# Things they don't tell you about getting old: **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 11, 2014, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-they-dont-tell-you-about-getting-old/698189 "2014-09-11T15:46:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Dereknocue67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Dereknocue67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dereknocue67)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-they-dont-tell-you-about-getting-old/698189/61 "2014-09-12T07:52:16Z")
One of the things I was never told about getting old was how completely content and at ease I would be with my life and surroundings. Most other things are similar to tinnitus in that it’s simply background noise. ---
**Author:** ![Sodalite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@Sodalite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sodalite)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-they-dont-tell-you-about-getting-old/698189/62 "2014-09-12T08:57:38Z")
> [@P-man](#): > > On the plus size, I probably have less body fat than I have any time since my serious running days. . Did you mean to be clever or was that just an awesome typo? How the hell do I work up a sweat in my sleep? Why does everything, even the common cold, feel so much worse and take so long to get over? Who told my body parts they could just randomly betray me? I pick up something off the floor and when I go to stand up, the muscles in my back try to stage a revolt. When I want to eat some of my old favorites my insides say, “Nope.” and proceed to kick up an awful fuss. Of course, nothing tastes as good as it used to anyway. I ask my right knee to stop hurting. I even give it pain killers and say please. It just laughs at me. I’d say I’m getting too old to put up with this shit but…umm, yeah. ---
**Author:** ![CheshireKat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheshirekat/32/1207_2.png) [@CheshireKat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheshireKat)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-they-dont-tell-you-about-getting-old/698189/63 "2014-09-12T12:14:31Z")
The eye-opener for me was when the the policemen, doctors and professional sports people were suddenly all teen-agers. And how can that 12-year-old be driving a car? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-they-dont-tell-you-about-getting-old/698189/64 "2014-09-12T13:28:50Z")
I am 62, the only thing I have noticed is I have to wear reading glasses. When does all this other shit start? ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-they-dont-tell-you-about-getting-old/698189/65 "2014-09-12T13:59:40Z")
> [@teela\_brown](#): > > Plantar fasciitis. > > Women complaining about hurting feet is almost a universal background noise. So that when you get old and get plantar fasciitis and the bottoms of your feet hurt horribly all the time and you gripe about it, folks assume you’re still whining about how your high heels annoy you. > > Nuh-uh. PF is way, way worse. And it prevents you from running or even doing much in the way of walking. I hear you on this one. My PF came back with a vengeance after a 5 year break. I’m trying to shake it as best I can. I think what will do it is losing more weight - which I have to do anyway. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-they-dont-tell-you-about-getting-old/698189/66 "2014-09-12T14:34:11Z")
> [@chiroptera](#): > > Other way around for me - I utterly _loathe_ hot humid weather now (and it doesn’t even have to be that hot, or that humid.) It makes me sweaty and deeply unhappy. On the other hand, I’m probably more cold-tolerant now than I ever was. > > \ > > Chin hairs. I check every morning for chin hairs that sproing out over night. I’m in my mid-40s and started what my GYN kindly calls “peri-menopause”. I hate night sweats. I hate hot flashes. I hate the mood swings. I hate that I got acne along with a weird giant black hair under my chin that I have to search and destroy. And why did my arm hair get thicker? I’m not a furry person. Thank god for HRT. Cleared all that shit right up. No one told me about the THICK SCARY HARD WHITE EYEBROW HAIRS that spring up overnight and grow to mad scientist length. I plan to use them as weapons if the Apocalypse happens. Also was surprised at how quickly I got a white streak at my temple. I guess I should be glad that it’s a nice mixture of platiumy-silvery and white. When it all goes white, it will be pretty. Until then, I have Nice N’ Easy 8G. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-they-dont-tell-you-about-getting-old/698189/67 "2014-09-12T14:52:53Z")
57-year-old female. Skin tags and The Dropsies. The little skin tags are easily remedied, just annoying… The Dropsies, which result from my gradually-stiffening fingers (they still LOOK fine but aren’t as functional anymore) mean I get in a few extra squats per day to pick up the things I fumble and drop. I spend more time on hair removal now than I ever have in my life. As for the hair color thing… I hope I can figure this out eventually. Some years ago before my husband passed away, I mused for a moment about letting it go natural. He looked alarmed and said, “Oh, please, no.” Scared me a bit. He’s been gone for 7 years and I’m still coloring it. For those of you suffering from plantar fasciitis, go find some good arch supports to slip into your shoes. Instant relief. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-they-dont-tell-you-about-getting-old/698189/68 "2014-09-12T15:02:41Z")
That all those stupid physical things you did in your youth would come back to haunt you. In the last 3 years I have had knee surgery, shoulder surgery and will have a hip replaced by the end of this year. I’m only 51, for cryin’ out loud! ---
**Author:** ![Lorene89095](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@Lorene89095](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lorene89095)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-they-dont-tell-you-about-getting-old/698189/69 "2014-09-12T15:19:25Z")
I just turned 71 and I have no idea how to act. I can wander around in a store and never be seen,unless I want to be… quite a trick for a large woman in a powerchair. My legs and back have given up on me,there are colorless hairs on my chin… My skin is so dry I could sand wood with it. ---
**Author:** ![Whatever4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@Whatever4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whatever4)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-they-dont-tell-you-about-getting-old/698189/70 "2014-09-12T16:58:05Z")
> [@teela\_brown](#): > > Another thing I didn’t expect: having to learn to _act_ old. I read the Dope and the Giraffe board and other internet media, and IRL I tend to speak young and slang-y like we post here. I’ll also absent-mindedly observe how hot some young actor is before I remember I’m 57 and I’m not supposed to do that anymore. I’m supposed to say “My land” or “what a nice young boy!”. > > In my mind, I’m forever 24 years old. This. I kept having to remind me that my PT was young enough to be my son. But, dayum, he was hot. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-they-dont-tell-you-about-getting-old/698189/71 "2014-09-12T17:26:21Z")
> [@Lanzy](#): > > I am 62, the only thing I have noticed is I have to wear reading glasses. When does all this other shit start? It’s already happened, but you just can’t see it. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-they-dont-tell-you-about-getting-old/698189/72 "2014-09-12T17:38:01Z")
Pros: I now have the confidence that I never had as a young woman. I now have the time to pursue music and art in ways that I would not have previously. Cons: My booty has migrated to my belly (really, even as a large woman, I used to have a defined butt and indented waist. Now I’m an apple) Menopause Enough white hair that I’ve gone from being a redhead to a blonde as a form of camo Loss of upper body strength (the last flat I had the neighbor changed for me because I couldn’t wrestle the tire off the truck) Vision going to hell More pop culture going completely unnoticed ---
**Author:** ![troubledwater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f4b2a3/32.png) [@troubledwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/troubledwater)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-they-dont-tell-you-about-getting-old/698189/73 "2014-09-12T23:15:14Z")
> [@missred](#): > > . > > Cons: > \ > More pop culture going completely unnoticed I think you put this in the wrong column. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-they-dont-tell-you-about-getting-old/698189/74 "2014-09-12T23:34:58Z")
> [@GrumpyBunny](#): > > No one told me about the THICK SCARY HARD WHITE EYEBROW HAIRS that spring up overnight and grow to mad scientist length. I plan to use them as weapons if the Apocalypse happens. > > Also was surprised at how quickly I got a white streak at my temple. I guess I should be glad that it’s a nice mixture of platiumy-silvery and white. When it all goes white, it will be pretty. Until then, I have Nice N’ Easy 8G. Holy shit, yes! I get the occasional giant weapon-like eyebrow hair and it scares the crap out of me. Those get tweezered instantly. I joke that white pubic hairs will be the beginning of the end, but thank doG they haven’t happened yet. A couple of years ago I quit with the coloring. Because, silvery-white, finally. And I actually get compliments on my hair now; moreso than when I was a (probably obviously) dyed redhead. I seriously love not having to obsess over color and roots and highlights and cost and appointments. I really seriously love that. ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-they-dont-tell-you-about-getting-old/698189/75 "2014-09-12T23:50:58Z")
Surprised no mention of BPH (Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia). ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2014, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-they-dont-tell-you-about-getting-old/698189/76 "2014-09-13T00:23:56Z")
> [@GrumpyBunny](#): > > I’m in my mid-40s and started what my GYN kindly calls “peri-menopause” Long time ago, but Mrs. Cretin had a miserable time with perimenopause. Once she graduated to plain old menopause it wasn’t all that bad. According to her. > [@Ignatz](#): > > Surprised no mention of BPH (Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia). (Male, 64) What’s to mention? The only time I don’t have to pee, is when I’m peeing. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2014, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-they-dont-tell-you-about-getting-old/698189/77 "2014-09-13T00:49:19Z")
I get tired more quickly hiking and backpacking. I still enjoy it but at a slower pace and cover less miles in a day. Even then I get some aches and pains that never bothered me 10 years ago. Stress bothers me more. Confrontations at work, heavy traffic, and crowded stores annoy me more. I feel the pressure more. Ear hair, more gas. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2014, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-they-dont-tell-you-about-getting-old/698189/78 "2014-09-13T01:55:12Z")
> [@Ignatz](#): > > Surprised no mention of BPH (Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia). Because the entire experience was anything but “benign.” First, I really needed to pee. I mean I REALLY needed to pee. Standing up: nothing. Sitting on toilet, I finally got a little squirt out. Called a urologist, got an appt. same day. There should be a law that gorgeous urologists should never have gay patients. He talked to me, and all I could think of was getting into his pants. And then: He’s got me bent over, and he sticks his index finger up my ass, and knows EXACTLY where to put it. I’m thinking “good thing he handed me a tissue first,” but was able to concentrate elsewhere . . . ---
**Author:** ![DingoelGringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@DingoelGringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DingoelGringo)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2014, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-they-dont-tell-you-about-getting-old/698189/79 "2014-09-13T01:59:54Z")
I spend a lot of time thinking about the hereafter. I walk into a room and say what the Hell did I come in here after! Besides that my feet started growing about age 50 they went from 9 1/2 to 11, and now at 68 the 11’s are too tight. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2014, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-they-dont-tell-you-about-getting-old/698189/80 "2014-09-13T06:05:12Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Supposedly this younger generation (people under 40) will have serious problems with that because we spent so much time listening to MP3 players on high volume. I had my hearing tested and I am about 10-15 years older in the ears than I should be with my ability to hear high frequency sounds. Its going to be a problem when we all turn 50 and many of us can’t hear high frequencies. > > I just hope all the music doesn’t cause tinnitus. I’ve had it temporarily and didn’t like it, I wouldn’t want it constantly. But is this a new worry? In the 80s we had the Walkman and 10 years later we had the Discman. Yes, the headphones covered our ears and we didn’t use earbuds that go all the way in, but we were still warned not to play our music at loud levels. And now that I have an iPhone, I use Bluetooth speakers and speaker docks. I don’t use earbuds at all anymore. > [@panache45](#): > > One day last winter, I was carrying groceries from the garage to the house. Somehow, I landed on my hands and knees in the middle of the back yard, in 2 feet of snow. I didn’t trip over anything, I didn’t slip on the ice, I just lost my balance and wound up on my hands and knees in 2 feet of snow. The problem was: I couldn’t get up. My legs were too weak, and so was everything else. I had to crawl through the snow until I reached the A/C unit, then pulled myself up by it. > > That wouldn’t have happened just a few years ago. I wouldn’t have lost my balance in the first place, and if I did I would have been able to get back up again. I feel for you, **panache**. I’m only 57 and have been doing some falling lately. In March I was in my garage standing next to my car when my knees got weak and I dropped to a kneeling position. My legs didn’t have enough strength for me to use the shelves in the garage to get back to a standing position. I opened my car door and scooted my butt up into the driver’s seat then swung my legs inside. I sat there in the car until I felt strong enough to get back onto my feet. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-they-dont-tell-you-about-getting-old/698189.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-they-dont-tell-you-about-getting-old/698189.md?page=5)