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Oh the aches and pains, I'm old.....

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Posted 11/16/2014 5:31 PM (GMT 0)
I'm 52 and sometimes feel 92, the aches and pains come and go, which in turn cause anxiety cause I think something must be really wrong with me. My husband says it's age and a part of life, but I disagree I think it's stress and muscle tension. I notice I clinch my jaws and that is not relaxing even though I'm not feeling stressed. Is life after 50 a life of becoming friends with pain pills? shocked
Posted 11/16/2014 8:22 PM (GMT 0)
Hi

I have a chronic pain condition so can relate I find that if I have high anxiety/stress it makes my pain a lot worse I use mindfulness meditation to help ease the anxiety which then helps lower the pain levels.

Hibee
Posted 11/16/2014 9:22 PM (GMT 0)
Deborah

Unfortunately, I became friends (best friends too I might add) with pain pills. I had to let them go but that doesn't mean the pain is not still there.... I hurt everyday (I am quite younger than you, too).

I honestly think that people age differently. I have seen people 30 years older than me with a ton of energy... Most people my age are like the "energizer bunny" you used to see on television.

Then there's me.... Moaning and grunting as I walk! Sometimes it hurts just to breathe!

I think most of my pain is mental.... My mind is overworked and I have noticed that when my mind is "refreshed" then my body feels better as well. I am in decent shape too - not the shape I was in during my Marine Corps days but not too chubby either. I think I may start doin some cardio work and see if that helps me - time will tell.

Hopefully, you will get some better responses from members who are actually older than 50. Just thought I would share my view from a man in his 30s....

Hope you find relief soon! You deserve it!

Hugs

Cornell

Post Edited (Cornell) : 11/16/2014 2:29:08 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 11/16/2014 9:27 PM (GMT 0)
I'm 47 so close to 50 and I have chronic pains so pain pills are already one of my friends and have been for a few years. I don't think being 50 means you automatically become friends with the all mighty pain pill, but if you are in that much pain then yes they help but it could be a double edge sword so be careful because some people take pain pills too long and actually end up in more pain then before they took them.
Posted 11/16/2014 10:53 PM (GMT 0)
Well, I'm 52 and a chronic pain patient. I was first told in my 20's that I had the spine of someone in their 70's so,....doing the math, I'm a walking astonishment!

I'm also (obviously) an A/P patient. Still working on that one too. Over time I've come to accept that, for me, my life includes both pain and anxiety. I have chosen not to let those conditions "define" me, however. They're a *part* of my life and coming to grips with it is a big step to coping.

We cannot wish things away. We all feel, age, perceive,....life differently. As my therapist so wisely put it to me: "We are not responsible for our situations, but we ARE responsible for fixing them." :)





M.
Posted 11/16/2014 10:58 PM (GMT 0)
I'm 34. I know what you're experiencing is part of the aging process, and hopefully that's all. One possibility is diet. Some of what we eat causes inflammation in the body.

I, like Cornell, struggle. Doctors say I'm healthy, but I don't believe it. I feel as if I'm twice my age.

Take care.

John
Posted 11/16/2014 11:29 PM (GMT 0)
I eat very healthy always have and I'm told I look like I'm 30, I was born with a hip out and had to wear a brace for two yrs of my life, I think that's the reason my hip hurts now, it caught up with me. But now a days a 30 minute elliptical or hour of weights and Im toast the next day.
Posted 11/16/2014 11:53 PM (GMT 0)
I don't think its the years Deborah, its the miles.
My FIL said he had just hit middle age on his 90th bday. I am less than half that and feel ancient on some days.
I understand that diet, exercise and attitude makes a difference as well.
Currently working on that theory.
Posted 11/17/2014 12:01 AM (GMT 0)
I absolutely believe mental miles add to the physical ones now that I think about it.

John
Posted 11/17/2014 12:43 AM (GMT 0)
Well I'm 67 now and some days I feel like I can outwork my three sons and have tons of energy, other days it takes me five minutes when I get up from a chair to stand up straight and get exhausted after just walking the dogs.! When I was thirty I thought I was old and had all the aches and pains associated with health anxiety. Now I'm old and yet feel like I'm 25 mentally. I wonder sometimes if any of us are ever satisfied....either always looking forward to a better life to come, or backwards when life seemed so much better than now. I'm not an overly religious person but these things give me my belief in God....we're always wanting something more (or at least relief from what we're going through right now). I take care of a lady who is 75, has Lou Gherig's Disease and has lost all use of her body EXCEPT for her brain....basically trapped in her body. Two years ago her husband was alive, they took cruises, danced, and she continued to do things with her six children and seven grandchildren. Her memory is better than a 20 year old and she has a relatively good attitude considering her circumstances. It humbles me to watch her. When I told her I thought this was so unfair of God, her response was 'oh that's ok....it's my penance here on earth I guess, so I can go directly to heaven and be with my husband again." I'm not sure I share her beliefs in that regard but it amazes me that I can be so whiny about all my aches and pains yet this person has more strength than anyone I've ever met.
Posted 11/17/2014 12:51 AM (GMT 0)
andwes,

When I get up, it's like my legs are locked up and need stretching. LOL

Well, in this world, you don't have to look far to see someone that has it worse. Some handle it well. Some don't. I don't.

Your story is intriguing. You've definitely seen both sides of the rainbow.

John
Posted 11/17/2014 2:29 AM (GMT 0)
Andwes- I always find comfort in your posts... They inspire me! You talk about feeling anxiety 30 years ago and you're still going strong - I find so much comfort in this!

You're right, our sutuations could always be worse... Oh the guilt about my whining!

Thanks for reminding me this evening. Love you!

Cornell
Posted 11/17/2014 2:31 AM (GMT 0)
Before RA (struck me at age 47) I felt like I was 25. I made an amazing comeback but I've never been the same.
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