What it’s like to get old

When you’re young and healthy, you believe that you’ll just go on forever. Sure, you see an old guy and you think, “Boy, the wheels sure fell off his bus!” But did you ever think that all the wheels didn’t fall off at once? His present state is the result of a lifetime’s accumulation of things going wrong. Growing old will let you witness your own decay, one wheel falling off at a time.

Somewhere in your 30’s or 40’s, things start going wrong. They generally fall into two categories: (1) things the doctors can fix, and (2) things they can’t fix. But you won’t know at the first signs which of the two categories your current malfunction falls into.

When I started to notice how old I was getting, this thought occurred to me:

“At my age whatever is going to kill me is probably already eating away inside me somewhere.”

Knock on wood, so far I’ve not been diagnosed with anything terminal. But I am surely accumulating a lifetime’s worth of complaints.

The first wheels to fall off my personal bus were:

·       Hypertension
·       Ectopic Ventricular Contractions
·       Acquired Brown’s Syndrome (Ascending Lateral Tendon Syndrome)
·       Torn rotator cuff
·       Bronchiolitis
·       Idiopathic Sudden Hearing loss with Tinnitus
·       Microscopic Hematuria
·       Posterior Vitreous Detachment (PVD) and floaters
·       Arthritis
·       Bursitis
·       Peripheral Neuropathy
·       Dental issues.
·       De Quervain’s Syndrome

I want to tell you the story about each of these – and maybe you’ll get a feel for what it’s like to grow old. My stories may also warn you about some of the unexpected things that can pop up out of the clear blue. I think my interactions with various doctors may also be educational. 

So here's the first two stories:

Hypertension

Or, more commonly High Blood Pressure. This was probably the first affliction I was diagnosed with – in my early 40’s. In fact, I’d probably had high blood pressure for years prior to that, but was never officially diagnosed. How could I not have? I used to smoke 3+ packs of cigarettes and sometimes drink 14 cups of high-test coffee in a day.

First I stopped smoking (cold turkey, 33 years ago), and I gave up caffeine. I’m sure that was a good move for me, but it didn’t help my blood pressure.

I started exercising regularly – going to the gym and walking. I got in better shape, certainly, but it didn’t help my blood pressure. I’m still going to the gym a couple times a week and walking my dog about half a mile twice a day. It can’t hurt, and he enjoys it.

Next came the doctor’s visits and buying my own at-home blood pressure cuff. The doctor prescribed several compounds and I’d try them a while and monitor my pressure. Then back to the doctor with my Excel graph to try something else.

Some of the initial meds (vasodilators, Calcium channel blockers, etc) didn’t lower my pressure and made me feel miserable. I ultimately ended up with a small constellation of drugs that work for me, without too many side effects. Patience is the key here. My blood pressure is now under control with the meds.

Back in the days when I drank coffee and smoked, my at-rest heart rate was typically 120 bpm – I’m not kidding. It’s a wonder I didn’t explode all over my office! Right now, sitting here, my heart rate is 54.  That’s mostly the result of the beta blocker. My BP now averages around 130/80 – which I am happy with. Certainly beats the 240/170 I once measured!

Ectopic Ventricular Contractions

When I started exercising and monitoring my heart rate and blood pressure, I noticed periods of irregular heartbeat. It seemed that my heart was skipping beats. Sometimes only occasionally, sometimes in long-lasting flurries of irregularity.

After a skipped beat, the next beat seemed extra strong and I could feel a slug of blood pulse through my chest. Sometimes I could relieve the irregularities by going for a brisk walk.

Went to the doctor, of course, and described my sensations. He did tests, but naturally my heart wouldn’t act up at the office. He ordered an Echo-cardiogram to see if I had a leaky heart valve – negative.

Then he equipped me with a thing called a Holder Monitor which I  had to wear 24/7 for several days. It was some kind of portable EKG machine that made a recording. Once reviewed, the device had trapped events that were called out as Ectopic Ventricular Contractions.

Instead of a “skipped beat” as I described it, the doctor explained it to be the result of a premature action by a ventricle and it only seemed like a skipped beat.

Anyway, it’s not dangerous and the only possible cause he could contribute it to was “poor sleep quality.” Like maybe I wasn’t getting enough REM sleep. So, I endeavored to improve the quality of my sleep. Mostly, that meant taking Melatonin at night  - and, of course, no more caffeine.

Occasionally it comes back. When that happens now, I take an antihistamine and sleep about 12 hours. Puts me right back in rhythm.