How do you deal with aging?

I'm pretty lucky.
I found my current PCP after two that didn't work for me.
She's a family doctor with specialty in geriatrics, so I hope she is my last doctor.

I realize the time pressures of her practice, and try to do my best to be a good patient.
Before my doctor visits I write a note (one page maximum) describing my state of health and clearly asking questions of concern.
I edit and format carefully, placing things in order of importance and make two copies so that the doctor and I each have one.

We go through this page to start the visit.
My doctor usually can answer most questions quickly and proceed with the exam, focusing on any particulars in my note (such as a spider bite in a rather personal location!).
She always ends the visit saying: "Is there anything we haven't discussed that you want to bring up?"
Her comments on blood tests will be sent in website texts, and I will inform her of any changes via texts. She replies within 36 hours.

My wife has had several serious illnesses over the past three years.
She also prepares well for her doctor visits, and I usually accompany her (listening carefully, saying little).
Her doctors have been very attentive, making sure their treatments met her needs.
One doctor did not listen to what she asked, so we quickly changed doctors with happy results.

Given the complexities of my wife's illnesses, I am deeply moved by the care with which her doctors listened and explained, even when there was little they could do but adjust pain meds.
Eventually we found a neurosurgeon who could do the necessary procedure, and her recovery has been miraculous.

We are lucky to live in a place with many doctors and clinics.
I wish the same for anyone in need.

I'm 82 and living alone out in the country on 22 acres in Coastal California. The property is beautiful and calming. My son comes out to help me several times a week.
At 79 I had chemo and radiation for breast cancer. My oncologist doesn't expect it to come back. Recently I had a back problem and excruciating pain, but that too passed.
I love archeology and looking at old reconstructions of bodies that were mummified or guessed at from a piece of bone. I loved looking at the bog bodies in Pageant Magazine when I was 12 years old.
My youngest daughter grew up being hauled around to cemeteries. I found myself standing next to the grave of George Washington's sister out of nowhere in one.
It reminds me that I soon will be dead. I'll be cremated. It worries me, scares me, that I won't be here any longer. I think about it a lot. But I still enjoy every day. My husband of 58 years died 4 years ago and now I have a relationship with my boyfriend from the 8th grade. Life goes on!

I am 82 and when you think about it you realize you have always lived one day at a time. Every thing changes everyday it is a wake up when you really realize it and it has always been that way.

I am 73, 74 in June , I also feel like I am in good health, work full time and have the normal aches and pains. I sometimes think about the finite number of years I have left, that I’m in my winter season now. But my saving grace , I work in a hospital as an RN a profession I have felt privileged to be a part of for the last 33 years. I just
Look around everyday at the bigger things my patients are having to deal with, the day to day struggles they are having and I realize I have no room for self pity. I am healthy relatively and most of the time , I am upright and still moving I feel
Blessed everyday.

One of the worst parts of aging for me is being tired a lot. It takes me forever to complete tasks (other than preparing meals and doing dishes). I'm a needle felt artist and screenwriter and can't seem to get into the groove. My talent is slipping away and that bothers me. I know a lot of the problem is the pain I suffer from neuropathy that affects my mood and energy levels. But I am working on my health and hope to gain more energy soon.

Now don't laugh but I love going through cemeteries. There is so much history to be found. I'm an intermediate genealogist so the dead are living to me. I talk to my ancestors at FAG (Find a Grave). It's very therapeutic. Now you've got a story: married for 58 years and then meeting up with an old 8th grade male friend. I find that so enchanting. I can read that you've had a very interesting life. Be positive. Just keep telling yourself you are a centenarian in training.

I hope you're able to regain your energy as I know that being tired much of the time certainly affects one's mood. It's ironic that you mentioned this specifically this morning because for some reason I'm having the hardest time getting going today! 😉

Okay... I won't laugh at the fact that you love going through cemetaries, but YIKES!! 😉 I drive by one every time I go into town and don't even like DRIVING by it! Your "centenarian in training" attitude is awesome! I'm going to try to adopt that attitude.
BTW ... I also live on the California coast, just not on acreage.

I'm sure you and I have good days and not so good days. Part of happiness is feeling good and lack of energy sure puts a damper on that. Huh? Wish we could start an online Mayo exercise forum here. We all need encouragement.

Your "online exercise forum" idea is certainly a good one! The one thing I know for certain is that I've gotten REALLY lazy about going for long walks as my primary means of exercising. My cell phone has an exercise tracker & I'd always feel encouraged when I would discover just how far I'd actually walked. Hopefully, our discussion has given me the encouragement to get back into the routine.
BTW .... just days ago I went to an exhibition and had to park FAR away from the venue. I even had to walk up 3 steep flights of stairs. I did it, but was definitely breathing hard by the time I got to the top! 😉 It was a pleasant/unpleasant reminder that I'd doing just fine for my age but DEFINITELY need to get back into exercising!! 🙂