I feel old suddenly!

My dentist suggested 2implants for me and recommended a dentist she refers to in Brighton who charges £800 per implant. So prices vary, worth checking around . Getting older is hard, I've never been a beauty but still hate it, it must be devastating for those who were once lovely.

Sweat, I meant sweat not swear

I so empathise, especially with the teeth. I had to have a front tooth out in November because I snapped it straight across and it couldn't be saved. Then the one next to it broke too. The upshot is I'm managing with a temporary bridge but will hopefully be getting an implant and a crown fitted towards the end of April. Yes, the implant is expensive but I'd rather have that than a car, holiday etc. I found it really hard to smile with a gap and it was making me sad. And yes, I'm 68 and have started to notice saggy skin on my arms. My hair is fine too but I get it cut and coloured regularly which helps. I just have to be sure never to go out without makeup and I won't even mention the nights spent drenched with swear, my temperature control has gone AWOL. Mazza you sound like you're doing really well coping with your health problems so keep your head high and

Try not to worry too much about the gap. I've had a missing tooth for ages - my bridge kept breaking and eventually the dentist said it was never going to work and wasn't worth replacing. The alternatives were a denture, which I didn't really want, or an implant which I did want but cost over £2000. I did manage to scrape the money together, which took ages, but then it had to be spent on repairing our car (not much option when your husband's a taxi driver!) So I've been stuck with a gap for ages and God knows if it'll ever be fixed. (I've considered getting it done in Eastern Europe but not sure whether it's a realistic option.) At first, I felt horribly self-conscious but I finally realised that nobody except me gave a toss about it. We all feel that people are staring at us and judging us but the truth is that most people are pretty much wrapped up in their own lives, and don't bother that much about the small details of other people's lives. And, frankly, anyone who does judge you for it is a small-minded idiot who isn't worthy of your attention.

It's easy to slip into a sad mood when everything seems to overwhelm you, but it will pass. When I feel like that, I try to concentrate on good things to come, even if they're only little treats. Hang on in there - the changing season and your holiday should both give you a boost. Hope you feel more cheerful soon.

I long to glide along in shoes with heels, but unfortunately I am still hobbling along months after a break.

Getting old is ok in theory. Just difficult with a 35 year old mind in a 70 year old body.
Teddy I am only 11 years old when I wake up in the mornings (not grown up yet, you see) until I start to get out of bed and realise that I'm 11+60

Hairdressers are cruel with that mirror you can't get away from looking into, however hard you try. Especially when the colour is on and your hair is all over the place. They should have the option of a curtain.

Of course there are FAR worse things but unfortunately it's not that easy. We are living in a world today where we are bombarded with images of perfect looking women. Helen Mirren plastered all over TV and magazines. We all know that these glamourpusses have money to do whatever they want but it doesn't make us feel any better. And yes GN is great! There are a lot of us in the same boat.

Mazza, also go and buy some quality "thickening" shampoo. I've always had thin straight hair. Thickening shampoo and then mousse, read carefully what it is supposed to do, and then dry with a brush, small or broad depending on the lenghth of you hair. I've had to do this for years and the products are really good now.

mazza I understand where you are coming from with tooth problems. Earlier this year I lost a front tooth meaning I could only wear partial denture with fixant, then denture broke. I also had to find an NHS Dentist (recently moved). All this took time, I opted to have 6 teeth taken out at the Hospital, meantime I developed a problem with my blood clotting, more delay. Eventually I had 2 top teeth removed & new denture in, what a relief, I can smile again. 4 teeth removed at the bottom, still struggling with partial denture but hey at least with top partial denture I feel more confident & look better

My hair has always been fine so it's a problem I've had to live with.

I have lovely nails & always have them nicely varnished, as I tend to "talk" with my hands they do detract from some of my bad points.

My DM who is 88 had her teeth removed at 21, this was often done & she's worn dentures all her adult life, wish I'd been able to do that with mine as I've lost teeth after dental treatment particularly root canal work, less costly & painful.

I hope things improve, enjoy your holiday

I'm in my late 60,s & some days feel & look 100. When I have my down times I think of all the babies/children terminally ill , maybe have not seen the light of day outside of a hospital & however rotten I am feeling i am grateful that I am not one of them ?
Hold your head up , keep smiling , watch a comedy film , & remember there is always some poor sod that is worse off

At first I thought "there are worse things than this" but I read on and realised that I was being totally unsympathetic and that these things DO matter. Maybe we're all wrong , selfish, whatever, but they DO matter. I'm sorry for the rotten time you're having, and by the sound of low doses of chemo you've been unwell for some time. I hope you went/go out for the evening and enjoyed it and I really hope that, taking some of the advice and helpful tips on here, you'll have a good time on holiday. It shouldn't be a consolation, but it is!, that we're all in the same boat! Keep looking in here and you'll find things to cheer you up, and in the meantime enjoy your holiday!

I was feeling the same way after a series of mishaps. First I had a very bad back, then I slipped and fell down our front steps and injured my knee and wrist, then I had the worst vertigo ever, and finally I had a painful heel. Well, the back got better, then the knee and wrist. The vertigo didn't come back. I bought new slippers with a heel and the pain in my heel is going away. Today the sun is shining and i feel much better. I too have thin hair, and my teeth are letter me down, but I'm here, I'm going to enjoy life.

Oh mazza isn't Gransnet GREAT? I have just read all these messages and - apart from one sanctimonious person - you have had so many lovely people offering you words of comfort and advice.

So I have nothing more to add in the way of advice BUT I wish you a Very Happy Holiday and send you a ((BIG HUG)) xx

I do wish I could put a' 'love and hugs' on each post, rather like a 'like' on Facebook! I never dreamed I'd get such a flood of sympathy, empathy and all other 'pathys' as well as love, hugs and flowers from Gransnetters but I should have done. You are all such lovely, understanding, like-minded people!

Oh Mazza poor you. The 'losing a bridge' scenario is a nightmare when it happens before a big event. It happened to me a couple of years ago just a few weeks before my son's wedding (in Italy). I rang my sis in floods of tears wailing "great! No teeth, can't smile. Had hair cut an."d it's crap". I too needed root canal on a back tooth (dentists fault as infection under new crown). This back tooth supported a clever denture made for a different bridge!!!

Anyway, somehow I managed to get the teeth sorted before the wedding. Wore a huge fascinator so crap hair was hidden. The root canal treatment was painless. Numbed up to the eye balls! Just a bit jaw aching as mouth open for so long. So don't worry about root canal. I promise it's pain free

Sometimes when you're feeling low the smallest problem can seem insurmountable. Get the teeth done. Maybe buy a good wig or hairpiece. Get a fake tan and go on your Hols!

Getting old is ok in theory. Just difficult with a 35 year old mind in a 70 year old body. I can't believe I now envy my bonnier (chubbier) friends. Fewer creases everywhere!

I hope you get the teeth sorted ASAP x

Yes, Joan Collins does wear a wig, she's quite open about it - says it saves loads of time!

What Spot said about Raquel Welch reminded me - many older (and probably younger) women in the spotlight have the most glorious hair but how many of them are wearing wigs or have extensions (I wouldn't recommend extensions though). Does Joan Collins wear a wig?

I think Julia Roberts is beautiful and she has a lovely smile (oh no, she has good teeth, sorry. I am just envious). Her features are in proportion. I was amused to see Tom Hanks on tv recently showing his 'good side' and his 'not good side' where he says he goes from Richard Gere to Richard Nixon

Gransnet is so comforting I know just what you mean mazza. I feel I have aged years in the last 2 or so, hair, teeth and an arm that no longer works properly as for my neck... I hope everything gets sorted out for you soon.

No, Spot I am nowhere near Herts, in the North West. This dentist is highly thought of, knows everything but shows it. He was willing, nay keen, to take the roots out but the thought of fitting that in the short time we've got plus a possible repetitionof what happened last time but in a foreign country made us refuse and make the appointment for when we return. He said I'd be throwing money away having the bridge put back or having a temporary denture made as they wouldn't fit afterwards when it's all shrunk (gulp!).

I'm having my sparse eyebrows dyed this afternoon and am going to try to get my nails done, anything to detract from my face!

I feel dreadful now, NanSue compared to what you're going through and you STILL think of a lovely message to me. Hugs back.

I feel your pain mazza. I had brain surgery in November of last year and although I recovered really quite quickly, I feel it has aged me quite considerably, also I was unable to do any excercise for a while and then it was Christmas , so everyone was very kind and let me do very little. As a consequence, I have put on weight. I am also waiting for a complex spinal op and I'm really worried that it's just going to happen all over again and I'll have aged even more! It's quite hard to tell yourself that there are a lot of people worse off than you when you seem to be spiralling downwards even though you probably know it's true. It's very depressing but hopefully in time you will see light at the end of the tunnel. I hope things look up for you soon and you can make the best of your holiday. Good luck.

Mazza 245, if you are anywhere at all within reach of Radlett in Herts I can recommend my dentist - better than any other I ever had. It may be a bit late now, but is there no way you could have a temporary denture - or even get one while abroad? Why wouldn't your dentist take out the roots now? Did he put you on anitbiotics?
Regarding the hair - this is something that bothers a lot of us and I do feel we should learn to be confident in our beauty the way it is. When you are old, thin hair is part of that beauty. Note that dark hair makes your scalp less noticeable and this may mean using a hair dye if your hair is grey or light coloured.
Also, have you ever wondered why Racquel Welch started her wig business? My theory is that she started to get thin hair herself! So it happens to the best of us.
Remember that beauty comes from within primarily. Think how there are some women who appear to have perfect beauty but no attraction whatever. Others - look at Julia Roberts, picked for a top perfume commercial because of her renowned beauty - are actually almost ugly, yet are universally acknowledged as beauties!
Know yourself to be the beauty you are. Glow and radiate from within. Love everyone you meet and be gracious to them and make them feel worth something. Realise your experience of life and value your age. The bible says the hoary head is a crown of honour. Wear that crown and enjoy your holiday. Shine like a star in the sky - they are quite old, you know, stars.

I have been wearing a temporary bridge since 2006. Dentist retired and new one refused to replace it. He also says he cannot do inplants because of lack of bone.

I would join a GN trip to Europe.

Mazza- your post came at just the right time for me.
I have always been happy that I don't look my age (66) & people are shocked when they find out but recently lots of things have happened & I am starting to feel OLD.
Suddenly the skin on my arms seems to be getting wrinkly & thin, my previously line free face has started to look a bit jowly ( if that is a word) & I noticed at Yoga this week that my thighs are getting wrinkly too ( will start wearing leggings now).
My teeth are looking bigger as the gums have started to recede- which my dentist says is natural 'for my age' & there is a distinct thickening around my waistline.
Last week I pushed the wrong button while taking a photo on my phone & got the Selfie mode- who the heck was that miserable old lady scowling back at me!!
I know it is inevitable & we can't all stay young forever but it IS depressing- I do understand how you feel.
It doesn't help that my DH is 12 years younger than me (although not in nearly such good shape TBH!) & No-one has ever guessed that we ar not the same sort of age unless they have known us since we first met.
I shall continue to slap on the makeup, wear what I like & ignore it as long as possible but I must admit I too am feeling a bit low about it all.
I know I should be ( & am) very grateful I am n very good health so far & I shouldn't be moaning.
Have a great holiday & keep cheerful- we are all in the same boat!
Hugs.

It will get better mazza245. Problems with my legs mean stairs are very difficult, walking on pavements is hard and walking with a stick makes me look and feel old. I lost my teeth as a result of illness and was very scared and upset about the prospect of having dentures - but they're fantastic! They look 'normal' and are easy to look after and noone's noticed!!! AND I can eat properly. I too have been in tears because of the health problems but as kwest says 'Hang on in there!'