Older but not ready to be put out to pasture

I am 61 years old.

I am finding that there is an attitude out there, like with my last doctor, who said, "You are getting older and so will be slowing down."

Also, with sleep patients who are older and consequently setting lower expectations for themselves and their sleep therapy.

Well I am sure at some point I will be slowing down, but 61 years old isn't when that is going to happen. I just have a sleep disorder.

Also, I think a lot of the behaviors which are associated with being older are really the problems of undiagnosed sleep apnea.

So if you are older and have lower expectations please don't post on my threads. You enable bad attitudes on the part of doctors who have attitudes towards older patients. You may have put yourself out to pasture, but I am not going along with you.

sleepy1235 wrote:I am 61 years old.

I am finding that there is an attitude out there, like with my last doctor, who said, "You are getting older and so will be slowing down."

Also, with sleep patients who are older and consequently setting lower expectations for themselves and their sleep therapy.

Well I am sure at some point I will be slowing down, but 61 years old isn't when that is going to happen. I just have a sleep disorder.

Also, I think a lot of the behaviors which are associated with being older are really the problems of undiagnosed sleep apnea.

So if you are older and have lower expectations please don't post on my threads. You enable bad attitudes on the part of doctors who have attitudes towards older patients. You may have put yourself out to pasture, but I am not going along with you.

I totally agree with you regarding doctors blaming everything on aging but as an FYI, you need to give people the benefit of the doubt when they respond to your posts. If you don't like what they say, either ignore it or find a way to disagree in a better manner. This isn't the way to do it.

49er

PS - And for those folks you blow off, how do you know they might not have a great suggestion when you need help on another issue? You're really shooting yourself in the foot with this attitude in my opinion.

sleepy 1235:

Really??

Sheriff

So if you are older and have lower expectations please don't post on my threads.

So what do you consider older and what do you consider lower expectations?

I'm confused.

I would be surprised if more than a handful of doctors even lurk this forum.

Oh my goodness, sleepy1235, who is this collective "you" that you're lashing out at?

I am also 61 years old.

I'm not defending any medical professional who dismisses older adults' concerns/symptoms with a "you're just getting older" response.

On the other hand, there are some undeniable changes that occur as we mature and age. Vision changes and loss of hair pigmentation, to pull a couple of easy and obvious ones out of the hat. Loss of reproductive capacity at menopause, changes in sleep patterns, and -- on average -- a slowing of certain functions and reflexes that will eventually require all of us to make decisions about whether to continue driving.... The list of well studied age-related changes is lengthy, and yes, some of these changes are occurring by the time we're 60.

A few years ago I had physical therapy and ended up in unnecessary pain because the therapist was not being mindful about age and recovery time with her treatment plan for me, and was pushing too hard too fast.

I think I'd rather understand how the body changes with age, and aim for aging with grace and doing the most I can do through each life stage. At least on my good days I try not to think of that as having "lower" expectations, but perhaps different and more realistic expectations.

And there are areas where I actually have higher expectations of myself as I get older, for example -- wisdom, emotional maturity, compassion, acceptance...

You might end up with some pretty empty threads if you reject everyone here who has had to come to terms with some loss of ability or function as they've gotten older.

sleepy1235 wrote:I am 61 years old.

I am finding that there is an attitude out there, like with my last doctor, who said, "You are getting older and so will be slowing down."

Also, with sleep patients who are older and consequently setting lower expectations for themselves and their sleep therapy.

Well I am sure at some point I will be slowing down, but 61 years old isn't when that is going to happen. I just have a sleep disorder.

Also, I think a lot of the behaviors which are associated with being older are really the problems of undiagnosed sleep apnea.

So if you are older and have lower expectations please don't post on my threads. You enable bad attitudes on the part of doctors who have attitudes towards older patients. You may have put yourself out to pasture, but I am not going along with you.

I'll be VERY happy to ignore your posts.

Unless you think you are going to live to be 122 you will have to admit your life is more than half over. Friends are important.

We all have our perceptions. My little story:

I was waiting at the Dr.'s office today, 10am appointment. AT LEAST 6 60+old gentleman passed in front of me (im near 30 y old), most probably because the receptionnist felt like they ''deserved'' it more, and me the ''young guy'' can certainly wait....What about if the young guy is the one suffering the most in his little chair...anyway...perceptions

At every doctors' office I have ever been to, the appointments are called
in the order they are written down on the schedule page.
If you don't want people to get in ahead of you, don't arrive so early! (but don't be late) (edit)
Note: if you suspect people with later appointments are being called ahead of you,
you may politely point out the time of your appointment, and ask how late the office is running behind.
If someone has slipped up and missed you, they will know they have been "caught".

sleepy1235 wrote:I am 61 years old.

I am finding that there is an attitude out there, like with my last doctor, who said, "You are getting older and so will be slowing down."

Also, with sleep patients who are older and consequently setting lower expectations for themselves and their sleep therapy.

Well I am sure at some point I will be slowing down, but 61 years old isn't when that is going to happen. I just have a sleep disorder.

Also, I think a lot of the behaviors which are associated with being older are really the problems of undiagnosed sleep apnea.

So if you are older and have lower expectations please don't post on my threads. You enable bad attitudes on the part of doctors who have attitudes towards older patients. You may have put yourself out to pasture, but I am not going along with you.

And, the purpose for this post would be WHAT???

It comes across to me as being extremely condescending and juvenile.

You're NOT welcome in MY "pasture"......STAY OUT!


Den

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chunkyfrog wrote:At every doctors' office I have ever been to, the appointments are called
in the order they are written down on the schedule page.
If you don't want people to get in ahead of you, don't arrive so early! (but don't be late) (edit)
Note: if you suspect people with later appointments are being called ahead of you,
you may politely point out the time of your appointment, and ask how late the office is running behind.
If someone has slipped up and missed you, they will know they have been "caught".

appointment at 10, was there at 9h45. believe me, in that office, it's not 'who's first in the list'', it's ''which case is the worst''...anyway I just wanted to explain to the person posting this subject that even as young people we can get ''judged''

If more than one doctor shares an office, one may be running later than others.
I repeat, the only time patients are seen out of order is in case of urgent need, or an emergency.
If your doctor's office is not following these guidelines, you should point it out and ask why it is done.
--politely, of course.

I do agree with CF - so a bunch of older men (more likely to have problems) went ahead of you... maybe to see your MD, maybe not, and maybe some of them were e.g. drug reps, who spend a lot of time in doctors' offices trying to sell them stuff. And maybe 1-2 were emergencies who were told to come in asap, or who knows, but the secretary does not, ever, decide who goes in when and certainly not based on who happens to show up first.