[vito]

Yes, I know, growing old is the only alternative to dying young, but its still a pain in the everything. The last few days here have been about as perfect weather as can be for riding, but the bike just sits untouched in the garage. I am battling a head cold with a cough that just won't quit. In my younger days a cold like this would be annoying, but would not have stopped me from riding. But this cold is both knocking me out and frankly, fogging up my head. I know in my brain that riding when I feel like this is just not a smart thing to do. And when I was younger, a cold like this would last a few days and then be gone, but this time it is dragging on for what seems like an eternity. It doesn't help that I am barely sleeping due to the endless coughing. I keep reminding myself that there are plenty of folks who were younger than I am that I see listed in the daily obituaries in the newspaper, so complaining about a cold and cough is pretty wimpy, but as an aging senior citizen I now reserve the right to feel sorry for myself as much as I want to.

And yesterday, while this cold was really getting to me, I tried to help my son-in-law carry and set up a 16 foot step ladder in their new home, and between my cold and my torn rotator cuff injuries in both shoulders, found it was just too much for me. I had to ask my 14 year old granddaughter to help with carrying this heavy ladder on my end with my son-in-law on the other end. And when my 11 year old grandson ran over to help, yelling "be careful Grandpa, you might hurt yourself" I felt about 100 years old.My new T-shirt, patting myself on the back for still riding motorcycles while in my 70's, just wasn't making me feel any better.

 

[Doc Samson]

Yes, I know, growing old is the only alternative to dying young, but its still a pain in the everything...

I keep reminding myself that there are plenty of folks who were younger than I am that I see listed in the daily obituaries in the newspaper, so complaining about a cold and cough is pretty wimpy, but as an aging senior citizen I now reserve the right to feel sorry for myself as much as I want to.

It's all relative and I'm slowly learning that the older you get, the more you need to listen to your body and let it heal. You can't just shrug it off (illness or injury) because the immune system and muscle recuperation ability both slow waaaay down.

And, yeah, it's a pain but, like you, I plan to go down swinging (and occasionally feeling sorry for myself)! :smile_big:

 

[Porky]

Listen to your body like when you have a deep and long lasting cough with spittle, as at "our' age it can easily turn in to or be Pneumonia:surprise:

Sam:nerd:

 

[ketchboy]

Aches, pains, colds, all seem to last longer as we age, vito. Things like torn rotator cuffs, are just reminders of bad decisions we may have made in our younger years.

All a person can do at our age, is do what we can, and ask for help when needed. I had to shuffle some bikes around in the garage a couple of weeks ago, in order to make some room for a 4 wheeler and a scooter that will be arriving soon. I couldn't do it and had to get some help. My friend (10 years younger, in his mid 60's) and his son (in his 40's) came to help. Even with the help, I was quite sore and tired by the time we were done. I just don't have the strength in my legs anymore. Hate to think what will happen if one of my bikes tips over.

Just remember this.....if you wake up some morning, and nothing hurts, check your pulse. You might be dead.

 

[Retired Guy]

I understand how a cold in the summertime seems twice as bad because when its nice outside you want to do outside things. At least having a cold in the winter is a good reason to stay inside and stay warm.

Oh, for swollen sinuses, that cause you to breathe through your mouth, try Afrin nasal spray. For me it has to be the name brand to really work. But you can only use it for 3 days at a time.

Full disclosure; I receive no monetary benefit from Afrin.

 

[hogcowboy]

Listen to your body like when you have a deep and long lasting cough with spittle, as at "our' age it can easily turn in to or be Pneumonia:surprise:

Sam:nerd:

It might already be Pneumonia. That walking kind. I'm not at all sure what walking Pneumonia is but just the name sounds like what you could have vito. I was once hospitalized because I had Pneumonia and was walking around with it and was just being drug down further each day. But they never once called in Walking Pneumonia. Just Pneumonia and I was dehydrated as well. I think it was the dehydration part mostly. All I know is I felt like **** and I'd been that way for weeks, even months. It just wouldn't go away. I felt better 3 days later but still had to keep taking something. I can't remember what it was exactly. antibiotic of some kind I think.

 

[vito]

If I don't feel better by tomorrow I think I will call my doctor. Hopefully its not pneumonia, but I better check it out. I've been feeling crappy for awhile now, and tylenol only helps for a short time and does nothing for the cough.

 

[Porky]

I've had walking pneumonia twice in my life. It is called 'walking' because it may be hardly noticed when a person is up walking around or working but the congestion etc becomes much worse when trying to sleep at night:surprise:

I also had the full blown bronchial pneumonia once and it was much, much worse!:sad:

I pray you feel better Vito:grin:

Sam:nerd:

 

[450zuki]

endless coughing. I keep reminding myself that there are plenty of folks who were younger than I am that I see listed in the daily obituaries in the newspaper, so complaining about a cold and cough is pretty wimpy, but as an aging senior citizen I now reserve the right to feel sorry for myself as much as I want to.

See a doctor..yes, "when you were young"...but you're not young and that cough could kill you! Just a few weeks ago, a friends son (in his 50's) wound up in critical condition intensive care from a "cough" that he ignored...he went from "endless coughing" to near death in 2 days...bacterial infection in one lung so severe, that lung was pretty much non functional...and it was gaining steam in his other lung.

Your mind runs the show...stay young in your mind, and your body will follow. Stop eating "corporate food products" and stick with stuff you'd pull out of a garden and eat pretty much unprocessed...you'll lose weight and feel younger physically and mentally. I lost ~40lbs taking my own advice...no need to "exercise" either, just eat right and the weight comes off easily and without thought. I would add that weight lifting (you don't need to look like Schwarzenegger) is a great way to build bone density and muscle tone all the way to the last day...look at Jack Lalanne...oh, and he died of a "cough" too...at 96 and still in great physical shape.

"Other people work at dying," he likes to say. "I work at living!"

At 60, he swam to Alcatraz handcuffed. As he turns 90, LaLanne has his eye on Catalina Channel

https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/At-60-he-swam-to-Alcatraz-handcuffed-As-he-2691907.php

 

[MGRIDER]

I can only symphasize !
After numerous Atlantic crossings, Bossy Bessie & myself, had to agree, that we had reached the point, where , during storms at sea, we no longer coped well, with being bounced off bulkheads or stanchions etc.
So we reluctantly sold our steel ocean crosser & bought a motor boat, that hardly goes anywhere, but its nice n warm, in Las Palmas !
I think I also wrote a post, years ago, & I called it, getting old, sucks !
Good luck with your endeavours !

 

[450zuki]

Just remember this.....if you wake up some morning, and nothing hurts, check your pulse. You might be dead.

"Death research" strongly suggests that your brain knows (you are aware) that your body is dead for up to 10 minutes after you're clinically dead. Even though there is no electrical activity in the brain, you are somehow still aware of your physical state and surroundings. The evidence comes from people that were clinically dead, miraculously revised, and then capable of recalling information that occurred after "death"...sort of an "in body" after death experience. Your mind and your body are separate and, it appears, your mind can exist after death for a least a bit before it...well, we don't know....we'll all figure that out one day.

 

[hogcowboy]

But, if you do get the opportunity, don't do what I did and say you aren't ready. You'll be back in this hell hole in the blink of an eye.:angel:

 

[vito]

Saw my doc yesterday, and he said its not pneumonia. Xrays show my lungs are not showing any signs of infection, and while I have obvious lung tissue damage, its no different than what the radiologist saw 5 years ago on my xrays (A warning to you young guys that smoke. I smoked, heavily, from age 16 to age 36. I stopped 40 years ago this past spring. The radiologist said he can see apparent damage on my lungs from cigarette tar that he said will never heal despite all the years since I stopped that awful habit.) My doc said that the cough is probably viral and may linger for quite awhile. He prescribed an inhaler to reduce inflammation in my lungs and a strong cough suppressant to help me sleep at night. Hopefully this whole episode will soon be over. I haven't even touched the motorcycle or the scooter in about 10 days now, not feeling nearly well enough to get out on two wheels.

But today I got a reminder of really how lucky I am that the worst I am dealing with right now is this horrible cough. An old, old friend, someone I haven't seen in about 50 years but have reconnected with on Facebook, who lost his wife of 50 years just last year, sadly announced the death of his only child, his daughter at age 48. With my wife of 53 years and all of my five grown children in good health, I truly am blessed. And still being on the green side of the grass at 76, I need to remind myself every day that I am doing damn well.

 

[GGB100]

I'm in Racine, WI and both my son and I had a cold a couple of weeks ago. And there is still a bit of a lingering cough and congestion. I think something might be going around. My son had it first and the symptoms were indentical. Increasingly bad head congestion and a bit of a cough for a few days. 3rd day was a fever of 99 then the next day started to feel a bit normal again. But both of us had lingering symptoms. But not as bad as the first 3 days. I have allergies too, but this was way worse than my normal. Although it was kind of like when I mow the lawn. I've had to stop doing that cuz my head can't take it.

Anyways... I'm pretty sure there is a virus going around in our area cuz I think I heard some others have similar issues.


Also, I'll say a prayer for you. I know what it's like to be frustrated with your health. I'm 47 and have been battling lyme disease for 10 years. There were times where it was so bad I didn't think I was going to make it. I've started to get better this summer and the summer of 2017 I started to feel human again but then had a bad year in 2018. I don't work at a job, although my main job is to oversee my kids homeschooling. I don't have to be the teacher, they watch videos. But I make sure they stay on track and make sure their test grades are up to snuff, and that type of stuff. So it worked out that I stayed home. But I'd rather be healthy, and at a job. Albeit any job I had before that had it's share of stress too.

I'm also frustrated cuz we don't have any extra money from all the medical bills and just life and not having 2 incomes. And I REALLY want to start riding again. LOL. I've been getting my fix by riding bicycles and working on them. Which is really relaxing and nice and I'm just thankful to have the health to do it. But I keep lusting after getting a motorcycle and both of my kids are showing interest in riding a motorcycle too so I'm really wanting to accomplish it. In God's time.

Hang in there.

I'm really proud of these bikes. This summer we started with the white one in the middle. My wife had bought it like 8-9 years ago for herself. And it sat for a long time. That's the one my daughter and I cleaned up and started riding. Then my wife wanted to start riding again and we found another Schwinn cruiser (purple and off white one on the left) at a rummage sale down in your neck of the woods. My Dad and Grandma live in McHenry and one day when I was visiting we saw that one for sale on FB marketplace and it turned out to be a decent bike. We could've bought a huffy at Walmart for the same price but I think this is the better bike. It was only a couple of years old. Then my neighbors were moving and had the far left green bike out for free. It needed a lot of cleaning but the mechanicals all worked and all it needed was inner tubes. The seat was pretty hard too and she just got a new seat last week. Then I bought that far right blue one for 15 dollars on FB marketplace and cleaned it up. It needed tires and 1 inner tube. It could use a new seat but that one is OK enough. Probably will get a new seat for it though. So now Me, my wife and 2 kids can all go for a ride. And it's a huge blessing. My son is 18 and he still wanted to go with us. It was fun. Anyways.... probably too much info for your thread but I hope you feel better soon!

 

[Unkle Krusty]

I second the posts about pneumonia. Is is often what takes us out at the tail end.
Another consideration, is what are we going to ride, and what are we going to do with the bikes.
I have a 401 Husky, or a 390 Duke in my sights. Same engine. Probably sell the SV1000S. The Triumph is doing the job the Suzuki did, and it is more comfortable, especially for Shirley.

The rest of the herd, I am giving to the bike shop. They pick them up, and the executor does not have to deal with them.

UK