When did I get old? Ageism at its best.

I have absolutely no problem with 'being' old - quite amazed and delighted I've survived this long - my problem is with 'feeling' old. My head tends to disassociate me with elderly when it comes up in either an article or conversation. This is not an escape (my exterior fools no one!) but rather a default. Try not to say this in company because, to a man(!!), everyone assumes I'm trying to deny the ageing process. I ask you, short of surgical intervention (much too cowardly) or clever make-up (beyond my budget) why would I even attempt to look younger. I guess my generally happy heart and avoiding mirrors keeps me feeling 'young'. At the end of the day, does it really matter?

I am 62, lots of health problems but have never felt "dismissed" due to my age, I know I need to lose weight, no I don't need GP to lecture me.

As my DM is nearly 89, apart from not being able to walk far, less energy & slowly failing eyesight she's no major health problems. Hope I follow in her footsteps, she takes no prisoners

My mother used to say that once you get to a certain age you should start adding on years, so that people tell you how wonderful you are for your age. I'm only 73 but sometimes quite tempted to tell people I'm 80 to see there reaction. Of course the worry would be if there wasn't one!

I had the same response......in the end I started to educate myself re alternative health.....constipation..easily remedied by increasing my intake of water.....8 glasses. Through day the day...not tea, coffee or alcohol...water. As well as the teas etc etc. aches and pains.....cut out everything which has flour in it...not easy but is possible and stopped eating sweet things apart from fresh fruit.......result? No more pain, Bowles moved every day....brain fog disappeared, much more energy...feel so much better. And no pills, potions or chemicals taken into my body.

A neighbour of mine, who was 90 at the time, was miffed that her GP referred to her as elderly She's still going strong at 93. 57 is young, Daisydoo - well it is compared to me anyway!

I don't think people want reminding of their age because older people are often treated as second class citizens. Why some believe they shouldn't be allowed to vote as they might show experience and wisdom they don't recognise.

At 62,I often feel at least 10 years older due to disability problems.So I was delighted yesterday when a health specialist that I see regularly but who is leaving the department wished me well and said he could never believe that I was "that old" because I didn't look it!

I long to be told its 'down to my age' instead of 'down to my weight'. I am always the wrong sort of pateient for treatment, like the 'wrong sort of leaves on the line' when the trains go slow.

When I was younger, it was because I worked too many hours......

I would seek a second opinion if I was you. I query such comments at 75, not 57.
I have this year been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes for which I was told I was 'too old' when I self diagnosed a year before. Already thin, losing weight and feeling dreadful, it was only when I became seriously unwell that a nurse in a clinic I attended recognised what was wrong and sent me for urgent insulin.

The only reference my GP has made to my age was 5 years ago when I hit 65 he suggested that when I accompany my husband to his bi-monthly BP and weight check, I ask the nurse to check mine as well. He only sees me once a year when he renews my migraine and asthma prescriptions, and reviews my annual blood test and ECG. He said he doesn't want anything to be missed because although he sees me regularly as a carer, he rarely sees me as a patient. .

Nelliemags - I'm with you. It is absolutely wrong to be told it's just your age. How does the doctor know? Many people don't go to the doctors until they really feel awful and since there are lots of things that could be suggested to relieve menopause symptoms, I think the doctor was a bit of a dud.

We can't deny being older, but we can fight back when people make assumptions on the basis that we are old. It's the stereotypes that really piss me off. We all need to fight those.

Daisydoo - can I suggest you fight back by changing your doctor and making it clear that you're less than satisfied?

My friend had a back problem and a blood pressure problem and was perpetually put off by her doctor with the it's your age, it's all in your head type remarks. She changed doctors, got proper treatment and is doing much better now.

I regard 'elderly' as being about 15 years older than I am at any given time. Late middle age, that's me

Very wrong of yr GP to take that view Daisydoo2. I've had a GP say exactly the same to me at a similar age, she was a very young female new GP. I wrote and complained. My sister had exact opposite approach at same surgery from her male mid 30's GP who, when she started off by saying "I know it's probably my age but ....", said 'No, never put symptoms down to your age!". That's how I think we should all be treated.

I was told by the Chemist when asking for eye drops that "at your age, we arent allowed to recommend anything for eye problems , you need to see a Doctor" Left the shop deflated!

Apparently, according to my doctor, everything that is wrong with me is due to my age. I know that some things are, but that still doesn't mean that there are other things that are not age related. It's getting to the stage that I put off going to the surgery because I feel it's not worth it.
To add insult to injury, the doc. always ends up telling me I don't look my age. (80).

I truly like getting old although I balk at the description "Senior Citizen" - tell it like it is: I'm an old woman and not ashamed of it either!

I like to (smugly, I confess) look at all the iPhone addicted teens weaving along the pavements glued to the tiddly-tiny screen in their hands and think "I'd never go back to THAT age if you offered me the Crown Jewels!"

Ah, youth......you can keep it.......

It isn't acceptable. It is just an excuse to not look for causes. My mother still gets treatment (in Canada) in her 90s and I do wonder if she would get the same here. She is getting botox injections in her arms at the moment. Her problem is that she asked the doctor to write things down for her and he scribbled them down on a small post it note that she couldn't read. Luckily she had taken somewhere with her who she has told that she has trouble remembering so she could tell her afterwards.

Yes M0nica! Treat my problems not tell me it’s what I might expect! But perhaps he googled what to say for your diagnosis.

A friend of mine who was told that her knee pain was due to her age was quick to point out that her other knee was exactly the same age and not causing her any problems!

Hiya Daisydoo
If a mere male could be allowed to comment may I say - TAKE NO NOTICE.
I run upstairs two at a time, ride a high powered motorbike and, apart from losing a kidney to cancer a few years ago have all of my bits in full working order.
I feel about 25 and I'm 81.
Keep on living for as long as you can and try and enjoy every minute.

Hiya Daisydoo
If a mere male could be allowed to comment may I say - TAKE NO NOTICE.
I run upstairs two at a time, ride a high powered motorbike and, apart from losing a kidney to cancer a few years ago have all of my bits in full working order.
I feel about 25 and I'm 81.
Keep on living for as long as you can and try and enjoy every minute.

Hiya Daisydoo
If a mere male could be allowed to comment may I say - TAKE NO NOTICE.
I run upstairs two at a time, ride a high powered motorbike and, apart from losing a kidney to cancer a few years ago have all of my bits in full working order.
I feel about 25 and I'm 81.
Keep on living for as long as you can and try and enjoy every minute.

I was at. Preliminary meeting for a local police Independent Advisory Group. Someone suggested we needed someone qho could speak on behalf of the elderly. I asked for a definition and whether I would count at 70. It became apparent that in the eyes of most present elderly equated to 'uneducated, unable to use IT or social media, without a voice etc'. All these things could apply to any age group. It made me think.

Sorry guys - I don't know how my message managed to appear three times. I only posted it once

Ageing? As the old saying goes, it's better than the alternative. News of yet another old friend's passing yesterday has left me in reflective mood, so I ended up writing this. Hope that you enjoy it and that it perhaps strikes a familiar chord with some.. Ageing

As I’m growing older, I’ve found that in the end,
As I mature and mellow I’ve become my own good friend.
Less critical of who I am, more free to live each day,
In line with things that matter, as old worries fade away,
And I see dear friends who have passed on, and maybe missed their chance,
To exercise full freedom in life’s demanding dance.
To do those things that feed our souls, those chances that are missed,
To write another tick against our lengthy bucket list.
And though I’m quite forgetful, some things are best mislaid,
No need to rake the ashes of mistakes we may have made.
And yes, my heart’s been broken, as some folk have done me wrong
But as I’ve come through I know it’s true, the pain has made me strong,
As a heart that’s never suffered with no bruise or scar to show,
Has missed an opportunity to learn and then to grow.
As I stroll along the Summer sands, in comfy shorts so baggy,
My Speedo days are just a haze, my bum has gone all saggy..
But wrinkles never bother me, I wear each one with pride,
I see them all as laughter lines, and feel so young inside.
My body may be failing and my hair has turned snow white,
And the mirror in the bathroom makes a less than perfect sight,
But I’m privileged to be here, as I’ve travelled a long way,
And as long as I’m around I’ll always try to seize the day,
Binding close to friends and family, to those who are so giving,
To those precious, special people who all make my life worth living..