Question for the other geezer members.

I'll be 76 in just over a month. I start my day at 2:00 AM, do a 3X week workout at home, walk nearly every day.
I do need my high octane French Roast coffee in the AM to get my engine running on all cylinders. All the insults to my back, hips, legs over the years have come home to roost, while I pick up speed on the down side of the hill of life. 
If I see a quarter on the ground, I might point it out to someone, but I'm not bending over to pick it up.
Any on-the-garage-floor car repairs, I now delegate to those with wrench patches on their overalls.
I still fling those 5 gallon water bottles up onto the water dispenser.
My amps all have wheels now.
My mind is still active. I don't leave the house keys hanging out of the knob overnight. I still remember important strings of numbers.
Keeping up with "updates" on my iPhone is problematic, but I've struggled with those since Mr. Jobs revealed his device.

Sure. In my case the 70's started in my 50's. I already had degenerative disc disease at 30 and it seems to be running in the genes. My neurosurgeon is suggesting a procedure called XLIF but I'm seriously waffling on that decision after reading research at the NiH.

72 here, and the distance between how high I can lift a leg and how far I can bend over at the same time is growing. But I can still put my pants on in the middle of the room. I believe in Newtons law that a body in motion tends to stay in motion. I still work as a part time cabinet installer and keep hoping Newton was referring to the human body also.

I’m headed towards 77 this year and the only thing that seems to have changed for me is (outside of prostate cancer) pain in the knees and aching hands thanks to arthritis. With the winter snows finally done it felt good to get the Harley out for a couple rides last week and I do have another bike, an ‘07 FXD, that I picked up from a friend’s estate that I have at the local dealer for new tires and battery.

Overall, I do know I’m slowing down a little, but many of my old friends are already fertilizer so I’m not doing too bad.

Its probably back related.  I know I'll get random stingers, burners, itches, tingles. They could be anywhere, a thigh, shoulder, elbow...often a sequence of all in rapid succession.  

I turned 74 and have Leukemia in remission. I was not a real physical guy when I was younger no sports but some backpacking and cross country skiing. When I retired I tried to walk a little. When I turned 70 I tried walking a little everyday and working upper body with very small weights to keep flexibility. When I was in treatment for the Leukemia COVID was at it's peak. I found walking helped deal with infusions and helped keep my head on straight when when I was essentially not able to go anywhere except for medical reasons. I live within walking distance to a nice small county park and found that at 6:30 am it was pretty much empty and therefore safe (COVID wise) I have definitely slowed down from my younger days, but thankfully have a minimum number of aches and pains. I did have what was called Sciatica which made the five hours in the infusion chair uncomfortable but I started doing some stretching exercises I found on line. Can't say for sure but eventually the Sciatica pain subsided. I still do the exercises every day. Every thing I read seems to agree that at minimum walking is good for your physical and mental health.
Getting old isn't great but it is better than the alternative.

I turn 3/4 of a century in a few months.

I was singing in our church choir when we quit having choir and choir rehearsals in 2020. When we started back, maybe a year later, I noticed that I had aged a good bit over that period of time. It was not as easy to get up into the choir loft. It was as if there was one year in my early 70s that I transformed from a middle-aged person to an old person.

But I can still play my guitars.

Yeah, this is the paper at the NiH that I read put me on hold.  


www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6911674/

Specifically the bowel perforation reference.  Because there are issues in that department I would want to make sure my GI doc and the neurosurgeon are on the same page.  

Let you and your neurosurgeon be the determining factor, I'm just expressing my opinion here as it relates to me.  These procedures exist for a reason.  My hesitancy has a number of components;  other medical issues, financial reasons, timing, etc.  XLIF is still on the table for me, just not now.  

Best of luck.  

Oh, no no no!  If this doesn't work out, like I can't move, and I'm in irretractable pain, I'm going to need someone to blame, and cuss at (at least for the therapeutic value)!







Ha, ha.  Just kidding, of course.  No, I extensively research all my health conditions and medical/surgical remedies.  I'll probably drive the neurosurgeon nuts.  Anyway, nothing will happen soon; I will have been waiting for this initial consultation for at least two months and the appointment visit time is only 20 minutes long.  (I suppose this isn't too bad, considering I had to wait five months for my dermatology visit; glad I didn't have a melanoma....)

This back pain topic is not new here at Moe's.  I always track this stuff.  Here are three links (FYI) that some guys here directly or indirectly provided over the last couple of years or so.  I have only skimmed the info; will revisit & study critically:

sonospinesurgery.com/

www.spine-health.com/treatment/back-surgery/microdiscectomy-microdecompression-spine-surgery

coflexsolution.com/

Your symptoms are more widespread but similar to mine (limited to feet, but progressing).  I figure there's a chance daily decompression can resolve most symptoms, maybe halt this problem (spinal stenosis / intervertebral foraminal stenosis).  I'm going to hand my neurosurgeon a Sharpie marker and ask him to put an "X" on the vertebral spine that is in "mild degenerative retrolisthesis L4 on L5" so I can identify it.   I'm thinking of buying a chiropractic spine adjusting tool and have my wife gently work that vertebra back into place over a few months' time.  (You can buy anything on eBay.)  Or wear an elastic back brace for a few hours a day with particular pressure on that vertebra (maybe stick a big cotton ball under the brace in that spot); kind of like going to the orthodontist.  Well, I brainstorm extensively.

Your pal,

Walter Mitty

I have to brace/stabilize myself before I sneeze. If I fail to do so, mt L5 reminds me that I should have.

I had two CO-FLEX implants about five years ago, saved my life as far as I'm concerned. My pain, even with surgery, was better right outa the box. Been mostly pain free ever since. I can't say enough good about it.
coflexsolution.com/

Here’s something for you guys to think about.

One of my best friends, going back to the early ‘60s, was my guitar-playing partner (he is like a Rolodex of material) in a weekly jam session we did up until COVID shut us down. Towards the end of our sessions he started developing lung issues where he made a trip or two to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN where he was diagnosed with interstitial lung disease and was, eventually (about a year ago) put on supplemental oxygen. Mayo said the fix was to do a lung transplant, but, at his age they didn’t know if they’d be able to re-start his heart so, thus, the oxygen and we now watch him fade.

During October of last year some of us friends went to his home and we had a little jam session since he doesn’t leave the house anymore and a good time was had by all. In January when we got together he had lost a bit more ground and it was apparent that singing was beginning to be a bit taxing. I have not visited since but I’m told he can’t pick up the guitar anymore and singing is a no go.

Things can sneak up on you so gradually no never realize you’re slowing down until it’s too late.

I just set this harness up and tried it. I had to do a lot of adjusting; it feels like a torture device -- it's difficult to relax your core muscles and allow the spine to stretch out when it's so uncomfortable. No matter how carefully I wrap the harness around my chest, it always, eventually, slides up to the armpits --very uncomfortable. I'm sure as I continue to use it I will learn to strap in with better results.

It seems unlikely that any of you guys will purchase one of these. But just in case... The eBay seller did not list a choice of sizes, so I figured it was a "universal" size. They sent me a Large, which works, but I think a Medium would have been a little better; not worth returning/exchanging. I saw other, more expensive variations of this harness that had padding at the armpit areas.... should have spent more money an gotten one of those (mine was about $52, the cheapest I could find). I think that something like an inflated tire innertube might work and be a lot more comfortable; put your arms through and hang by your armpits. Hanging by the bar directly would seem like a good idea, but it takes a lot of strength to hang there for more than a few seconds. Forty years ago I could do around eight pullups; I'm down to 1/2 now.... ;-(

A couple of famous chiropractors on YouTube suggest using individual handles attached to a wall (they sell them along with mounting backets), and then hanging by your arms. Maybe this would be better.... I have no place (no wall space) where I can install handles and use them, so I opted for this harness.

About 50 years ago, a lab partner in school was goofing around and while my back was turned towards him, he quickly gave me a bear hug and jerked me up and off my feet; a total, unexpected surprise. I could feel my back stretching out in an instant. I was fairly young and did not have any back discomfort, but man, my back felt so, so good at that moment of stretching, and for the next 10 minutes or so.