Hello anyone here who is old. I'm 74. Except for the past 6 weeks, since lamictal made me fall over and get slightly hurt, I've loved being an Elder of the Tribe. For 20 years since I finally got psych help that works. My bipolar meds worked. I got along with people better than any time in my life. As a musician, my music was better than ever. I felt like I had wisdom and knowledge of how to handle problems that come up in life. After my fall, a whole bunch of things with my body went wrong. I feel OLD OLD OLD and wonder how I'm going to handle all t his. I can walk, YES!! I have use of my arms. I'm not sick. I'm glad and thankful for these things. I know many people who have to use walkers or electric scooters. I have two friends who have early Parkinson's. They just cruise right along in their lives, or SO IT SEEMS. Me, I am an emotional wreck. I did write another post about my irritibility due to med change. I hope Lithium works by the 23 of this month, like my pdoc thinks it will.

[bizi]

I am 53 and feel old....
bizi

[BipolaRNurse]

I'm pushing 60 and I feel positively ancient, at least physically. I have mobility issues (think 300 lbs. with bad knees), arthritis, asthma, and (surprise!) Diabetes type 2. On top of that, my bipolar has gotten worse as I've aged, although I've been pretty stable over the past couple of years. Takes a lot of medication to keep me that way though.

[TimTheEnchanter]

I am 60 in Dec and I am on a diet now. Physical well being has impact on our mental well being... aging does not help. I have bad back, hips, feet and I cannot stand 8 hours (or even sit) without pain The fact that I must work for 2 more years is stressing me out and it is my main trigger! Now I have an enlarged heart and if the Fridays echo tests are bad I will quit working even if it means to rice and beans for 2-years....

[Rjaye]

I'm 55 with arthritis, a fusing spine, obesity, and various and sundry. I feel blessed because this last year I finally found a med cocktail that worked. I am lucky I don't have heart issues, high bp, diabetes, or many other things. With the BP under control, I feel like I can deal with the physical stuff. Exercise seems possible, I got a job, and I'm working on my MSW.

However, I am looking at two major surgeries. I have to have knee replacement but I need to lose weight, and I have to have a major hernia repair that is probably going to be open and require several months recovery at least. It's become apparent the knees might not make it a year. I can't use cortisone forever. There're no joints left. I am not sure how I'm going to do it. I can't do it on my own but I've got no-one who lives close enough to help, and then the finance issue.

I have a few calls to make in the next couple of months, but I am strengthening some relationships and maybe I can fly my sister out, but I feel this pressure. I feel the clock running out, and I know how fragile life is. I could be fine, and in a few days the world can crash. My goal is to keep my mood swings under control so I can deal with anything that heads my way so I can be effective and take care of business.

My parents both died young (My mother died at 54 and my dad died at 65), and I saw how quickly things could deteriorate health wise. I am not sure what I am going to do, but I'm working on what I can.

[Theseus]

Well... I just turned 59, had a lumbar fusion last Nov., have arthritis in my right hip, and I'm getting fat. Kooky as this sounds, I don't mind the getting fat part. I think fat guys are sexy, and I kind of like calling myself a bear.

What bothers me most is that, fat or not, I can't do the things I used to do... running, mountain biking, walking the distances I used to, weight lifting as hard and heavy as I used to. I was not a jock, per se, but I liked to do those things. The lumbar problems and hip have pretty much put an end to those.

It also doesn't help that my beard is predominantly silver and white. I'm married, but other guys still hit on me for the "silver daddy bear" image. I'm not flattered to hear "woof! daddy bear!" (I wouldn't mind if my beard was still dark). And I'm definitely not flattered to hear "Santa Claus!" A lot of this is stemming from my beginning to resemble my father, whom I did not care for very much.

So no, I don't cope well.

[along4theride]

Hello there. I am newly diagnosed, but in my 50s. Don't ask.

Anyway, things fall apart. I have no good answer on what to do about it, other than to start skydiving or something else risky when things start getting really bad.

[Nammu]

I'm not the elder of my tribe, mum is still going strong. My BP is under control but the body isn't. Had lumbar surgery three yrs ago and it's still not right. I can't stand for more than a few minutes without pain. Thanks to the BP meds I'm overweight and have high cholesterol and thank god not diabetes. Don't know the answer to your question...just keep on truck ni guess.

[LucyG]

I don't mean to sound unkind or anything, but if you were fine until you started taking Lamictal 6 weeks ago, it sounds like you've got some serious side-effects going on. I speak from experience. I was it for a few years about 12 years ago, and one of the first things that happened was that I feel off my bike. I also bruised so badly that I was afraid people were going to think my husband was beating me. Several months later my jaw locked for 12+ hours at a time at least 4 times. Fortunately my Pdoc had another patient the same thing happened to and told me to take Benadryl to counteract that side-effect. I went off it when I developed a receding hairline along with the type of anxiety to where I was scared to death to close my eyes. Please read the side-effects of this drug as it's very dangerous.

i'm not an old person, but i want to reply to this and say that i'm still in my 20's, but oh my ****ing god, i feel about 184

my arms are just well, useless. i can't reach up to high stuff, and like wise i can't reach down- i can only keep them at computer level

i can't bend down because my legs just give way and i fall to the floor- and it takes me ages to get up again

my weight is.. well, i don't even wanna talk about it

i creak more than a gate that's not been oiled in over 10 years and most of the time my hands feel so weak that if i try and do something (open something, or pick up something heavy), my hands just bleed

i know i should have looked after my body better. i know. all these people saying if you look after it it will look after you, but i also feel that you know.. no matter how much you look after it, no matter how much you do right, you're gonna die- your body is going to shut down. so what's the point in trying to look after yourself. what's the point, someone give me a point?

mentally it's like um, what the ****. everything's got so bad

you know i think the only thing going for me right now is not having to have any life saving operations, but i doubt it's gonna take long

[BastetsMuse]

The body started falling apart when I hit 50... I'm 54 and just found out I have cataracts, for heaven's sake.

I take it one day at a time, take my meds, try to eat healthy, and just live.

[Jensitive22]

I am 54 and struggle with arthritis in my hips and knees, aggravated, I am sure, by the extra weight I carry. What really distresses me is the weakness I feel after two years of being housebound due to depression and anxiety. That along with balance issues makes it difficult for me to take good walks like I used to. I have had 4 face plant falls in the last 6 years so I am fearful to walk by myself.

Poor self care, anxiety, and a lack of health insurance for the past two years has left me with a body in poor shape, but I don't think it's too late to turn it around if I start making some changes. I don't have diabetes or high blood pressure dispite being 100 lbs overweight, so that's a good thing😊.

[p00dlez]

Originally Posted by BastetsMuse

The body started falling apart when I hit 50... I'm 54 and just found out I have cataracts, for heaven's sake.

I take it one day at a time, take my meds, try to eat healthy, and just live.

Hey I am 47 and I have to have surgery for cataracts on both eyes in one to two years. I also got diabetes, high blood pressure, extremely high cholesterol and triglycerides (on two medications for that, two for the diabetes too) hypothyroidism, some sort of kidney problems that has not been diagnosed yet (still waiting on darn appointment, maybe they will get me in sometime between now and my death) and just garden variety bipolar one with ton of anxiety. All together I am on 9 different medications and 2 PRNs.

I am overweight too. Not sure if I should blame the bipolar meds or the hypothyroidism or a combo of both. I basically feel like crap and the other day I had my first bout of hypoglycemia because my stupid nurse did not warn me the glimepiride could cause it. She just doubled the dose a couple weeks ago. Didn't warn me or tell me a thing so I was blissfully unaware.

I Felt like death but luckily I ate some of my sons coco krispys before laying down. Probably saved my bacon. No more skipping meals for me. I got to start paying attention to when I eat better. Sorry everyone feels so bad. I am not as old as most of you but I can relate to some of it. Hugs to all.

[fairydustgirl]

I'm 53 and physically I feel pretty healthy despite high cholesterol and low thyroid...I have no intentions of being 'old' until I have no choice in the matter and for now, I am attracting guys as young as 39 so hopefully I have inherited my parents genes...not hoping for the bad knees but at least I think I have a good 10 or so years before that shows up. But I haven't had any illnesses in two years, cold/flu/stomach virus/ear infection, nothing. hope I didn't just jinx myself!

I am getting there but a lady never tells her age or that is what they say, I have alot of health problems but I need to change my life style, I am not going to grow old gracefully