Back up and going thanks. Still a bit stiff at times. Went to grab a large pail of spackle the other day. Put it down and bought the small one even though double the price for the volume. Discretion was the better part of valor. Figured I may not be able to do the spackle repair for the tenant when I get there.
Some days I’m dying for a short paddle but walks, ramp, and floaters are all iced up.
I am a 77 y.o. female and still move like I did at 20. I am very active, canoeing, paddleboarding, lots and lots of walking, digging holes for new trees, plants, hauling rocks to make new garden beds, etc. Energy is very slightly reduced and annual check-ups about most of my doc visits. it certainly is not the results of my behaviour, eating or otherwise, but nothing special I have done except to have picked the right parents. For those peeps out there that think the rocking chair is where we belong, I say go paddle yourself.
It is better to wear out, than to rust out." my Mom.
Keep moving. Keep trying something new and keep doing what you have always done.
At 70 I developed some heart issues. Got the rhythm reset, 3 good drugs. Now I hike out behind the house 4-5 days a week. After two and half months I am now able to walk up hills without getting out of breath. Big change.
I am 68 and had a heart attack 9 months ago. Three stents later I have a sea kayak on order and I still got 2500 miles in on my bike not to mention many miles hiking. I fear that if I ever stop then that would be it.
Keep on keeping on. The best way to go out is at full steam ahead!
I just had my annual physical. Same Doc for years. He listened to my chest, then did it again, then had a med school student listen. Then he says to me " Tell me about your heart murmur." WHAT HEART MURMER!
He said it may just be wear; sposed to send me for an echocardiogram.
In the mean time , I’m about to start paddling.
@string
Um - if this is the same doc you have had for years, shouldn’t he have been telling you about your heart murmur?? Wondering if it is the doc that is suffering from wear and tear.
FWIW, while they can require more care like being careful of dental surgery, a lot of heart murmurs are very minor and benign. I have occasionally seen a quizzical look cross doctors’ faces now for decades when they listen to my heart. I just tell them that someone has heard what maybe could be a slight heart murmur for a lot of years… That has never turned into anything definitive.
Years ago. My doctor asked, “How long have you had high blood pressure?”.
So I replied, “About 10 seconds doc.”
Celia, I wondered about that but he had a much younger set of ears listen. In spite of the caps in my post, I’m not losing any sleep over it.
Good for you, string. Could be the murmur appeared since your last visit as they can develop later in life.
What hearts do murmur
oft’s not straight dope
for those eavesdropping
through stethoscope
or to miss a beat
when with whats there’s wear
to hide deep in chests
the pirate won’t share
nor cares to give
in last call with leisure
of that doctored time
which walks its beat in measure
Just tell the doc it was more of a murmuration, as your heart was all aflutter over darling Clementine Starling.
When I moved to Michigan in 1996 I had to find a new vet for my two 5 year old cats. The first one I took them to for routine annual shots announced in a tone of great concern that one of the tuxedo brothers had a “serious heart murmur” and insisted that I should leave him with her for further tests. I asked her what the testing would determine should be “done” about it and what it would cost. She quoted $400 but waffled on describing any treatment so I told her I would get back to her.
When I got home I called the vet from back “home” that I had trusted for over 20 years and many prior pets and told him about the conversation. He asked if the vet appeared to be in a new practice and when I told it appeared to be a fancy new office he said she probably needs the money she would get from pricey tests. He pointed out there would be no “treatment” that would correct a heart murmur anyway. I asked what the diagnosis meant for the cat and he said that as it got older I might notice it got tired more easily but since old cats mostly sleep anyway his clients over the years had never noticed any behavior changes with cats with murmurs.
I ignored the new vet’s continued urgings for a round of tests, and found a different local vet who had the same attitude as my old one back home. That cat lived to be a ripe and lively 18, the same age as his littermate who did not have a “serious murmer”.
My daughter’s college roommate went for a physical just before she was getting married. She had been going to her family Doc since childhood. The new Doc heard a heart anomaly that turned out to be a hole that had to be repaired.
If he hadn’t heard it, she would have probably died during her first pregnancy.
I was going to a doc because I had a knee healing. Tore it open skiing… Had a drain and all that fun stuff. Had to go for about 12 weeks during the day. I made the appointments for my lunch HOUR and fudged my way to be there early every time. Doc says, “you might want to look at your high blood pressure. It is high every single time we took it, except one that is normal. I wonder why that is?” I said “Let me see the chart” He handed it to me, and I said, “Well that is the only time you saw me on time.”
Yesterday, just yesterday, I ported at Lake Havasu State Park, Lake Havasu City, Arizona, after 120 plus miles of the Colorado River, starting up near the Hoover Dam. Slept cowboy several nights,(tarp and blanket) normally a tent. Twice, motel rooms. Windy, very windy miles as few as 0 or 3 per day, as much as 22 miles. Wilderness, finding a beach to camp on, bad food, temps as low as 22F and as high as 90+F , snow, frost, and blazing sun, and often within hours of each other.
I turn 69 later this week. There ain’t nothin’ graceful about it. Drove 250 miles to get a Covid shot appointment, and I’ll drive the same miles to get the second dose. I do not know if my heart will last, it won’t, I know it. No doctor need diagnose anything. It is what and where it is.
And the mistake, the huge mistake, is not doing it ,because it might risk your heart or health.
If you are trying to save your life, what the f*** are you saving it for? Sitting in a chair, not going out to paddle is FAR more dangerous than going out to paddle. Saving my life involves paddling the Green or Colorado, the Huron or Mainistique. I am not saving my life, I am spending it. And you get better by doing, healthier, stronger, than by not doing, bored, fat,
Graceful,?? There ain’t nothin’ graceful about it.
Well said paddler!! Paddle on!
Love this question. An English friend of my father’s used to say ‘ it isn’t the golden years dearie, it’s the rusty years. I’m inclined to believe her. Do as much of what you can while you can. We got into paddling after the kids were grown and flown. Had a boat and a blowup kayak , which was actually useless but fun. Changed to trailer camping and got kayaks. Now my camping reservations require good paddling spots. Retirement allows us to book spots through the week. Sometimes a good dose of glucosamine helps the joints recover. A campfire and a good drink at the end of the day cures many aches.
no paddles lately, except the one in the truck I use to clear snow, but newfound retirement is kicking my butt. Deck repair, painting, Sunday hauling home 3000 pounds of pavers and sand, yesterday got 4 landings done, and started brainfarting on the straightaway…got another 3 cord of wood split by hand, and threw the stumps into the island of trees over the past 10 days as well. Went to bed last night, chock full of cbd and an inversion table session, went to roll to ease my achy back, and one leg cramped up. Rolled to adjust…and the other leg cramped…today is “truckload to the dump, cashiers check at the bank, back to the sidewalk, and clear the driveway to make room for the motorhome I get tomorrow, 'cuz retirement is an endless vacation, right??” Feel good right now, ready to rock and roll again.
As for high blood pressure; I’ve had it for decades. Quit the meds as they didn’t seem to work, and quit the doctors 2 years ago when they misdiagnosed an infection that nearly killed me. Firm believer in nano silver (ionexx.com), olive leaf extract, and proper nutrition, omegas, magnesium, vitamins etc… I can still run…uh, jog, 6 miles an hour, for an hour, without breathing hard…and that’s my health test every week or so.
Haw? I know that feeling. Retired nearly six years ago. Told a friend recently I’m thinking about going back to work. Yes, all I did working was sit inside, drink coffee, talk on the phone, tap on the computer and sign things. Now that I’m retired I’m doing things that make me sweat all the time. I need to go back to work to rest/recover… … or not. 
