I hate getting old, and it worries me if SHTF that I won't be up to it

[CoastRange57]

Exactly, adjust your tactics. Older folks have much to offer. Our experience and knowledge can help younger, more physically capable people how to avoid missteps that are detrimental to the mission, whatever that mission might be. We can also contribute in many, many ways; building a sheltering structure, planning a Victory Garden, childcare for the youngest, reloading magazines, meal preparation, security measures, communications such as ham radio, weapon construction, repair and modification, etc. Whatever you've got, bring it to the party!

Exactly. In our family / friends group I am the ham radio guy, the one who knows how to grow food, to run excavation equipment, animal husbandry. Despite what many may think us grey hairs ( if I had any) go a lot going on still. In our tactical plan I take the high ground 300 meters back from anybody else and make sure they are not messed with.

 

[cookie]

WOW fellas. We are watching too many movies.

 

[Colts4me]

I am sure I won't have a plan in a SHTF, everything will be moment by moment with the hope I can find cover to fight back from. I would not look for trouble, it just isn't my way but at this age I have an entire different outlook. I would have a great deal of fear just like any sane man would but I will do the job anyway. Old people like me do fear death but not near as much as those not so close to it.

 

[Colts4me]

WOW fellas. We are watching too many movies.

Watched Spartacus today, cast of thousands.

 

[GOG]

I am Spartacus.

 

[Colts4me]

I am Spartacus.

I heard that, everyone has been saying you are or they said you need a sparkplug. Old people' hearing

 

[Defense Minister]

Boy, howdy, do I know that getting older sucks. Now, for the record, I'm not "old" yet. I'm 48, but it's painfully obvious that I'm not 18 anymore. Listening to all of you I feel very blessed as my circulatory and respiratory systems are very healthy and strong, but like the OP I have lower back problems at times from years of construction and lifting heavy crates of milk and cases of other beverages in glass containers. When a disk flares up, the pain from pressure on the nerve can be temporarily debilitating and being a self-reliant guy it worries me, especially since it comes on suddenly without any particular incident having caused it and could be very untimely in the event I have to walk home from somewhere.

I'm in a management position now and spend most of my time at my desk which has its own set of drawbacks. I work in a multi-story building with other multi-story buildings nearby that I have business in, so I make a point of always taking the stairs and walking to the other buildings when I need to go there. For strength exercises I do 100 push-ups every other night in 3 sets and on the alternating nights I do (3) 2-minute planks because they are great at helping prevent lower back injuries (yes, sometimes I skip a night). I also have steep hills in my neighborhood and try and take the dog for a walk up and down those hills while carrying a 20 lb. pack whenever possible.

While I do what I do to try and stay healthy and in reasonably good shape as long as I can, the day will come when I can't do all those things. My hope is that I will take the time and effort to help those around me who are older if the SHTF and I am able to, and that those reading this that are younger will do the same for me if that day comes a little further down the road.

 

[Sstrand]

Not if I have to come to Eugene to help you!?!?!?!?!?!

Sheldon

 

[Core]

Yesterday I was doing some work outside and I was feeling pretty good about myself not hurting, although I am very much out of shape (just carrying a heavy ladder 100 yards had me out of breath - yes, I need to get more exercise).

So I was changing the batteries in some of my motion detector lights. I came inside to get batteries and put them in the light when I turned to leave a room and almost fell down; my knee gave out on me - or rather it was suddenly very painful to try to stand on it. I could barely make it to a chair. Never had that much pain before in my knee/leg. It didn't pop, but my whole leg hurt.

That lasted most of the afternoon and well into the evening. It gradually got better but I kept a cane handy until I went to bed.

It still aches a little as does my lower back and now I am pretty sure it was my back that caused the problem and not the knee itself. I've had problems like this for a while, with them getting more severe over time, especially this last year. Chiropractic and deep tissue massage has helped. I've had xrays and my leg/hip and shoulder joints are okay, but this kind of thing can come on suddenly with something so minor as a strong sneeze throwing out my back and then I have problems walking.

If SHTF and I had to walk home and this happened, I would be stuck. More importantly I would not be able to help my family.

This kind of thing is also a disincentive to getting outside and doing things and getting back in shape - just making things worse.

My uncle had an artery blowout in his leg, he had to have it amputated. They tried four times to re-route it with no luck. It started with the same symptons your describe: it also was numb afterwards. He waited too long to get it checked and he lost it. Get a checkup. If your problem isn't vascular, it sounds like you need to do some serious PT to strengthen your core muscles and cardio to get your lungs up to snuff.

 

[Pandaz3]

I have a ton of health issues, Diabetes, heart disease with a triple bypass then stints a couple of times after that, heart failure (Different than Heart disease) Arterial Fibulation or however it is spelled, neuropathy, Cancer, surgeries and so on, a car crash when I was young that took my brother, about four serious helicopter crashes and two minor. totaled a motorcycle, upper back, neck issues from that, lower back issues from too much weight. Prepping now for Butt-O-Scope number eight tomorrow.
I am losing weight, down 70, 80 to go. Feels better with the weight off.
Still keep plugging though.

 

[Colts4me]

well I can't claim good health, I sleep in a different room than my teeth are in.

 

[Howard1955]

Stolen from Facebook:

Wow. This is a true story

This is what all of us 70+ year-olds, and those yet-to-be have to look forward to!!

This is something that happened at an assisted living center.

The people who lived there have small apartments but they all eat at a central cafeteria. One morning one of the residents didn't show up for breakfast so my wife went upstairs and knocked on his door to see if everything was OK. She could hear him through the door and he said that he was running late and would be down shortly so she went back to the dining area.

An hour later he still hadn't arrived so she went back up towards his room and she found him on the stairs. He was coming down the stairs but was having a hell of time. He had a death grip on the hand rail and seemed to have trouble getting his legs to work right. She told him she was going to call an ambulance but he told her no, he wasn't in any pain and just wanted to have his breakfast. So she helped him the rest of the way down the stairs and he had his breakfast.

When he tried to return to his room he was completely unable to get up even the first step so they called an ambulance for him. A couple hours later she called the hospital to see how he was doing. The receptionist there said he was fine, he just had both of his legs in one leg of his boxer shorts.

I am sending this to my children so that they don't sell the house before they know all the facts.

 

[Pandaz3]

So I am still kicking after my Eighth Butt-O-Scope, (because the last one five months ago had poor results) hoped this one to be better, but it wasn't. Oh well, I will get thru whatever needs to be done. Find it early, eradicate it.

 

[Captain O]

So I am still kicking after my Eighth Butt-O-Scope, (because the last one five months ago had poor results) hoped this one to be better, but it wasn't. Oh well, I will get thru whatever needs to be done. Find it early, eradicate it.

It is how it works, isn't it?

 

[Pandaz3]

It is how it works, isn't it?

I have been paying attention and working on the biggest serious problems first, for 25 years and I'm still here to take care of them, so I seem to have the formula.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Lots of good advice given in this thread, some of which I need to take myself. I belonged to a gym for years and let the membership lapse, which was probably a mistake. But, the company I work for built a very nice workout room with some expensive equipment - treadmills, ellipticals, stationary bikes, weight machine, free weights - even put in mirrors so you can watch your form and some posters of exercises, etc. for info. We've got onsite showers too. And it's all free - I can use it any time, even use part of my work day to do it -it's considered a perk of the job and is highly encouraged for all employees. Really no excuse other than just getting started. Got my old gym bag out about 2 weeks ago and cleaning it up to help get myself back in the mindset of exercising regularly again.

Question for those of you that do regular exercise on machines: I like the elliptical for cardio, but, I start getting pain in my hips after using them for a while. Might just be my build, joints, etc. but curious if anyone has thoughts on that. I don't normally have hip pain or joint issues (thankfully) in knees, hips, elbows, shoulders, but the elliptical brings it out in my hips. Maybe just a machine I can't use? Thoughts?

As to the SHTF part of the question, my main goal is to get home and stay home in an SHTF scenario. I far prefer bugging in to bugging out. So my biggest obstacle is getting home if I'm away from home when it, whatever 'it' is, happens. I know I can hike the distance, just not at a pace that's going to set any records. My bag is packed as such - planning from 1-4 days to get home depending on how far away I am and depending on what obstacles may be in the way on that path.

Just go easy and steady up I guess.
I never had "problems" with my hips, knees etc. but a ways (10 years) back I got a crick in my front hip tendon and could barely walk for a month or so.. pretty much out of the blue/absolutely no reason so I'd say ease into anything and pray to the tendon gods. lol
but do it hard! lol

 

[Colts4me]

I am gonna help some of you old timers the same way I was helped and I thank God I found out about this. A lot of back problems and hip problems and knee problems come from not having orthodics in your shoes. I swear the relief is just too great to believe but a cheap way to find out if bad feet is your problem is get some insoles from one of those foot care displays in the store.

Now if your pain lessens then get a real foot doctor and have him make some orthodics built to your feet. How many guys do you think got knee replacements when it was there feet that was the real problem? I broke my feet down with a lot of walking in my life and man did I hurt from the low back on down. Not any more.

 

[olddanshooter]

A friend was recently diagnosed with Bile duct cancer. Late '50's, in great shape, 26 year Air Force veteran, always felt great so hadn't gone for a regular checkup for 5 years. Docs said they could've picked up a trend of his cancer if he'd been doing annual checkups and treated his condition with medications prior to it becoming cancer.

Big wake up call. While I went to the doc last year and this year, I hadn't been in 4 years. Will go every year from here on out.

Even the fittest of us can come down with the nasty. Stay safe out there my friends.

While I used to bust on him for being in the "Chair Force" and still calling it Military, I've given him a pass recently. Hope I'll be able to change that tune, but this isn't an easy one for him.

 

[etrain16]

I am gonna help some of you old timers the same way I was helped and I thank God I found out about this. A lot of back problems and hip problems and knee problems come from not having orthodics in your shoes. I swear the relief is just too great to believe but a cheap way to find out if bad feet is your problem is get some insoles from one of those foot care displays in the store.

Now if your pain lessens then get a real foot doctor and have him make some orthodics built to your feet. How many guys do you think got knee replacements when it was there feet that was the real problem? I broke my feet down with a lot of walking in my life and man did I hurt from the low back on down. Not any more.

I've worn prescription insoles for about 10 years now. Got them after terrible foot pain. Found out I had plantar fasciitis. The insoles completely got rid of the problem. They are a bit spendy, but they last for some years and definitely worth the money. Amazing how quickly they made a difference.

 

[GOG]

I've been quite heartened by this thread. I've been looking at things bass-ackwards.
Old age and cunning and all that, I'm at my BOL, I'm armed to the teeth and I'm grumpy.