if you didn't know

May as well enter this health true- confessions session. My only son, age 46, died this past March from ideopathic pulmonary fibrosis. He never smoked one cigarette during his life. IPF has no known etiology, and no viable treatment. The only way to prolong life is to have a lung transplant, which he chose not to do.

I play bridge with a 93 year old woman who smoked for over 60 years. She quit 10 years ago. The oldest man in the world lives in Great Falls, Montana. He is 113 years old! His favorite food is liver and onions. The only medicine he takes is one baby aspirin per day.

I'm pushing 75 this coming summer, had a heart attack in 1994 (have a defibrillator and pace maker), the prostate roto rooter treatment in 2003, and now diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Yet I hiked 10 miles this summer at 8,000 feet and did one ascent of 1,400 feet. Still have my original knees and hips.

The discomfort claimed by some when the colon is scoped, is IMO, greatly exaggerated, unless you aren't being anesthetized. Darn it, Bill, my urologist has short, fat fingers.

I had my annual heart checkup today, and like a Timex, it still is ticking away. My cardiologist believes that genetics and luck trump diets, pills, exercise, and prayers. But of course I have to thank our absolutely wonderful health professionals who have intervened at critical times to keep me upright.

My only real concern now (when it comes to boating) is both recognizing and accepting the decision to turn over the helm to someone else when the time comes.
John
 
Marcia - all I can say is Wow! You must be very pleased with yourself and I'm sure you are feeling more energetic too!

Yellowstone":27d0e3m4 said:
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My cardiologist believes that genetics and luck trump diets, pills, exercise, and prayers. But of course I have to thank our absolutely wonderful health professionals who have intervened at critical times to keep me upright.
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I would agree that genetics and luck have a lot to do with things but all you have to do is to look at map of heart disease death rates and you quickly realize that the map correlates with a map of high fat diets, obesity and rates of cigarette smoking- e.g. genetics can't explain the concentration of heart disease death rates in the south but behavior can.
 
And then you get the natives in the colder parts of the world like iceland who subsist on mainly animal fat and they have very low incidence. I vote for genetics for #1.
 
Localboy,
My boys are the coolest and most fun people I know. It's easy to do it (so far) at my age because they make it rewarding. It's a responsibility and a blessing at the same time. We had an eye opener with our youngest when he was young. Diagnosed with a coarctation of the aorta, eight days later we were in Portland having part of his aorta removed and stitched back together. They went in through his back, opened him up carving all the way around his shoulder blade. He spent his birthday and the next five days in ICU at Legacy Emanual (wonderfull people). After having to seriously consider what I would do if I lost a child (and I truly feel for those who have) it is easy to keep them #1.
 
I should have mentioned, just for effect, that the birthday he spent in the hospital was his first birthday. Don't know if it is coincidence or not but, four years later he is the biggest dare devil we have on our place. Kind of like he has stared death in it's face and there is nothing left for him to fear. Always in trouble, always laughing, our resident Dennis the menace. Gotta laugh, his older brother just rolls his eyes and tries to keep him out of harms way. Forgive me if I'm getting too personal. Truly, it is all good here with these two boys.
 
Don't forget to have your PSA & DRE (the finger thing) done every year. My highest PSA was 3.7 but......I had the big C.

Just man up and get over the DRE. No big deal. I have had 30 of them.

It saved my life 2 1/2 yrs ago and made having 2 new knees and 2 new hips worth while.

Geeeezzzzz............I am a wreck.
 
Another test to get taken care of, especially with us being on the water and outside in the sun, is a dermatology visit. Even in the cabin of the C-Dory, we get a lot of reflection. If you wear glasses, and not sun glasses, your eyes can develop the melanoma too. I lost my dad to skin cancer, it is vicious one. An early visit allows monitoring of "questionable" moles and freckles and gives the doc a baseline to determine whether the growth is normal, or not so normal.

I was putting that off, despite the family history, because it is scary. The wife stepped in and made the appt for me.
 
TIVO..........

An excellent suggestion. As I type this a good friend, in Victoria, BC, is at the oncologist due to a melanoma skin cancer found last week in an "after thought" visit to the Dr.
This guy cruises all summer out of Victoria and spends the winter in the Az. sunshine. He has very fair skin and reddish hair.

So it is:
1. colonoscopy
2. PSA & DRE
3. skin cancer check.

Then you are good to go. Otherwise it is just a crap shoot and could seriously shorten or curtail your boating season.
 
"How old would you be if you didn't know how old you were?"


-- Satchel Paige




"Rules for Staying Young"
Paige's rules originally appeared in the June 13, 1953 issue of Collier's. The version below is taken from his autobiography Maybe I'll Pitch Forever (as told to David Lipman, 1962):

"Avoid fried meats which angry up the blood."
"If your stomach disputes you, lie down and pacify it with cool thoughts."
"Keep the juices flowing by jangling around gently as you move."
"Go very light on the vices, such as carrying on in society—the social ramble ain't restful."
"Avoid running at all times."
"And don't look back—something might be gaining on you."
 
Roger Wrote: To me, the biggest thing is making sure I sweat (and work hard) for about 6-8 hours/week
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I agree with Roger - it is all in consistency and desire. My suggestion would be to do an exercise (whatever that may be) that makes you sweat (sweating is key) and do that everyday (no days off regardless) until it becomes part of your lifestyle (then you can add days off, but you'll see that you don't want to many days off). Sometimes finding the time in your day is more of the problem. Five years ago I started running again after taking 20 years off (needed a rest I guess), I ran thru many leg pains for the first 2 months but after that I've been injury free for almost 5 years.

I'm addicted to exercise (run, bike, swim, mtb, etc) now - before I had problems finding time for a 15 minute run - now I sometimes workout 18+ hours a week during my peak training weeks.
 
Sorry not to have jumped in on this sooner. As for the Colonscopy prep--there are some newer ones a bit more gentle than "go lightly". But a full clean out is still essential. The problem with the virtual colonscopy is that if a suspect place is "seen" it will not be certain if it is material which is retained, an artifact or a real disease process. Then the colonscopy has to be done. I get mine on a regular basis, and have had both with and without anesthetic--the technique of the proctologist is partilly key to the discomfort level.

As far as general health: First staying near the ideal weight, regular exercies--at least 20 minutes each day, eating healthy, avoiding smoking, exesses of alcohol and risky behavior puts you on the right track. Getting regular check ups also helps prevent disease, but no guarantee that you might not have a heart attack the next day. Genetics certainly do play a role. In my family every male has had a heart attack by age 50 in the last 3 generations. Despite regular exercise, staying at an ideal weight and a good diet, I had mine at 50. We will see if drugs like the cholesterol lowering drugs will prevent this in the next generation.

Don't put off getting medical care, if you have something which is suspect.
We know of all too many people who waited until it was too late for effective treatment.
 
just an update on my original post, but first i hope all of you have continued with your health programs and have seen positive results. so, while i was hoping to compete in the 2010 mr. northern ky body building contest, masters over 60, it just didn't happen although i did attend as a spectator, and what a great time i had. there were over 300 contestants, male and female, many age groups and classes. this is one of the largest shows in the u.s. not the best but certainly, largest. i had the pleasure of watching a young man, contestant, mid to late 20's, missing his left leg, from the knee down, and yes, had lost his leg in iraq while serving the in u.s. army. he looked great and the audience gave him the applause he deserved. this year there were 8 male contestants in the over 60 group, last year there were only 2 and next year they are expecting 12 to 15. so, what the hell happened to me, not that bad, dropped from 214 down to 190 but didn't like the lost of weight and strength, didn't want to drop any more, which would have been necessary, so decided to postpone until 2011. now back up to 208 and working to increase that to 215 to 220. it's a long, slow process. i have post several current pictures and will update those from time to time. i'm looking forward to this upcoming boating season, and wish you guys health, wealth and a fantastic 2010 boating experience.
pat
 
OMG, Pat!!! I feel like Danny DiVito in twins, looking at Arnold Schwartzenager. I have spent years cultivating the "cushy look." You look amazing in those photos, but chicks dig this style that I have carefully crafted... they swoon as I walk by... I can hear them say, "Oh, look at him. He looks like he has never done an honest day's work in his life. He must be a good provider."

Or something like that. :roll:

Congrats on sculpting yourself. If you didn't feel you'd be competitive, I can't image what the other guys looked like.

I might be able to do that kind of work, but it's easier to convince Joan that 6-pack abs are passe', and the "keg" abs are the newest look. 8)

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
patrick and linda":331c4lyr said:
... i wonder if there is an interest in this second part of my post, and if so, how might we help each other accomplish our goals, of improving our strength and condition, as we grow older? is old and weak optional?
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Well, I really don't understand what you mean by "weak," but will suggest that just getting out and walking, if and as you can, is a great way to help yourself maintain general good health.

Here's my story.

I am approaching my 66th birthday. Among my lifelong passions has been hiking, enough so that I often have referred to it as my "life sport." (That was a label used by my high school gym teacher, who advised me and my classmates to find physical activities that we could pursue for a lifetime, to maintain our well-being. It was good advice.)

But a couple of years ago -- early 2008 -- I became pretty sedentary, and had put on considerable weight. I felt lousy, often fatigued, and often was short of breath. "When the weather improves I'll hike myself back into shape, and things will be better," I thought.

Didn't happen.

Things got worse, and finally near the end of summer 2008 I caved in and went to my doctor. Doc ordered a variety of tests and specialized exams. I fully expected to be diagnosed with some degree of congestive heart failure, given my weight, etc.

When the diagnosis came back, it turned out that I have lung cancer, in stage IV. (Still do, and continue with treatments aimed at "holding the line" on it. But that's another story.) More important, I was told that my heart was "that of an athlete's," strong, and solid. My underlying health was pretty good, it turned out, positioning me well to withstand the rigors of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatments that lay ahead.

Doc attributed my generally robust health to ... my hiking. Just getting out for vigorous walks whenever I could.

So I advocate walking for health, to the extent you can do it.

As for the colonoscopy exams? They are, as others have noted, pretty much a cakewalk, even if the prep can be a little unpleasant (actually, more like inconvenient). So, I advocate following doctors' recommendations as to frequency. In dealing with cancer it always is best to be ahead of the game.

Thing to watch out for with the colonoscopy prep, I am told, is that some of the laxatives can be pretty rough on kidney function. So if you have any kidney issues, make sure you discuss them with your doc before he prescribes the prep.

(This kidney business is of special interest to me. In the course of being poked and probed and otherwise examined in scoping out my lung cancer, one of the scans revealed one of my kidneys is missing -- probably never developed before birth. So I am now a little protective of the one that's left!)

Above all, treasure and do what you can to protect your good health if you have it. Adapt to infirmities if they develop. And live life to the fullest every day, 'cause you never know what's just around the next bend ...

Dick Bolton
 
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