Getting old sucks.....

[Sunfish]

I have had my share of issues with ailments and disease. Hard not to see all the folks far worse off than me. I have good insurance and a family support system that I'm very thankful for   

[xsubsailor]

Since this seems to be a thread for us old farts, how many of you remember these 

 

And finally, early power steering 

[bigun]

16 minutes ago, xsubsailor said:

Since this seems to be a thread for us old farts, how many of you remember these 

 

And finally, early power steering 

I must be really old cause I remember them all

 

[bersaguy]

Well I have read a bunch of ailments here and I will be the first to say that getting old is part of life. I have been told that all my life. The part they left out was the aches and pains that came with the getting old part. I feel blessed every day when I wake up and am able to put my feet on the floor and stand up. Yea , it hurts like hell when I begin snapping all my joints back in shape so I can actually walk and use my arms but a doctor told me back in 1978 that I would go through that if I lived to be older. He was telling me that getting smashed between a pickup truck and a brick wall with the truck going about 30 MPH could not have been a pleasant thing I would like to do every day. I think he was trying to be a comedian and get a smile out of me. That did happen to me back in 1978 and after 5 major abdominal surgeries and numerous broken bones repaired and spleen removal among other things and over 400 x-rays I should glow in the dark I'm still here.

I did spend from April 17th to December 15th in the hospital fighting infections. Since then I have undergone 4 more surgeries for hernias caused by my weak abdominal wall from the truck and being a mechanic 25 + years. In 1990 my last hernia repair was the end of my working career as the doctor had to rebuilt my inner abdominal wall with 30 square inches of Mylex mesh that is stitched into my body with stainless steel thread. I have had an abdominal aneurism repaired and under went open heart triple by pass surgery 2.5 years ago.  The doctor that caught my case back in 1978 told me because I was a young man my recovery would be good until about age 50 and about that time I would begin feeling that truck. He was off by about 5 years. I really began feeling the effects of the truck at age 55 and it had gradually gotten worse. I have really felt many more effects since the open heart surgery. I never needed a cane to walk any long distances and now I do but I have come to terms with the fact that with all my body has been through and I am now 72 years old I have finally accepted the fact that I am better off than many others and I will not complain about the aches and pains but just be happy with what I still am able to do  

[Grand Torino]

42 minutes ago, xsubsailor said:

Since this seems to be a thread for us old farts, how many of you remember these 

 

And finally, early power steering 

I remember it all....as a kid growing up in the 50's we had a store much like that not 2 miles from our house. I loved that place. Old Mr Timmons was always good for a piece of hard candy from the big jar on the counter.

And yes...my first car had a suicide knob on it.

[hipower]

1 hour ago, bigun said:

I must be really old cause I remember them all

 

Before my time. Really.

Did have one little diner where I grew up that was similar to these pics. No soda fountain though. Kinda wish I could have experienced those.

Now about that power steering thingamabob...I have seen many of those. Think my grandfather had one in his truck and later in his 64 Olds.

[BHunted]

2 hours ago, xsubsailor said:

Since this seems to be a thread for us old farts, how many of you remember these 

And finally, early power steering 

Called that the Suicide Knob. Was outlawed in a lot of places many years later...

[DWARREN123]

I got things wrong but there are a lot of folks much more worse off than me, I thank GOD everyday for what I have had, what I have and for what I will have.

GOD bless all you old farts!

[Raoul]

10 hours ago, A.J. Holst said:

Hero status

The dude abides.....ha!

[owejia]

Still use those spinners on my tractor steering wheels, only need one hand to turn the wheel while using the other to operate joy stick or remote valve controls. Really handy when loading and moving large hay rolls or grading with the loader bucket.

[hipower]

5 hours ago, DWARREN123 said:

I got things wrong but there are a lot of folks much more worse off than me, I thank GOD everyday for what I have had, what I have and for what I will have.

GOD bless all you old farts!

Amen brother!

[Quavodus]

Bersaguy, I admire your strength and determination. Your tough, that's for sure. 

[Guest BCR#1]

I guess I'm blessed as I'll be 66 on 7/4 and all I take every day to survive are three over the counter supplements. Except for two old bullet wounds and two useless fingers on my left hand, I can pretty much do anything I've been doing my whole life but just a little slower the last few years.

Being healthy and retired is turning out to be fun as I shoot twice a week at least and now night fishing since it turned too hot for daytime. I'm going to enjoy these years while I still can.

Bill

[tnhawk]

Years ago I asked my older coworker why the first thing he read in the newspaper every day was the obituaries.  His response was if his name was listed, he wasn't doing nothing that day.

[tacops]

I realized I hadn't seen a Doctor in the last 10 years except for colonoscopy's and figured since I had passed 60 I had better find one I could call mine in case I had to have one.  So last Friday I went to a Doctor for initial consultation and general review.  So when he came in the room he asked what I was there for and I told him the above and coupled with the fact that I was getting old and for the last couple of years I had been a biscuit away from 200 pounds and wanted to lose some weight.  I then asked him how long he had been doctoring.  He seemed a little put off by that but then started giving me a full run down on his education and experience.  I stopped him and explained I just wanted to find a Doctor that was going to out last me so I didn't have to find another one.  He laughed and told me to get on the scale.  I must have eaten the biscuit...with jelly.  He told me to cut the carbs and limit the sugar, and after review of my blood work he told me to come back when I needed a Doctor.  I have the same aches and pains any old dude like me can expect, bad knees, bum shoulder, stiff joints etc. but I was never too easy on myself between multiple collapsed lungs and several broken bones etc. in my younger days, so I just feel blessed to be in the shape I am so far.  If I can just drop 25 to 30 pounds I will be happy.  Even without my ice cream, sweet tea and mashed potatoes.

[Dirtshooter]

On 6/9/2020 at 12:22 PM, BHunted said:

Called that the Suicide Knob. Was outlawed in a lot of places many years later...

We called them knuckle busters too. I was watching a youtube video on boating the other day and saw a center console Coast guard boat and it had a spinner on it. Don't know if I ever saw one on a boat. Did you notice the cash register .05 and dime. Stuff sure was cheaper back then, I recall around '63 I could walk into the  Western auto store and get a box of .22 shorts for $0.39. And the kicker was nobody thought that odd at all!!! Those of us that grew up in the 50's and 60's have a lot to be thankful for!!

[Quavodus]

I remember the spinner/suicide knobs. Theres even a material handler at work that's got one on his forklift. There is an old pharmacy in Burkesville, Ky. that used to have bar stools like that but, I guess the soda fountain levers had been took out. At least as far back as I remember. The building is still there but, its not a pharmacy anymore. Its kind of a museum now.

[jpx2rk]

I've got a "knob" on my fishing boat with a 60 hp.  Makes it mo better IMO.  

[bersaguy]

On 6/10/2020 at 12:52 AM, Quavodus said:

Bersaguy, I admire your strength and determination. Your tough, that's for sure. 

Thank you Quavodus but I wouldn't say I was tough. I think having a wife and  two bay boys depending on me was what drove me the most. I was hurt while at work so I was getting workmen's comp pay but it was hard for my wife to stretch that with two boys eating everything in site.....LOL. Between workers Comp and truck owners insurance all my medical bills were paid and I hired a lawyer to sue the guys insurance company and we won in the 1st court and they appealed and we won in the second court and they appealed again and I learned later before it ever got into the third and final court hat my lawyer without my permission filed a Non-suit and the case was dropped and my former lawyer became a corporate lawyer for the Aetna Insurance company which was the Insurance company we were fighting and beating in court. They bought my lawyer off and put him to work and all I got was a 15% permanent disability settlement from Workers Comp. I tried to hire another lawyer to sue Aetna and the lawyer I could not find a lawyer back then that would sue a fellow lawyer so I just lost 1.3 million because that is what the lawsuit was for and we were very close to winning. Life is what it is and I made sure my family was cared for and went back to work before I was released by the doctor but was close to losing a few things like house and car...LOL.

[pop pop]

Tough road Bersaguy. I just spent 7 days cooking for 11 to 13, 2 meals per day, and camping in an RV for 7 days. Am experiencing pine in my neck, for the past 4 days, since returning home. Feels like a stiff neck but is not. Afraid it is nerve pain because it has not subsided much. I am 72 also.  Have had neck fusion 2 times and hoping this will go away w/out surgery but is very debilitating for now. Also experiencing agent orange poisoning for my time in Vietnam and all that goes along with that. Also had knee replacement 3 years ago.

Life in older years is tough for most.  

[Ray Z]

7 hours ago, bersaguy said:

Thank you Quavodus but I wouldn't say I was tough. I think having a wife and  two bay boys depending on me was what drove me the most. I was hurt while at work so I was getting workmen's comp pay but it was hard for my wife to stretch that with two boys eating everything in site.....LOL.s

My boys are now 40 and 44. But while they were living at home it was a constant competition to see if Bonnie and I could keep food in the fridge. They would eat it before it got cold. Greg it my size and not much extra around the waist. Brian is 6'4" and fairly lean. But whenever they come over for a visit they hit the fridge first before they sit down.  

[bersaguy]

Just now, Ray Z said:

My boys are now 40 and 44. But while they were living at home it was a constant competition to see if Bonnie and I could keep food in the fridge. They would eat it before it got cold. Greg it my size and not much extra around the waist. Brian is 6'4" and fairly lean. But whenever they come over for a visit they hit the fridge first before they sit down.  

I use to ask my boys if they had hollow legs that they were feeding. They were only 13 months apart in age and both very active in Sports so they were always hungry.....LOL!

[xsubsailor]

Edited June 16, 2020 by xsubsailor

[Jeb48]

Sorry wrong thread.

 

Edited June 16, 2020 by Jeb48

[Randall53]

It certainly does suck. I’ve had back issues for over twenty years. Bulging discs. Three of them. A week ago last Thursday I had to go to the ER at 2 am. I could barely breathe due to muscle spasms from the disc issues. Since then I’m about 95% back to normal. I’m ready to get back to night fishing!