is this what happens when you get old?

[geffric]

OP, I'm 44 and don't have any joint pain. Has your doctor checked you for arthritis? I'm not saying I haven't changed, because I notice it takes me longer to recover from a workout, and I do need reading glasses.

But your ailments sound very specifically like arthritis. DH has it in his knees, and he describes it the same way you did.

I am over 55 and let me tell you, I know what you are talking about. My feet and legs hurt me just like you described when I got up in the mornings UNTIL I decided to get up off my butt and start exercising and eating right. I do not know if you are overweight or not, but believe me if you are, that is a big factor. I now do not miss a day of at least 30 mins of some form of cardio/weights. It is amazing how much exercise can change you. Not to say you are one of them as you may be in great shape, but so many people are on drugs and/or hurting that absolutely would not have to be if they would take better care of themselves.

another older person here... exercise is important as it keeps the joints lubericated..plus stretching gets one going in the morning.. another thing that is very easy to do is to be wheat free... wheatfree.org..

Symptoms of a wheat allergy or wheat intolerance (not exhaustive by any means):

• Arthritis
• Bloated stomach
• Chest pains
• Depression or mood swings
• Diarrhoea
• Eczema
• Feeling dizzy or faint
• Joint and muscle aches and pains
• Nausea or vomiting
• Palpitations
• Psoriasis
• Skin rashes
• Sneezing
• Suspected irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)/similar effects
• Swollen throat or tongue
• Tiredness and lethargy
• Unexplained cough
• Unexplained runny nose
• Watery or itchy eyes

check it out.. I have RA and being wheat free and excerising is this best..and i walk and talk like the rest..

 

[Robinrs]

I'm 54 and watched my Mom's joints atrophy for years. I learned early that if you don't use them, you lose them.

I deliberately make time to use my joints, it's hard and gets harder but it's a constant thing for me. Having a teenager keeps me alert and moving, also.

I prefer being older, it's the wisdom I wouldn't trade for all the aches. I work with the young and dumb and remember being that... it's nice to look back and wave.

 

[Snoozan]

I'm 51 and haven't seen much decline. I exercise/walk almost daily and swear by taking glucosamine chondridine for my knees. If I don't take it regularly, I find my knees ache. Exercise and a good diet is really important! Now, if only I could find a cure for my "power surges" - I haven't slept thru the night for years, but with the hot flashes, it can be pretty miserable.

 

[MrsPete]

I'll be 47 a month from today & I also don't have joint pain like that either.

My body has definitely changed, but I think I'm doing OK physically. Ask me in another year or two though & my answer could be different!

I'm 44, but I could've said this same thing. Am I different? Yes. I'm a little heavier than I'd like to be, and I have bifocals. Is it hindering me? No.

 

[goofyernmost]

Cry me a river...I will be 62 next month. If you are whining now, I can't wait until you get here. You will think you were brand new when you hit your 40's then.

Who ever said that 60 is the new 40 was obviously indulging in some sort of illegal substance. When I hear 60 isn't old all I can say is, sorry but yes it is. Wait you'll see.

 

[Magix]

I'm 41, just about to turn 42, and I'm definitely feeling the age starting to set in. I've worked out pretty regularly for the past few years, so it's not a lack of exercise that got me here. In fact, I was re-training myself to walk/run a 5k the past couple weeks, with just 2 workouts a week, taking it easy and not doing the full 5k right off the bat. But, I'm already feeling serious pain that's stopped me from training. My right hip hurts like a jerk, which only started with the training. I was able to do this a year and a half ago!!

I've also had myofacial pain syndrome in the right side of my neck/shoulder since November, which hasn't abated with physical therapy and trigger point injections. That's definitely a stress issue, but it adds to the feeling of aging. Like many others, my optometrist has told me I'll be in bifocals any day now. I'll fight that one as long as I can!

I just generally feel old some of the time. It doesn't stop me from having fun and enjoying life, but sometimes it gets me down, because I'm too young to feel this old. Every once in a while, when the weather is just so, all my joints ache and I feel like I'm 80. Thankfully, that extreme is rare.

Those of you who are my age or older, but don't feel any pain, should consider yourselves fortunate. Some of us are genetically disposed to this sort of thing. You can exercise and eat right all you want, but some things are just going to happen, anyway.

 

[GeorgeG]

Old? I have kids older than many of you

I turn 64 next week and yes, I have my share of ailments and have had for a few decades, but I'm doing quite well, all things considered. Sure, I have aches (just had a knee replacement a few weeks ago), but these days we know so much more about how to live better and longer and the technology is getting better all the time. I'm learning that we should fix what we can, live the best we can with what we can't fix, and keep plugging forward. I have friends who are still very active and happy well into their eighties and they set a good example for how it's done.

Now, where did I leave my walker...

 

[JessicaR]

I dunno I guess I'll have to be the voice of dissent. 40 is young. Most that age should not hurt like that. I think if I did I would have a work up done with a rheumatologist to make sure everything is OK. I'm older and dont feel like that. I would especially be concerned if the symptoms came on suddenly.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Wait till you get your Medicare card. I have had mine for a year now, do have my aches for sure, ortho guy wants to replace my knee, take a beta block for my heart, but can still do a pretty full day at Disney, am planning on a week trip to Wash DC later this month, lots of walking. I am not as active as I should be though.

 

[LuvOrlando]

LOL, my knees started making popping noises when I bend down to pick up pans for dinner at 36 or so. I just turned 40 and I have a ganglion cyst in my hand and some joint pain here and there which is mostly because I sit curled up on my feet and I'm probably too old to sit like that now. A very DF warned me about turning 40 and I didn't believe her but then about a week after turning 40 I was walking into Michael's craft store when I went to step onto the curb and my left knee just gave out and went all jelly on me. Now my neck keeps aching and I can't lift the stuff I want to lift.

Still, being 40 beats 20 hands down. I am much more stable now and my life is much calmer, I'd never trade back the wisdom to lose the aches.

I have decided to think of these changes as amusing and it makes them much easier to swallow

 

[Imzadi]

Sounds like you need a new memory foam pad or new bed. The aches & pains that start happening get worse on a bad bed. Somehow, when we are younger, we can sleep on a bed of pebbles and they don't affect us. But, as we age, we need all the help we can get.

I used to wake up like you did. I'd take long, hot, HOT showers just to ease the aches and warm up my muscles. I thought this was a natural progression with aging. Then I got a 4" thick memory foam pad. Overnight my bad back went away. I went from a hunched over neanderthal, to standing upright homosapien overnight!

 

[C.Ann]

I'll be 61 in the fall and I really didn't start to notice any achy physical signs of getting "old" until a few years back (3 maybe?) when I accidentally poisoned myself with the toxic fumes from primer and paint.. (Long story..)

After that, it seems like things happened in rapid sequence.. Problems breathing; severe fatigue; 2 disintegrated discs in my lower back; problems with my tail bone; insomnia; lots of vision problems; the return of carpal tunnel in one of my hands that I had surgery on back in 2001; etc.. It really frustrates me beyond belief - that I can't do all of the things I used to do just a few short years ago.. I "thought" that I could probably slide by until at least 70 or so..

I still have hopes that at least some of that will change.. If not, I can't say I'm too excited about what's in store for me 10 years from now!

 

[Feralpeg]

Honestly, since I am almost 40, I have been falling apart! When I wake up in the morning, my feet really hurt to walk on, my hands and joints ache, my knees hurt etc. Usually the aching eases during the day, but I feel like I am about 90 years old when I walk down the stairs clutching the banister. Is this what it's like to grow old?

I mentioned it to my dr. who is doing some blood work to rule out lyme etc. but she said she has many folks in "my age bracket" who complain of the same things. I guess I am officially old.

Yes! Oh, you also tend to lose the ability to remember details of things you've known for years. They eventually come to you, but it takes awhile!

 

[Imzadi]

Yes! Oh, you also tend to lose the ability to remember details of things you've known for years. They eventually come to you, but it takes awhile!

Sadly, I am finding this out. I have -- err had, a genius I.Q., which simply meant I was able to stuff more details into my brain. It now seems to be I forget more details. The sad thing is, I know that I used to know how much 2 + 2 equals. It's like there is an empty slot in my head where the info used to be housed . . . yes, the info does come back eventually. Some days better than others. It's like watching a frozen web page, and waiting. . . waiting for it to fully load, so you can scroll down to the part you want.

Someone here summed it up in this old saying, "Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most." I now know what that means.

 

[powellrj]

I had my knees replaced when I was 46 and my hands have become misshaped due to arthritis. My hip needs replaced, but that will wait, BUT I do feel better in my 50's than I did in my 40's and I am beginning to think it may have been hormonal. I am sleeping better, mood swings are gone and I seem to be on an even keel most of the time where before I was either up or down.

Since I am sleeping better, I am able to deal with the pain much easier than before. I still need reading glasses, my memory is shot and my body doesn't move like I want it do, but it doesn't stress me like it did before!

 

[Imzadi]

I had my knees replaced when I was 46 and my hands have become misshaped due to arthritis. My hip needs replaced, but that will wait, BUT I do feel better in my 50's than I did in my 40's and I am beginning to think it may have been hormonal. I am sleeping better, mood swings are gone and I seem to be on an even keel most of the time where before I was either up or down.

Since I am sleeping better, I am able to deal with the pain much easier than before. I still need reading glasses, my memory is shot and my body doesn't move like I want it do, but it doesn't stress me like it did before!

Are you sure you just haven't gone numb?