Non smoker and not overweight but everything is worn out it seems!
[/quote]
^^^^^^
same here.wrecked knees from jumping in and out of trucks and trailers…industrial deafness due to british garbage trucks,plus sleeping next to fridges roaring all night…back done in.elbows,wrists.ibs prob due to the stress of chasing ferries on trip dosh etc for years|(but i still love it and would rather be dead than demeaned to work for the beancounters).you name it,and its going wrong…
the worst time of my life was when i realised old age was creeping up on me at a gallop was a few years ago when i was about to back scuttle my gorgeous barbiedoll misses,and just as i was getting her settled,it dawned on me i was looking about for a couple of cushions for my knees…
its been a downhill spiral after that…
Well Vid, it seems you’ve just described the life of 99% of old ■■■■■ (drivers). I used to jump out of the cab, off the trailer/rigid floor. ■■■■■■■ the old canvas sheets (specially the jumbo sheets for eight leggers) as well as handballing just about everything on and off. Sitting for hours on end in a cold draughty cab and then jumping out with cold joints and doing handball. Going too long without eating or drinking or sleeping. I loved the job and would go back to it and probably do all the same things if it wasn’t the same crap as nowadays with someone chasing you all the time, traffic, idiots including some other professional drivers. Anyway mate, you ain’t on your own and I can recommend acupuncture as well as stretching exercises and activity. Good luck with yer tired old bones. At least we’ve had the pleasure of driving Fodens and ERF’s etc with Gardners and no power steering, A/C, Blueteeth, blackcurrant and surround sound.
albion:
Physio may be worth trying for specific injuries.
If it’s general aches and pains, try doing some stretches, even simple ones. YouTube is helpful or just use you common sense. You’ll be surprised how much you improve after ten-fifteen minutes of gentle stretching a day. We don’t use our full range of motion and especially for those that spend a lot of time sitting, we kind of seize up. Close the curtains, we won’t tell anyone.
But physio for injuries or you can make things worse .
Saw a physio for a few months earlier this year, he said he couldn’t help me and to consider acupuncture.
Try an osteopath. Similar to physio but does joints as well. I see one every 2 or 3 months. Not cheap but makes a huge difference
Getting retired early is the thing - I thought I was completely buggered in my late 40s early 50s, working stupid hours, Indigestion problems, always tired, couldn’t sleep, something odd going on with the heart (sort of missing beats) (althoigh doctors could find nowt wrong), back problems (sciatica) life was becoming more of an existence. Got lucky with a few things and decided to sort of retire (have a few years off) Now live in a really quiet place, took up cycling lost a few stone (now 13 instead of 15½stone) eat like a horse, sleep like a dog, feel great, knocking out 70 + miles a week on the bike, back isn’t a 100% but probably pain free 6 days out of 7, no longer taking pain killers and the sciatica never goes down the leg now, no more bits of my foot going numb. Feel as good as I did in my 30s
One big problem though - living on no income aint working out as easy as hoped, I’m going to have to get a job to see me through to pension age. After 3 or 4 years off I’m going to take it badly, and I don’t think the job will be how it was in the 1980s and 90s when I loved it.
albion:
Physio may be worth trying for specific injuries.
If it’s general aches and pains, try doing some stretches, even simple ones. YouTube is helpful or just use you common sense. You’ll be surprised how much you improve after ten-fifteen minutes of gentle stretching a day. We don’t use our full range of motion and especially for those that spend a lot of time sitting, we kind of seize up. Close the curtains, we won’t tell anyone.
But physio for injuries or you can make things worse .
Saw a physio for a few months earlier this year, he said he couldn’t help me and to consider acupuncture.
Try an osteopath. Similar to physio but does joints as well. I see one every 2 or 3 months. Not cheap but makes a huge difference
Obviously it depends on the underlying cause of any problems, but an osteopath did the trick for me too. After visits to my GP I had not had much help with back pain, sciatica and pain in my legs. Had to pay for a private osteopath, and x-rays, but was worth it. X-ray revealed my spine was bent and the discs were being squeezed out the sides. Probably due to my terrible habit of slouching in the driving seat, and being bounced around for 10 hour shifts in an old truck didnt help any. With manipulation from the osteopath all is now straightened out. Would it have straightened itself? I cant say definitively but am convinced that the osteopath helped me. As a general rule “use it or lose it”. Use your muscles and mobility or you will seize up like a piece of rusty machinery.
The years of self abuse have took their toll on me, at 46 my todger resembles a button mushroom and me scrotum looks worse than Gordon Ramsey’s face.
Frozen shoulder is my latest self diagnosed ailment, thanks to google research its either that or syphalis.
Anyway our bodies get to the point they can no longer perform like in our youth when we all felt immortal and would live forever, now any form of physical exertion involves carefull thought and consideration of whether my back can stand it.
The first time I felt nervous about falling over was the moment I realised I was getting old.
It is not just driving work it is all manual labour , I have a few problems i ignore tbh
Tinitinus both ears loud screaming .
Mallet finger in my left hand ,very painful when i catch it .
Both knees are shot !
Carpal tunnell in both hands and right foot Ankle
Dreadful numb hands when i wake up .i am only 47
I wish i never lifted that gearbox under a car ,or that engine up onto a bench .i wish i put that grinder down after 4 hours let alone 45 minutes it is now
It is just manual labour i am afraid.but i keep on doing it
I wish my parents and peers told us too ,Take care of your bodies ,like i tell my kids now .
Albert1:
I wish my parents and peers told us too ,Take care of your bodies ,like i tell my kids now .
Would you have listened? Do they listen?
Maybe for those of us that are 50+ our parents didn’t expect to live long past retirement age, if they reached it at all, as their parents didn’t. Life expectancy is increasing, our generation is looking at perhaps 15-25 years of life after retirement, our grandchildren maybe 40-50 years, a very long time to have to cope with the physical damage clearly a lot of have done to ourselves to earn a crust over the years.
Albert1:
I wish my parents and peers told us too ,Take care of your bodies ,like i tell my kids now .
Would you have listened? Do they listen?
Maybe for those of us that are 50+ our parents didn’t expect to live long past retirement age, if they reached it at all, as their parents didn’t. Life expectancy is increasing, our generation is looking at perhaps 15-25 years of life after retirement, our grandchildren maybe 40-50 years, a very long time to have to cope with the physical damage clearly a lot of have done to ourselves to earn a crust over the years.
There is also the problem of funding 25 years of retirement and medical from 40 or 50 years of employment. But thats another problem and Im sure our government have a plan for it.
Twoninety88:
Mainly by gritting me teeth and getting on with it. My knees and hips ache every day, I have arthritis in both hands that cause maximum pain when I hit my fingers on something. Occasionally I have to handball some goods, having previously had a triple heart bypass I’m not very clever at lifting a lot of weight .
I was loading steel office furniture into a 45 foot box trailer last thursday, but I managed a lot better than the 30 year old bloke who was supposed to be doing most of the loading, I was only there to ‘assist’ but ended up having to lift stuff up that he couldnt (or wouldnt) do. I am 63, I dont think its going to get easier, but each week see’s me nearer that magic age of 65
The issue I look at here is ‘the magic age of 65’, so you retire, then what? The pain will still be there, probably worse than now and the one thing that has kept you moving, work, is no longer forcing you to keep active. Maybe you’ve got plans that don’t involve you being like many that stop working then stagnate on the bed/ sofa/ sofa bed for a few months/ years then find that they can’t move at all.
Oh dont worry! I have more than a few hobbies to keep me active. I really enjoy walking and cycling (NOT roads), I enjoy long days riding the towpaths of the Stort & Lee along with my camera. I also belong to a walking club where the days norm is at least eight miles. I only get the weekend to do this at the moment and then only when other tasks allow me to, These and my garden will keep me occupied. The wife will no doubt have plans for me too!
I hate sitting about, I hate being inside more than that and will be out in all weathers. I certainly will not be like my mate, an ex driver, who has hardly been out of his house since he retired almost a year ago
There is also the problem of funding 25 years of retirement and medical from 40 or 50 years of employment. But thats another problem and Im sure our government have a plan for it.
[/quote]
Yep, you’re dead right. Keep on raising the retirement age. ■■■■■■■■■
Far too many years on delivery have knackered my knee’s up. If I kneel down or carry too much weight for a period of time, they swell up.
Got a few day’s off and have been painting the door’s, frame’s and skirting board’s. My knees are now sore and swollen.
My fingers are also knackered, too many winters posting. Finger-less gloves… my ■■■.
Moved over to driving a good few year’s ago and the difference is night and day.
They upped us to 65 with a drop of a hat and are after our pension’s again,
I’ll be drawing 3 pension’s when I retire and that doesn’t include the government pension.
Would you have listened? Do they listen?