What does it feel like to be old?

In My Humble Opinion
21

I’ll be 40 in two weeks. I would say I’m basically in good health except for some kind of chronic, possibly genetic condition that’s giving me all kinds of joint problems. Oh, and my digestive system. I used to have a cast-iron stomach; now I get nauseous if I’m up too late. :rolleyes:

I would say the big difference between 40 and 18 is knowing what you should do and actually doing it. I knew I should eat healthy and get a good night’s sleep and not party too much at 18, but at 40, I actually DO it, because I don’t like the consequences if I don’t.

22

Most of the replies so far have described what it feels like to be middle aged. I wonder what it feels like to be truly old, as in 98 years old.

23

63 year old male here. I can relate to most of the comments made so far…exercising every other day keeps me in better shape than non-exercising younger folks. But there is constant aching in the joints. I don’t get ill nearly as often as I did in my young and middle age (I attribute this to exercise mostly), and my muscle mass seems to be declining very little. But like most men my age, hair loss and increasing wrinkles make me look my age. Arthritis has taken its toll, and my color vision and sense of taste and smell are in obvious decline. Also, my teeth are wearing out!

I think the only new things that I can add are that 1) In my head, I still think and act like I was 30, and 2) I am far more content with myself, and usually others.

There are bad things about getting old, but there are unexpected benefits.

24

Sure - go ahead.

I was in a mood when I wrote it…but it sums up how I feel.

25

BULLSHIT! :smiley:

I wanna go out MORE! And drink MORE!

Cause I can afford it, and buy drinks for the young ladies, in excess. :wink:

And I ski damn near as well as I did when I was 20*, except now I ride home from Heavenly in a BMW and sit in a hottub when I get home.

*I actually have BETTER technique, but less stamina. Did 25 runs down “The Face” on my 40th Birthday.

26

My first thought reading the thread title was, “Keep asking questions like that and you’ll never find out!”

The rest of your post is excellent, DMark.

27

I know that KlondikeGeoff is a decade away from what you’re speaking to. But, if I’m not mistaken, he’s our Oldest Doper [sup]TM[/sup].

For me, 46, 5’6" 150 lbs, female, i’m a bit heavier than i’d like to be but my health is great. I find myself amazed at the wisdom I’ve built up over the years. Yes, aches and pains come and go but I’m happy to be here.

My darling husband , OTOH, was a strong, big man all of his adult life. He’s having a lot of trouble adujsting to the loss of muscle mass and strenghth. Also he’s having some health problems so he’s a mite ornery.

I think the difference (health wise) is that he started out in blue collar work when he was a teenager, and he just has worn his body out.

Oh almost forgot - he’s 6’5", 250 lbs, 48 yrs old. The Sexiest Man Alive [sup]TM.[/sup]
:wink:

28

One aspect of feeling old is when you look in the mirror and see your father or mother looking back at you.

29

You start repeating yourself…

30

My mother claims it feels like you’re being cheated. You’ve been told you can do all this stuff, but you can’t. She’s had the kind of bone problems normally associated with old age since she was 15: she says that as she gets older she just gets more of those little frustrations, but heck, at least now she’s not the only one in her age group!

For the last 10 years, she’s been getting apologies from women who’ve started having bad backs and who suddenly realized “oh my God, and THIS is what it’s been like her forever!”

31

I would be considered old by some people as I am not far from 80. My husband is 80 and he is going to roof our Barn this year, and then put on steel siding.

I think one gets older every day we live, If one died at 20 there would be no wrinkles or grey hair. I think of the er from older to mean if you can still be helped in the emergency room you are not old but old(er). I still do many of the same things I did at 30 I hope to get much older…he with the most years wins!!!:slight_smile:

Keeping active may not keep away the years but it helps the body to be more healthy, and not worry about the fact that one is older.

Monavis

32

Depends. If you’re my grandmother (94 as of November 1st), it feels like you’re finally starting to understand those aches and pains your daughters have been complaining about for the last 30 or 50 years.

If you’re my grandfather (93 as of October 12), it feels like having to change your shitbag again and wanting to run after the pretty young girls to spank their asses, but they walk faster than you can.

33

Sorry - we just don’t have that many 98 year old Dopers. :smiley:

34

Depending on how old you are, it really does feel like Depends.

35

How old are you?
40

What is your sex?
Chick

What is your height and weight?
5’ 7 1/2" - 125

What kind of physical shape are you in?
None

What’s your diet like?
I eat probably once a day, maybe twice. I don’t eat after like 3 PM usually.

How often do you exercise?
Never - unless you count running around at work excercise.

Do you have health problems?
Yep. Several.

How do you feel on a daily basis?
Eh - ok.

Do you have aches and pains?
Yes - back. Sometimes head.

Do you get sick often?
Not really.

Does 80 feel like the flu?
Ask me in 40 years.

My husband is 48 - and I’ll answer for him too - he has a lot of aches and pains due to his work. His knees are shot, his back is about shot - he has arthritis and has lost a lot of hearing in one ear. He really doesn’t get sick - just cranky. And he sleeps more than he did ten years ago. He eats two or three meals a day and snacks - he’s 6’ and about 185 lbs. On a daily basis he hurts if he’s working. If it’s cold or damp he’s in bad shape.

Congrats on the wedding, btw! I tried sending you an email to the addy in your profile but it bounced back.

36

Thanks for all of the great responses. I really appreciate it when Dopers weigh in on stuff like this.

Ftr, I am not really worried about getting older. I worry a little about the body breaking down, but other than that I think the years bring wisdom and good things even if the skin sags a bit.

37

I’m 46, and in okay shape. Not great, but not bad either, if I do say so myself. I’ve also gone back to school for another degree, and I’m in class with mostly 20-somethings. It’s interesting to get to know them–yes, they do sometimes make me feel old, but at the same time, they remind me that I don’t really want to go back to those days.

I’d say that one of the things I feel mostly is a self-assuredness that they often lack. I know what it’s like to wake up every morning and drag myself to a job I need in order to pay the rent, put gas in the car, feed myself, and so on. I know what it’s like to be laid off work and thus, to have to look for work unexpectedly. I know what it’s like to go through the “big” experiences of life: marriage, and the purchase of a house, for example.

My classmates lack such experiences, and find themselves often wondering what they will do when _____ occurs. Being older, I don’t wonder; rather, having done it before, I know what I’d do. This is comforting to me.

At the same time though, I find that I cannot keep up with my classmates in some ways, and it’s at these times I feel like something (damned if I can pin down just what) has happened to make me old. It’s not just the ability to guzzle beer in the nearby pub (I’ll readily admit I cannot keep up to them, but sometimes I do try, and regret it the next day). On damp days, my right knee threatens to give out every time I go up the stairs–but they fly up, without needing the handrail, as I do. Never having used computers in school before, I prefer to take notes by hand during lectures–but they’re not only taking notes on their computers; they are simultaneously IMing friends, shopping for travel deals, and surfing sports sites to find out how their teams did. And they manage to get everything down, while my hand is aching and I know I missed a couple of things.

Perhaps this is what it’s like to get older: experience brings self-assuredness, but changing times bring more awareness of one’s limitations. It certainly applies in my case.

38

65 here. Male, 5’9 220 lbs. My main problem (to everyone else, not me!) is that I’m a stay-at-home. My S.O. has to pry me out of the house to go to the bank to get the rent money. Gotta go down to her daughter’s house for thanksgiving and I’m dreading it. But they do have lot’s of beer!
I have the ususal arthritic pains, but am on medicine to help. Had the obligitory heart attack and bypass when I was 59, and since then I just can’t work up the energy to exercise. I have to agree with the others above, though, I wouldn’t want to go back and do it again.
My remaining years are going to be spent drinking beer, smoking, and surfing the internet. And you can be damn sure I’m looking forward to it! :stuck_out_tongue:
Oh!.. and chasing kids off my lawn!

39

I turned 61 last month.

I never minded reaching any age, except 50. Before 50, the phrase “the rest of my life” evoked an image of a distant misty horizon that was always way ahead of me. At fifty that phrase suddenly evoked a clearer image, and I could see in my mind’s eye the horizon and end of the road; the only thing missing was a way to gauge how far away it is.

Also, on my 50th birthday, I was diagnosed as type 2 diabetic. I had already been diagnosed as having high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, and a heart murmer. And that’s in addition to the chronic depression and knee problems and dental problems.

The most obvious thing about getting older is the constant focus on health problems. When I get together with my older relatives, the conversation invariably turns to the prescriptions we’re on. Especially for those of us with huge doctor bills and no health insurance.

My greatest health-related fear is Alzheimer’s. My father died of it, as well as all of his siblings. In some respects (not all) my mind isn’t what it used to be, but I try to convince myself that this is normal.

They say that at a certain age, everything either dries up or leaks. Well, I can say that related to that, I no longer suffer from premature ejaculation. That used to be a big problem, but now I have complete control over my orgasms (and can still have several a day, knock “wood”).

I try to avoid all the stereotypes of older people, regarding “kids these days.” (Don’t get me started on their music or their manners or the way they dress. I’ve got the same complaints our parents had about us.)

My mother passed away last year at the age of 92. She lived with me for the last 10 years of her life. She had even more health problems and prescriptions that I ever had, and had a hard time walking and seeing. But she rarely complained, even though I know some of her aches and pains were constant. I remember how her face lit up when she saw someone on tv who was in her generation, especially since they becamer fewer and fewer each year. It’s not easy, being so much older than practically everyone.

40

No lightswitch. Age comes gradually. You never thought you would be playing softball. After a while you don’t beat the slow groundballs out any more. Then after hitting a liner through the outfielders as you cross first and head to second a thought creeps in (oh shit a triple).
At 63 ,I play racketball at least 3 times a week. Always for at least 2 hours. I walk the dogs every day at least 3 miles. Sometimes up to 7.
You start to lose your sense of taste and smell.Which is why it is possible for old people to have sex.
You get enough personal history to talk about the old times. The changes have been dramatic in politics and business.We workers have lost most of our rights and the rest will follow.
age 63 male 30 lbs overweight slightly high bp
Nothing wrong with getting older when you consider the alternatives.