Shocked by aging process

...am coping at 82 and ill.. thing is I just don't have the physical energy and mental capacity left to deal with it all... but I "do" think of others worse off, I do think of those who did not make it to adulthood or have lived with pain and illness since being young: what isnt helping is insomnia and cant take sleeping pills due to eye pressure etc and while awake alone during night think of my childhood, my parents long gone in another country, the things i wish I had done, sad times and am finding it a bit difficult to reflect on happier times - although looking at photos from holidays etc helps a bit during day but I did have some horrible times I coped with and when I do sleep my dreams are visit and usually stressful: but I am doing my best. I envy seniors who seem much happier than me!

Hello, Miriam (@mir123). When it comes to cane use, I'm still a picker & chooser: I pick & choose between occasions when I know having a cane will be an asset and occasions when, from past experience, I don't need a cane (at least not yet 🙂 ). I'm sure if & when the day comes I need to graduate (graduate? that seems an odd word) to using a walker, I'll again be a picker & chooser, deciding between occasions before taking a walker along. ––Ray (@ray666)

Vitamins don't help. Trust me, I definitely tried them...I am still trying them...they don't help. I move like a turtle too. I AM grateful that I am here, BUT I wish that so many of my truly loved ones were still here too.

Vitamins don't help. Trust me, I definitely tried them...I am still trying them...they don't help. I move like a turtle too. I AM grateful that I am here, BUT I wish that so many of my truly loved ones were still here too.

@ray666
Hello Ray, I also bounce back and forth in assistance. I have been battling cancer as a chronic disease since June 2020 and I change my "help" aids. I have been through about 6 different chemo types and they affect me differently.
Many times I went to my doctor in a wheelchair. Then the next chemo helped me more. So I changed to a rollator because I needed to sit sometimes for longer trips to Walmart. Now another chemo and I am walking more with a physical therapist helping me. I am thinking a cane will be in my future. I like the idea of spicing up a cane with different designs and colors!

Hello, dj12 (@dj12)

Ah, yes, Spice up that cane! Or, as another Connecter in the forum said, "Give your walking stick a personality"! I'm all for it. I'm encouraged to hear how your chemo has shown increasingly positive results. That's something for which a person can be genuinely thankful.

Lately, I've felt that I might soon be needing to retire my cane and turn instead for better stability to a walker. My unsteady balance is due entirely to my neuropathy, but my most bullheaded efforts to improve my balance, which demands at a minimum that I strengthen my legs, are frustrated not by my neuropathy but by my ailing left knee which is jam-packed with arthritis. I had my right knee replaced 20 years ago (when I was 20 years younger, living with a life-partner, and not yet showing signs of neuropathy). Time and again I set aside consideration of a second replacement (I'm 20 years older, live alone, and have neuropathy-related balance issues) …

… until last Wednesday when I had an extended chat with my orthopedist who counseled me on how he and I might do a second replacement while keeping me safe post-op and throughout the weeks-long recovery period. So, I've decided to get this second replacement. I drove home from the orthopedist's office feeling ebullient, bouncy, happier than I've felt for a long time with my neuropathy-possessed body. 🙂

A knee replacement is not going to "fix" my neuropathy. I'm not so foolish that I might think so. No, my neuropathy will be there waiting for me post-op, but at least (or so I'm hoping) I'll finally be able to work on leg strengthening without my left knee screaming bloody murder!

All my best to you, dj2! Let me know in what way you spice up that cane! 🙂
Cheers!
Ray (@ray666)

Hello, dj12 (@dj12)

Ah, yes, Spice up that cane! Or, as another Connecter in the forum said, "Give your walking stick a personality"! I'm all for it. I'm encouraged to hear how your chemo has shown increasingly positive results. That's something for which a person can be genuinely thankful.

Lately, I've felt that I might soon be needing to retire my cane and turn instead for better stability to a walker. My unsteady balance is due entirely to my neuropathy, but my most bullheaded efforts to improve my balance, which demands at a minimum that I strengthen my legs, are frustrated not by my neuropathy but by my ailing left knee which is jam-packed with arthritis. I had my right knee replaced 20 years ago (when I was 20 years younger, living with a life-partner, and not yet showing signs of neuropathy). Time and again I set aside consideration of a second replacement (I'm 20 years older, live alone, and have neuropathy-related balance issues) …

… until last Wednesday when I had an extended chat with my orthopedist who counseled me on how he and I might do a second replacement while keeping me safe post-op and throughout the weeks-long recovery period. So, I've decided to get this second replacement. I drove home from the orthopedist's office feeling ebullient, bouncy, happier than I've felt for a long time with my neuropathy-possessed body. 🙂

A knee replacement is not going to "fix" my neuropathy. I'm not so foolish that I might think so. No, my neuropathy will be there waiting for me post-op, but at least (or so I'm hoping) I'll finally be able to work on leg strengthening without my left knee screaming bloody murder!

All my best to you, dj2! Let me know in what way you spice up that cane! 🙂
Cheers!
Ray (@ray666)