How to handle the physical and psychological issues of aging?

[dougd]

I saw your post earlier today Kim and was stunned. Although I never met him Terry helped me over the internet with my first rebuild years ago and was very generous with his knowledge. I remember many of his posts on Pnet back in the day. I believe Wilderness Webb was his Pnet handle. Very sad to hear.

 

[yellowcanoe]

Terry had always had health challenges.. Never stopped him from paddling. He had childhood cancer and the chemo damaged lots of organs.. Then as an adult he had heart issues had stents and this last double valve replacement was more than his poor body could handle.. He was 59 or 60.

Terry never had too many boats at any one time but bought sold and traded at an amazing clip.. He always had a new to him boat. But usually had an extra to loan out to a boatless friend so all could enjoy the river. He was one of the two folks who got the Ozark Rendezvous going..

We probably owe it to ourselves not to feel sorry for our own predicaments but figure out a way to deal with them.. I think that is what Terry would say.

Here is a pic of him on one trip.. He had health issues then but always smiling

 

[scoutergriz]

yellow canoe's comments about bucket lists really hit home. My Wife and I had planned to do the Nahanni as a retirement gift to ourselves, that'll never happen now! Due to various injuries and illness our days of long trips are over. You never know what's around the corner, so take the opportunities when you can, you can't build memories on trips you never took!

 

[ppine]

My bucket list is pretty much over. I got around to a lot of them and the rest are kind of out of reach.
I have given up on a trip to the Barren Lands at this point. It is too. Too far, too expensive, and too rigorous.
Now I like to build lay over days into river trips. Days to sleep in, make a big breakfast and take a hike and maybe a nap. Days to see wildlife and not be in a hurry to "get moving."

 

[Marten]

My canoe group was 3 this year. A funeral last winter and another with some heart rate issues trimmed it down. The last few years we have been scaling back on the travel but staying out longer. One partner is in his 14th year of Parkinson's and the other is getting hit a lot by the effects of Agent Orange. His wrist bones are collapsing so rods were inserted in one last spring. This year we planned a three week trip into Atikaki Provincial Park in Manitoba to extend our travels of the last few years in the area. We planned on moving around a few times but once there the decision was to spend the whole time on Black Lake.

We are able to continue tripping because we only do what the group can do and still have fun. We sold the Royalex boats and now use Kevlar. We drive about a thousand miles but spend a night in a hotel on the way. We are flown on a float plane and exit the same way. It would take anyone 8-10 days to get to our start by paddling, 23 minutes in the turbo Otter. It does cost but this year 45 miles into Black Lake and picked up and flown out from there cost us a total of $785 US per person. That was with 3 but with a few Pak boats inside the plane and 5-6 along the cost would be half that.

We really had a good time with our first long base camping trip. Next year we plan on moving a little north and doing the same thing. Since we know we will be base camping we will take in a big tent for Ron with parkinson's and use it in bad weather to stay warm. We took Helinox sunset chairs this year and they are great for aging bodies. We did change campsites to the other end of Black Lake for a while to freshen up the trip. Awoke at 6 and were 4 miles down the lake by 9 with new things to explore and fishing holes to find.

I am still getting around well so when I wanted I would head out for day trips over the numerous routes leaving Black Lake. In the future we will be set up so anyone could take a kit and head out for a few days and then return to us without being heavily laden with gear and food.

 

[yknpdlr]

What a ride I had this past week. As a NYS SAR first responder volunteer, I have unbelievable opportunities open to me. A self declared expert at map and compass land navigation, four years ago I was recruited by NYS Homeland Security to teach a course in Land Navigation to law enforcement, EMTs and SAR personnel from all over NY State.
At the same training facility location, the state put up a swiftwater rescue training venue last year, designed by the same guy who designs Olympic whitewater competition and training facilities, the first such rescue training facility in the nation. This 68 yr old spent the past week certifying as a swiftwater/flood rescue technician along with youngsters less than half my age. The initial requirement was a 250 meter swim test in an indoor pool using a variety of mandatory strokes. Fail the swim test and go home, as some did. The rest of the week was swimming and boating in madly rushing whitewater, pumped in a narrow channel at 100,000 gallons/minute.

Here's a sample of what I did all week: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdZz80D4BAc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlF4P9Zx5uE
No matter the age, by day 3 everyone was a bit sore, but it felt good and was so much fun all for free.

 

[alsg]

That's some water park, yknpdlr!

 

[yknpdlr]

That's some water park, yknpdlr!

It was extremely intense and intensely fun at the same time. The whole thing (including lunches and hotel rooms) was free, courtesy of NY taxpayers. If something like that was offered to the public, it would cost many hundreds of dollars to spend 4 days for the same experience.

 

[PaddlingPitt]

Way to go, yknpdlr!!

 

[Mihun09]

My issues aren't as much physical as mental, although carrying my 57 pound Jack's Special more than a few hundred meters is no longer possible and rotator cuff and bicep tendonitis on both shoulders/arms doesn't help much.

Since having a panic attack on a trip 3 years ago I have only been out on a weekend canoe trip once. In fact, I have not even been in a canoe this or last year. I found a new way to get out.

We have a friend who owns a fishing camp north of Ear Falls, Ontario and I spend 3 weeks there this year and have 3 weeks booked for next year. I traded a tent for a cabin with indoor plumbing and a canoe for a fishing boat, the one pictured below. I rent the boat. Christy and I go together in June and I go alone in August for 2 weeks. We help our friend Kim with chores around camp, like this August I spent a week brushing out the hill down to the lake. We trade off services for discounts.

I could paddle at Kim's, we gave her a Tremblay we restored a few years ago.

I am enjoying the new past time and not really missing sleeping on the ground, the middle of the night foray out of the tent to pee, moving every day, etc. I do miss opening ports and exploring new spaces but I can get the quality fishing now with more ease.

I'll get out again, but at this point I likely will sell the Swift Mattawa since Christy and I will likely never trip again tandem.

Karin

 

[dougd]

That looks very intense! heck, I was getting sore just watching it! Way to go!

 

[Paddlinhal]

I guess you could call me a "before the event" tripper. 62 and still healthy. I ain't struttin' though, it sounds like it comes quick and sudden. One thing this thread did for me; I was busy trying to talk myself out of going to exercise class after work, and substituting an ice cold beer instead. After I read through this thread, I went to the class.

 

[JackL]

Easy; at age 83, I just keep b*tching about it !

 

[stevet]

To the original topic…. I ignore what I can and accept what I can’t.

 

[yknpdlr]

I believe that "can't" is mostly a state of mind, less of a physical limitation.

I'll never compete again the same way in canoe races as I once could like those who I paddle with and against who are half my age, but as a member of the "Gold' Club" due to my number of entries in the annual Adirondack 90-mile race, I don't have to enter myself in the highly competitive race classes to still be able do my best time along with the younger members of my C4 or voyageur canoe team. The official 90-miler is staged over a 3-day weekend, but for even more fun I can still paddle the unofficial "cannonball-90", which is the entire traditional 90 mile route (including 10 miles of portages) paddled all within a single 24 (actually 18-20 ) hour period. Five trips to race in the Yukon River events, including twice in the 1000 mile, winning first place in the voyageur canoe race class makes me smile at the memories.

To follow up from the swift water rescue training I described in post #24 above, I later certified in the state's open ice water rescue training course, followed by motor boat rescue certification in a white water canyon.

Speaking of doctors from above, I discovered my much younger family physician has recently taken up canoe racing. He paddled his first 90-miler just two years ago and I have trained with him and his partners on local waters. Office calls tend to occupy a lot more than my allotted scheduled time window with him.

 

[Keeled Over]

"I believe that "can't" is mostly a state of mind, less of a physical limitation." yknpdlr

Paraphrasing Henry Ford - "whether you believe you can or believe you can't, either way, you're probably right".

So true.

I look at this way - it's not like I didn't know I was gonna die at some point. Now, it can be easy to fall into a slump - I've done it a million times, but what matters is what you do with the slump. Can't let it drag you down too long. When it comes, let it come, and then push forward. Give yourself the day, and just know that the next day, you regroup.

EVERY morning, now retired, I get up and decide what I want to do with whatever days I have left. Fishing, canoeing, ATVing, skiing , biking, etc. I only have one way of looking at this - glass half full. I could have been dead 10 years ago after my first cancer bout. I'm not. I could have been dead after my second cancer bout. I'm not. My high blood pressure could have killed me years ago. It didn't. Diabetes could have killed me 20 years ago. It didn't. Now I wait for a cancer that I can never get rid of - ok. The fact that I'm still here makes me happy. I could have been dead years ago. I'm not.

So I am on a tear to get stuff done. Days are numbered, time is limited. THIS is my motivation. Don't waste time.

After my first bit of cancer fun I was getting checked every 6 months. After my first results were in with no cancer I made a comment to my surgeon that I could now just wait for the next 6 months to see when it returns. He told me many people have that same emotion. But he also told me many people that take this approach live for another 20 years, and all they did was waste the time they had left.

So after that, my approach is to say f*** it. Cancer wants me - bring it on. As I've said before, I'll hopefully be standing around a campfire, bottle of Jack in one hand and me giving cancer the finger with the other.

Once this philosophy is really adopted, life gets very easy. This cat is not looking back. There are exceptions, but YOU get to decide what
your days will be. What will you do?

So assuming cancer ends up being my ultimate demise - if your betting, pick this one - I'm just going to keep getting up every day, and decide - fishing, canoeing, ATVing, skiing , biking....

 

[Robin]

I'd like to hear some experiences, some thoughts, some successes, even some failures.

I retired in 2010, was diagnosed with bladder cancer in ‘14, prostrate cancer in 16’, ( both as a result of my exposure to agent Orange in 1968), myositis in my hamstrings shortly after the radiation/statins I received to treat the prostrate. Climbing stairs became very difficult.
I continued to canoe camp but my last portage trip was to northern Quebec 3 years ago. While there was only 4 portages, I realized my portaging days were over.

Fast forward to a little over a year ago, my PSA skyrocketed, my prostrate cancer spread to my bones and between the chemo, and the chemo pills I take now and the hormone shots I receive, I lost a year of paddling, even my shop time maintaining my wood canoes stopped.
I recently was able to get back out thanks mostly to lowangle Al’s assistance, we both go traditional and he carried my butt big time. I really wasn’t feeling so great but those 4 nights were great. The next week I went back out alone for 3 nights, still not feeling great. My biggest worry the whole time was would I be able to get my wood canvas canoe back on my truck.
I had been having some neck pain for a while but nothing showed up on any of the tests the VA performed.
I spent two days grouse hunting with my son last week but came home early, I was just not feeling good. This past Tuesday I went to the VA emergency room and not long afterwards I was in an ambulance headed for the Boston VA cardiac critical care unit. Two stents later I’m feeling great.
So now that I feel much better my motivation has skyrocketed. Still no more portage trips, but I do see myself enjoying my new campfire tent or my old small wall tent much more in the future.
But I need to smile more and stop standing like an old man!

 

[yknpdlr]

As the saying goes, "getting old is tough, but it sure beats the alternative". A day after an aggressive uphill mountain bike ride, I was picking blueberries but not tell where my left hand was without looking at it and it felt like I was lifting 50 pounds. My wife noticed my face droop and slurred speech and called 911. The ambulance took me to a designated stroke center hospital a half hour away. I recovered without any permanent effects. But I was due to begin training for a next season Yukon River race. Further tests showed that I had a PFO (patent foramen Ovale), which is a small hole between the upper two chambers of the heart. It is normally there when developing in the womb, but is supposed to naturally close upon birth, although 26% of all people have it without ever knowing and without any effect, except for me. Luckily, a married couple who are on my Yukon race team, he a surgical suite coordinator, and she a surgical cardiologist’s assistant working for a nationally well known cardiac surgeon. He was able to confirm my diagnosis and get me scheduled for surgery within a couple of months. This surgeon uniquely specializes in his developed PFO suture closure method with a manipulation probe inserted through the ribs instead of using an umbrella hardware device and does not need to open the chest or break the sternum. With this, recovery time was less than six weeks versus six months for the open chest procedure. I was soon paddle training for my next trip to the Yukon River without restriction. Now I know why I was a sprinter in track but could not handle long distance cross country running. Although aggressive all day canoe paddling at race speed rate has never bothered me with any slowing or negative effects. I credit my summer and winter training for summer canoe activities resulting in continued cardiac and otherwise good health.

 

[Steve in Idaho]

Thanks, @stevet , for bringing this thread back up. It was a pleasure reading it all again.

I retired in 2010, was diagnosed with bladder cancer in ‘14, prostrate cancer in 16’, ( both as a result of my exposure to agent Orange in 1968), myositis in my hamstrings shortly after the radiation/statins I received to treat the prostrate. Climbing stairs became very difficult.
I continued to canoe camp but my last portage trip was to northern Quebec 3 years ago. While there was only 4 portages, I realized my portaging days were over.
View attachment 143799
Fast forward to a little over a year ago, my PSA skyrocketed, my prostrate cancer spread to my bones and between the chemo, and the chemo pills I take now and the hormone shots I receive, I lost a year of paddling, even my shop time maintaining my wood canoes stopped.
I recently was able to get back out thanks mostly to lowangle Al’s assistance, we both go traditional and he carried my butt big time. I really wasn’t feeling so great but those 4 nights were great. The next week I went back out alone for 3 nights, still not feeling great. My biggest worry the whole time was would I be able to get my wood canvas canoe back on my truck.
I had been having some neck pain for a while but nothing showed up on any of the tests the VA performed.
I spent two days grouse hunting with my son last week but came home early, I was just not feeling good. This past Tuesday I went to the VA emergency room and not long afterwards I was in an ambulance headed for the Boston VA cardiac critical care unit. Two stents later I’m feeling great.
So now that I feel much better my motivation has skyrocketed. Still no more portage trips, but I do see myself enjoying my new campfire tent or my old small wall tent much more in the future.
But I need to smile more and stop standing like an old man!

View attachment 143800

View attachment 143801

Robin, I'm glad you got to the hospital on time. You've always been an inspiration to me, and I hope to see a lot more from you.

So, since my earlier post in this thread (2019!) I've had a few new OG experiences. I retired in 2019 and with all the newfound time, I was eventually more fit than I had been in years. An Alaska adventure was planned for the following year, but you all know what happened to that. Health issues with aging family members kept pushing that back in the following years, and I don't know now if it will ever happen. But I've reconciled with that, and I can accept that less ambitious adventure will keep me happy.

I was actually steadily improving my fitness until early in '23. I had been fortunate to go all that time since the beginning of covid without being sick for even a day. But then I got hit with e. Coli. That kept me down for two weeks. Right after I recovered from that, I guess it was my weakened state that gifted me with the covid. That wasn't so bad for me but coming out of that, DLT and pulmonary embolism almost killed me. I was dumb enough to ignore the discomfort until pain put me on my knees. Fortunately, I'm only five minutes from excellent emergency care.

So, the first half of last year was all about recovering enough strength to do anything outdoors at all. I had been invited to do a BWCA trip (my first) with my nephew, his son, and his friend. When the scheduled time grew near, I offered to back out - not wanting to be a burden. But he insisted that I come anyway, and that they would pick up my slack.

So still on Eliquis but with my doctor's blessing ("keep moving"), I drove with frequent breaks from Idaho to Minnesota, bringing my pack with camping and fishing gear, along with my favorite carbon paddle. The four of us in two borrowed 18' tandems had a great trip. And although I only carried my pack on the five portages each way, I was left with the most uplifting words I've ever been given - "you've been an asset on this trip".

I left Minnesota feeling so good - physically and emotionally - that I decided I should stop on the way home for a hike around the base of Devil's Tower. Although still a little unsteady on my feet and requiring a staff for balance in some places, I made two trips around the rock - one on the paved trail and one on the natural trail. Ignoring the other tourists, that was almost a spiritual experience.

My health and fitness has been progressing since then, even getting in a backpacking trip into the Sawtooths - but now I fear my neglect of canoe poling has allowed my back trouble to return. The telltale nerve pain and weakness in my left leg has prompted a call to the doc, and I am anxious to hear what he says when I go in two days hence. Hopefully, I'll be able to get back to standing in the canoe.

Good thing I picked up that kevlar Wildfire. I know at some point it will be the only canoe I'm able to use.

 

[Steve in Idaho]

Speaking of bucket lists....I have one. But I'm already looking at crossing of some of it undone. For instance, the sailing from Puget Sound up the Inside Passage. Yeah, that's not gonna happen. The sailboat will likely get sold come spring. The list will be prioritized. I'm okay with that. The important thing is getting out as often as possible.