A Dieselhead awakes with a Swollen Knee and knows his best gearhead days are passed.. - Page 3 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

oldnavy · #31 08-11-2007, 11:23 PM

The SOB that said life begines at 40 was a lier, it was all down hill from there.

Here I am 62 and raising a 2 1/2 year old grandson when I can just manage an oil change or some similiar routine then need at a day, if not two, to recover.

I really didn't start having prolems till my mid 40's after a life time of abuse given to my body by 25+ years of military service. I have often thought that what really slowed me down was not the years running with Marines and Soldiers playing in the jungles or on the savanas, but just those last few years running up and down all those ladders on those ships.

When I was forty something a friend I worked with figured that he and I climbed the equilivent of the Empire State Building each day at work. I was never the same in my head after that and did eventually have to retire for medical reasons, since I was no longer fit for shipboard duty.

Now that I have been retired over 13 years the wore out joints, 3 ruptured disk from a hard landing, and all the other things of age sneaking up on me, I figure in 10 years or so they wheel me into the nursing home. There I will be living in the past full time and will no longer know how poor my body is doing, I will just be enjoying reliving my best days of my youth.

lietuviai · #32 08-12-2007, 12:26 AM

Wrong attitude there oldnavy. You're sounding like you're ready to throw in the towel. Didn't the Navy teach you anything?

oldnavy · #33 08-12-2007, 08:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lietuviai

Wrong attitude there oldnavy. You're sounding like you're ready to throw in the towel. Didn't the Navy teach you anything?

Hey just being realistic, but hoping it doesn't go that way that soon. However I don't dwell on the subject as it happens to all of us if we live long enough. I have lot of friends that are taking all kinds of med's and look like they have been road hard and put up wet way too often. I take a mild BP med thanks to wife & daughter, and a pain pill called Tramadol 4 times a day, Prilozac for the stomach twice a day thanks to all the anti-inflamatories and a one vitiamin daily. I have no prolems with cholesterol or other problems so common to those above the age of forty. It is just that I am in constent pain from the joint degeneration that has been happening for about 20 years now that I sometime get down a bit because I can't do something I did a year or two ago.

lietuviai · #34 08-12-2007, 12:50 PM

Oldnavy, always remember this, there's always someone worse off than you are. Don't let daily aches and pains let you down. Find other things to enjoy that'll get your mind off your troubles.
And most of all, any day you can wake up to is a good day.

oldnavy · #35 08-12-2007, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lietuviai

Oldnavy, always remember this, there's always someone worse off than you are. Don't let daily aches and pains let you down. Find other things to enjoy that'll get your mind off your troubles.
And most of all, any day you can wake up to is a good day.

Very true and the E320 CDI is one of those things to take my mind off my troubles.

Hogweed · #36 08-12-2007, 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carrameow

cars are okay! aging is the enemy

...and don't even get me started on aging cars....

oldiesel · #37 08-12-2007, 09:15 PM

i dont know what you guys are griping about,ill be 76 this December and still try do do some work on some car about every day.Just drove several hundred miles to come up here (NC) to give my son a hand putting a timing chain in his 93 2.5 and enjoy every minute of it. Don

oldnavy · #38 08-12-2007, 09:47 PM

Ahh, finally someone to give me hope.

Hatterasguy · #39 08-12-2007, 11:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldnavy

Ahh, finally someone to give me hope.

My grandfather at 81 was bored this summer. So he bought some land and is now building two new houses. Dude your young!

Stay busy, thats how you stay young.

oldnavy · #40 08-13-2007, 07:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hatterasguy

My grandfather at 81 was bored this summer. So he bought some land and is now building two new houses. Dude your young!

Stay busy, thats how you stay young.

Anyone here ever hear about genes?

kafer65 · #41 08-13-2007, 10:29 AM

I'm right at home here. I really miss jogging for the same reasons. Hot tubs are great. Its getting in and out of them thats hard. Three bulging discs, a knee tear and pain from every joint in my body gets me pretty grouchy by the end of the day. Its amazing how much pain I can ignore.
I'm chasing two boys 4 and under which is brutal but rewarding. I totally understand how you can get a little hopeless from time to time. It happens. I've had the pleasure of spending lots of time with my grandfather who will be 90 this year. He has a toughness from his day that is hard to beat. He's broken his back twice and lost his central vision and color perception. He can't get around very well now but his personality is dynamic enough to adjust to his limitations and, frankly, he's just too mean to give up.
My passion for cars, engines and all things mechanical is an intellectual outlet that helps me sooth the savage beast. Also, my recumbant bicycle is the closest thing I get to the benefits from jogging without any addition pain in the joints.

vstech · #42 08-13-2007, 10:57 AM

4 1/2 months to go for my 40th... sure I'm sore after moving 8 cars, and changing and engine or two... my worst problem is food though. Pizza, choclate, cola, TEA... my poor acid pot just burns me up all the time... and Milkshakes... I miss them... wish somebody would make lactaid icecream....

Hatterasguy · #43 08-13-2007, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldnavy

Anyone here ever hear about genes?

Yeah but you can't control those.

Diesel Dan · #44 08-13-2007, 04:14 PM

I went through a real bad spell with my back a couple years ago, and still have permanent problems with it, but found that physical therapy works the best for me. As long as I keep up with my exercises, I feel much better.

The key is understanding body mechanics and how to use the right muscles, and protect the vulnerable ones. Bending over the engine bay is the worst for me. I just have to allow enough time so I can do those jobs in small increments.

And yes, the occasional ice pack (usually at night - to reduce swelling), or heat pad (usually in the morning to reduce stiffness) hits the spot.

mechmagcn · #45 08-13-2007, 06:55 PM

Boy can I relate to a lot of these posts, I will be 43 in Oct. and thought I was the only one with all of the pain. I have been working at some sort of job since I was 13 and turning wrenches professionally since I was 15, got tired of auto mechanics so I decided that heavy equipment and HD trucks would be better. Back surgery in 99 and a torn bicept tendon last year has slowed me down somewhat and made me decide that a change of career was necessary before I broke my body down completely. I am now moving over to mobile RV service, and only working on the coach, not drivetrains. I can only hope to keep working and live as long as some of the older folks mentioned in this thread, I have a lot of things I still want to do in this life!
Keep at it folks, it can't get much worse(I hope) Jeff