Physical changes you notice as you age

In My Humble Opinion
1

You know how this goes… When you’re young and (presumably) healthy, you don’t think about what could happen 10, 20, 30 or so years later.

When I was in college, I ate all the wrong things. I never knew it would catch up with me in my early 40s in the form of gallstones. Gallbladder is gone now.

I get arthritis pain in my left middle finger–but only during cold and wet weather. Hurts like a mutha.

I used to be able to take ibuprofen, but no more—it gives me horrible nosebleeds.

I used to tolerate fabric softener. No more–it makes me itchy.

Eyes: they’ve gotten light-sensitive, and they dry out easily.

Nose: I’ve had cauterization done twice due to a vessel that ruptures easily.

I have a streak of white hair, but the rest of it is still the same old color.

I used to be able to stay awake till 1am watching TV. Now I’m lucky if I can make it past 10pm.

And you?

2

Stiffness, not as much range of motion, but I suppose if I exercised, this could be somewhat corrected.

Mostly I’m noticing skin changes. Not as elastic, wrinkles, fine lines on my hands and arms, some due to weight loss, I suppose. Also my hair is thinner, and I sprout hairs on a couple of moles. Blech. I check them every day and tweeze.

I can’t eat everything I’d like, and coffee is a no-no. I really miss coffee. :frowning:

3

I refuse to believe this can happen.

4

I used to stay awake until 2am or so. Sometimes I’d lie in bed for hours trying to get to sleep. Now I fall asleep within 20 minutes of my head hitting the pillow (generally before 11 pm!)

Never thought I’d see the day. And I’m only 31.

5

Creak.

Groan.

Snap.
Crackle.
Pop.

:smiley:

6

My knees. "nuff said.

7

Age spots. shudder

8

Unexplained bumps.

Excess nose and ear hair.

Toenails growing faster than others.

Nerve pain.

Lower back pain.

Hair loss.

Early to bed and early to rise, whether or not you want it that way.

Nighttime trips to the bathroom.

I’m not out of comments, but am now depressed by it all. :frowning:

9

This. One of my favorite quotes is one that I don’t remember the source of:

“Nature compensates you for middle-age by providing you with a personal percussion section that follows you around wherever you go.”

10

Small print seems to have become impossibly small. Far too small to read.

Random pain in different joints.

11

I haven’t been able to sing in a falsetto for over a decade. It’s probably for the best.

12

Well I’m only 41 (only!) and the two things I notice so far is 1) I have to watch what I eat - I put on 15 pounds for the first time in my life practically the day I turned 40 - and 2) I can’t sleep in. Saturday mornings and I’m wide awake at 7am.

Oh, and I’ve started to notice I talk more and more like my mother. Yikes. And I’m going grey - I have a bottle of hair dye in waiting for the day when someone asks me if I’ve been decorating over the weekend.

13

My hair is thinning, receding, and I’m noticing my first grays. Also, nose hair.

14

I will turn 40 soon.

-lower back pain
-need to pee in the middle of the night
-skin around my eyes is wrinkling
-getting physically weaker. I think I used to have a ‘strength reserve’ that i could use as backup. Don’t trust it anymore.
-either I am going deaf, or I can no longer concentrate when people are talking to me. Hard to tell.
-too much salt makes me feel very bloated. This is a new one!

overall, life is still pretty good.

15

I’m 65 now.

Type 2 diabetes. I have to take a handful of pills every day, for that and other things.

Aortic stenosis (narrowing of the valve connecting my heart and aorta). Because of this, I’m tired all the time and get winded easily. I’m a candidate for valve replacement in the not-too-distant future. My cardiologist has told me not to mow the lawn or use the snow blower or lift anything more than 10 lbs.

Peripheral vascular disease. The veins in my lower legs are too narrow, so fluid accumulates down there. My legs hurt when I walk a moderate distance, and when I climb even one flight of stairs. I have to wear compression stockings, and I have to walk every day as therapy.

I had cataract surgery in November. I’ll have to do the other eye in a couple years.

I weight more now than ever before, in spite of eating less and healthier.

I no longer get erections, even with Viagra. But with the right stimulation, I have no trouble having orgasms. I’m getting testosterone injections, but they don’t help.

All of my muscles are weaker than they’ve ever been.

Extreme loss of flexibility. It’s difficult to wipe my ass, and I just discovered that it hurts to make a “three” sign with my hand (holding my pinkie down with my thumb).

My goatee is very gray, but I have just a few gray hairs on my head.

Chronic knee problems. I’m getting cortisone shots for the pain, but will need surgery in the next couple years.

I have lower dental implants and an upper denture.

Frown lines between my eyebrows. People think I’m angry all the time.

High blood pressure. But it’s under control with diet and medications.

I don’t remember the last time I slept more than 4 hours at a time.

I have occasional balance problems and have fallen a few times.

Many foods taste different. Things I’ve loved my entire life now seem too sweet, too salty, too sour, etc.

I’m sure there’s more that I can’t remember now . . . and oh yes, memory problems.

16

Hair on my back. It appeared all of a sudden in my mid 30s.

17

[ul]
[li]Regrettably people are right when they tell you to lather on the sunscreen. I do see some effects of skin damage due to my youthful ignorance of that advice.[/li][li]Any movement has to be done at a more leisurely pace or just more carefully, otherwise you risk straining something. Even something as innocuous as scratching your back.[/li][li]Creases on your face, or as friends kindly refer to it as adding “character” to your face.[/li][li]Any weight you gain tends to stick around. [/li][li]Most annoying physical change for me has been my vision. As you age, apparently the lens loses flexibility. Fumbling through all my pairs of glasses is a real hassle. I have three pairs of glasses that I regularly use, and sometimes the best option is no glasses.[/li][/ul]

18

I will be 68 next month. I play racketball for about 10 hours a week. I walk my dogs for at least 2 miles every day. So physically. I feel good. Eyes keep getting worse. I still have almost all my hair but it is grey.
I go to bed at about 3 am and wake at 9 to 10. I don’t nap . Getting old is not all bad.

19

Trying to milk this thread?

20

Have to hold things further from my face to read them. Used to be able to read practically at the tip of my nose.