Accepting My Mortality

[Time2]

It's just the opposite of jumping off of a tall building; while traveling down, everything is fine, it's the quick stop at the end that's the bad part. But traveling down hill health-wise is not at all fine. The eventual stop at the end is probably going to be a relief.

We all will traverse from healthy to dead. The idea of "healthspan" was something I liked more than "lifespan". The graph would be relatively flat in the above 90% healthy range, maybe gentle slope down for a while, then a cliff. That, as opposed to a steady downward slope, 70%, 60%, 50%, 40%. I don't know what it would be like to be 40% healthy, but I'd guess it's no fun.

It's been said many times on this board and elsewhere, that you're perfectly healthy until suddenly you're not. At that point, you start thinking more about the shape of the graph and at what angle you'll be hitting the X axis, and what that ride down is going to feel like.

Here's Peter Attia graphing this, https://youtu.be/vDFxdkck354?t=929
Less than 10 minutes to get the point.
To see the whole video, drag the curser back to zero.

 

[bmcgonig]

@mountainsoft your post instilled me on reply to a reluctant but realistic topic. Funny my user name was created when I was 49 … assuming that if I’m to live to 100. I retired 56, just barely able to make it to FIRE and thanks to the good folks on this site I was able to retire with confidence. Now at 65, generally healthy but I also found my BP to be getting higher in the last 5 years to a point where I start tracking it daily. I’m also on Losartan for many year now adding Amlodipine to keep BP under control. I felt something is not right and saw a Cardiologist last month, to my surprise he diagnosed Arrhythmia irregular heartbeat and I’m now on Xarelto. I am lucky to find out early although not afraid of dying but it would be horrible if I would be disable from a stroke. This incident reminds me of many of the precious things around us, in my case very fortunate to be able to spend much time with my grandkids as I travel a lot in my working years and my DW kidney transplant reached 20 years milestones. Me too …hugging my wife often to a point of annoying. It’s better to think about our immorality earlier than later, although I try not to dwell on it but it had been on my mind a lot recently. So … you’re not alone in this and remind us that it’s not so much the number even if it’s 100, but the journey getting to the end. Wishing you and everyone best health and happiness!

51togo

Search the site for AFib. Lots of us with that arrhythmia.

 

[Koolau]

51togo

Search the site for AFib. Lots of us with that arrhythmia.

Yeah, DW and I both (intermittent) and I know so many folks with AFib that I'm beginning to think it must be a normal part of aging. YMMV

 

[flatrock]

Mortality

I walk my dog every day in a large cemetery that was established in 1860. I’m always looking at age of death of the deceased on the tombstones over the ages as compared to recent times. We are definitely living longer as compared to years past. I find that comforting. I retired last year at 60 ( that was average death age in the olden days) and so far as I know I’m in excellent health and plan to keep on trucking doing things I enjoy until I check out for good. I try not to dwell on death because you can’t escape it. I mean really we’ve been heading towards death since the day we were born. I think it better to focus on living life well as long as possible.

 

[levindb]

I am 72 and DW is 70. In the past week, we have done a few day trips:

1. we kayaked 14 miles on the Wekiva River
2. we biked 15 miles at Shark Valley in the Everglades
3. we hiked 9 miles at Big Cypress National Preserve

...and DW had her knee replaced 15 weeks ago!!
(I am amazed by what she has accomplished)

Once you stop moving, things can go downhill pretty rapidly. We expect we can do these same day trips every year, and we plan on trying to do them every year. Please do not look at some number, be it 60, 70, or 80 and say that is the end. Make your mind up to fix/replace any parts that might be broken, and keep on trucking...DO NOT GIVE UP!!

 

[pacergal]

Well, darn it all.
Just found out DBIL liver cancer is inoperable and not a candidate for a transfer. Possible treatment with radiation or immunotherapy, Oncologist told them 2 years at best. Such a difference from the positivity they heard a couple weeks ago from the first doc who told them is was treatable and felt he would do well.
He's only 72, has already fought a kidney disease and two operations to remove tumors there.
In a bit of a shock.

My DH favorite quote is "get busy living or get busy dying".
We try to live our best life daily. So grateful for every day.

 

[Koolau]

As Kenny Rogers sang in THE GAMBLER "The best you can hope for is to die in your sleep." YMMV

 

[sengsational]

As Kenny Rogers sang in THE GAMBLER "The best you can hope for is to die in your sleep." YMMV

Worf would be so disappointed with that. Klingons say the best thing is to die in battle!