nice assortment of cacti and succulents growing on window-sills everywhere. For someone who gave so much for his country, he got so little back from the VA, and it was painful for me to watch him deteriorate. At the time that his health took a nosedive (mid-70s), the VA was overwhelmed with Vietnam vets. If we're going to ask young men to put their lives on the line, we should take care of them in the aftermath.

My uncle is also relying on the VA for his care. He takes his drill instructor personality with him to the hospital. If he feels the doctor is giving him the runaround or is incompetent he dogs them until they either give him what he wants or they make it someone elses problem. This has worked well for him and he now receives the care that he is satisfied with.

He is in his mid 60's right now. He also has a garden, 3 donkeys, 3 dogs, 6 or 7 cats and a wife that he cares for. Well, she cares for him too, but they both have medical difficulties and rely on each other to get through the day. In his garden he grows tomatoes, aloe, and a few other things that the wild rabbits mostly eat despite his best efforts to keep them out. He also has some sort of a spicy, brown, dry, pea-looking thing which I can't remember the name of right now.

 

[Danger]

Not meaning to alter the tone of this thread (respects to you, Huck), but it's been dormant for a while.
I just now realized that I'm actually pretty damned old. The tip-off was when I noticed that I have to shave my nostrils more often than my face.

 

[Evo]

Not meaning to alter the tone of this thread (respects to you, Huck), but it's been dormant for a while.
I just now realized that I'm actually pretty damned old. The tip-off was when I noticed that I have to shave my nostrils more often than my face.

We're on the downside of the hill Danger. I look around at work and everyone my age is waddling around due to knee, hip or back problems. I am just happy that I don't waddle - yet.