My Latest Physical Exam Perfect! Exception? Arthritis!

[thickornotatall]

My latest physical exam showed me in almost perfect health for blood pressure...sugar/diabetes....all necessary vitamins perfect....My Dr says I am in excellent health for my age..look good too.

However I have lots of arthritis that is slowing me down...I can't sleep all night due to pain in my lower back..shoulders..or legs...

I will be 70 next year..I don't know many guys my age to compare health with....Anyone?

I was very athletic when younger...runner/bicycling/skating and still swim....

[+ Avalon]

Great news about the exam!

[Rudynate]

Congratulations!!

 

I'm 66 and the doc raves when I see him about my outstanding health. I went to the optometrist for an eye exam a couple weeks ago - same thing. I walk into the exam room , he looks at me up and down and compliments me on my outstanding physical condition.

 

I have some semi-serious problems: I have a clotting disorder for which I take a blood thinner and I have heart disease for which I take a statin. My peskiest problem is allergies and asthma for which I take a variety of medications.

 

The last several years, I have seriously gotten into bodybuilding and it seems that I am becoming healthier because of it. I have spinal disease from which I used to have a lot of pain. Since I've been lifting a lot, I don't have any pain.

[gallahadesquire]

Not just excercise, but strength training is important, I think, to living a health life.

 

Then again, I had a relative who lived to 91 ... in the seventeeth century.

[Rudynate]

Not just excercise, but strength training is important, I think, to living a health life.

 

Then again, I had a relative who lived to 91 ... in the seventeeth century.

 

 

I enjoy visiting old cemeteries and reading the stones. I'm always struck by how many people in the 18th and 19th centuries lived into their 80s and 90s. My mother's family has a family plot in a tiny country cemetery in western New York. No Revolutionary war veterans, but quite a few from the war of 1812 and an astonishing number of them lived to a ripe, old age.

[+ sniper]

My latest physical exam showed me in almost perfect health for blood pressure...sugar/diabetes....all necessary vitamins perfect....My Dr says I am in excellent health for my age..look good too.

However I have lots of arthritis that is slowing me down...I can't sleep all night due to pain in my lower back..shoulders..or legs...

I will be 70 next year..I don't know many guys my age to compare health with....Anyone?

I was very athletic when younger...runner/bicycling/skating and still swim....

 

 

Go to a physical therapist. They can do a lot more these days than they could 20 years ago. The exercise craze has given them a lot to practice on over the last couple of decades and they've learned a lot.

[thickornotatall]

Go to a physical therapist. They can do a lot more these days than they could 20 years ago. The exercise craze has given them a lot to practice on over the last couple of decades and they've learned a lot.

I take a stretch class for 90 minutes....have a 90 minute massage.....walk 5 miles a day with our dogs....that's about all I have time for....and a good nap in the afternoon...

[+ sniper]

What if how you are walking is part of the problem? A good PT cna help with that. I'm not saying you need to go 3x/week for the rest of your life, just go a couple of times and learn some stuff.

[+ sniper]

You also might do better with 15 minutes of stretching every day than 90 minutes once a week. Which might lead to you covering that 5 miles a day in less time.

[Chuckball]

I had my annual eye exam this week. As a Type 2 diabetic monitoring eye health is important. My doctor started off asking how do I think the results this year compared to last year. I started complaining that I feel my right eye is declining and I fear a growth in cataracts that were first noticed last exam.

Doctor then told me that I have 20/20 vision and cataract problem is negligible. He suggested my main problem was worrying about results. He regretted mentioning anything about cataracts but felt I had a right to know. Take away from the exam: Don't worry; be happy

I think we spend too much time stressing on issues we can do nothing about except making them worse in our minds.

Edited May 27, 2018 by Chuckball

[+ Charlie]

In my family, my parents' and grandparents' generations on average lived longer, and in better shape, than my own. Many family members in those earlier generations lived into their nineties and hundreds, yet I was one of the oldest in my cohort of cousins, and I have already outlived most of them.

I enjoy visiting old cemeteries and reading the stones. I'm always struck by how many people in the 18th and 19th centuries lived into their 80s and 90s. My mother's family has a family plot in a tiny country cemetery in western New York. No Revolutionary war veterans, but quite a few from the war of 1812 and an astonishing number of them lived to a ripe, old age.

[+ sniper]

There's a little bit of selection bias when you look at old graves, as the fact the graves are still around marks the occupants as outliers in terms of wealth which does correlate with health.

There was a downward dip in my family from my grandparents' generation to my parents' as well, but I have to note the ones who died earlier were chain-smokers and/or alcoholics - two went from lung cancer, one from hypertension related kidney failure and emphysema. Grandparents were all teetotalers.

The one uncle who quit smoking and cut back on the drinking(and has a good marriage - whichever one of he and my aunt goes first, I am confident the other will follow within six months) is still kicking at 87 despite having had a heart attack at 55. Oldest grandparent was 77 when they died.

[+ sniper]

That said, we have engineered movement out of our daily existence almost completely. Even typing takes far less physical effort than it used to.

[+ quoththeraven]

Especially after an active life, arthritis at age 70 isn't surprising. Also, it's highly individual. I'm 62 and I have arthritis as well as other related conditions that collectively are disabling, although in my case it's more a result of a sedentary lifestyle and poor physical fitness.

 

I have to agree, though, that more frequent but shorter bouts of stretching might help, as well as strengthening exercises. For the shoulders and maybe lower back, occupational therapy (which really deals with function, not just work) can be a godsend. I've had better experiences with OT for upper body issues than with PT.

[thickornotatall]

You also might do better with 15 minutes of stretching every day than 90 minutes once a week. Which might lead to you covering that 5 miles a day in less time.

Of course I stretch everyday....the class is 1 on 1 with different techniques used to stretch with another person....it's really good...I always feel taller and lighter when we are done...

[+ FreshFluff]

Sorry to hear about the arthritis. I wish I can help but I can only wish you great success in treating it. Your otherwise great health will help.

[+ Pensant]

I work out a lot and am also a cyclist and runner and over the past 5 years I’ve sworn by active release therapy, a chiropractic modality. After a tune-up with my provider, I feel great and perform much better.

[+ sniper]

Of course I stretch everyday....the class is 1 on 1 with different techniques used to stretch with another person....it's really good...I always feel taller and lighter when we are done...

 

And physical therapists have more tools in their arsenal to help you. It might be worth it to swap out that time/expense for a PT every so often.

 

You say it's keeping you up at night, that's not good. As my old PT(who moved away or I'd be with her till I die) says, "Pain is a request for change."

[+ sync]

While I was transitioning from my 60's into my 70's, I came to realize my physician was right all along with his warnings about my obesity. I began to experience a noticeable physical weakness and shortness of breath. It was then that I began to seriously diet and incorporate a mild daily exercise routine. Soon after, I began to feel more physical strength and dieting became more effective. Now, while I'm a far cry from model or marathon material, I feel I'm at the top of my game and am inspired to continue/maintain my dieting/exercise practices.

[+ Charlie]

I just came back from playing my second three set tennis match in less than 24 hours, and I have fewer aches and pains than I did yesterday morning after not having had any exercise for almost a week. I find that vigorous movement often makes me feel better than rest does. I have many friends in their 80s, and the ones who have always been physically active are almost always in better physical (and mental) health than the ones who are relatively sedentary.

[+ Autumnal]

Just had my yearly physical last week (67yo) - everything great except my cholesterol was high, but the good cholesterol was 87 so not too concerned. Some degenerative disc problems but manageable. Only daily med I need is for glaucoma. Ski every winter, work in the yard and clean the house, go to the health club when back isn't acting up. Over all I have nothing to complain about! It's important to put things in perspective. I have two very good friends battling stage IV cancer. My inconveniences are nothing.