There's no pre-existing condition qualifications since the ACA. Who knows how long that will last, though :-(. And, yes, as long as you switch within the correct time periods, it's no problem to go from one to the other. Not every option is available in every geographical area so that may be an issue for some folks. For example, my county does not offer Medicare via Blue Shield. My neighboring county (which is 3 city blocks away!) does offer it. And the rates for the same plan between the two counties is radically different. Three blocks....there is no difference economically in three blocks, lol. Oh well...

I have a recently diagnosed progressive condition (idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis) - ultimately leading to death, the rate of progression unknown.


There are only two prescription drugs that slow the progression - and they both cost $8,000 per month.


My Medicare HMO just approved the medication for me, with my co-pay being $75 per month. Yes, I pay a lot for the HMO in addition to my Medicare Part A and Part B - but, wow! In addition, I have recently had two heart echocardiograms, a high resolution chest CT scan and numerous tests, with my co-pay being minimal for all.


None of this was expected by me (currently no symptoms) - all discovered by a chance encounter with an EKG - which started the process of finding the cause of the heart abnormality discovered by the EKG, leading to the IFP diagnosis.


Don't underrate Medicare. We find our HMO very satisfactory, much better than another nationally known Medicare HMO/Advantage plan which we left several years ago, with only in-house treatment at their facilities by "captured" docs.


Every single provider we have ever wanted to see has been on our HMO plan. NEVER a problem. Almost all docs, etc., in the area are enrolled. No referrals required - ever.


Approaching 80yo.

Sorry to hear of it. My wife's aunt got that... it's s a tough thing to face and difficult for the whole family. You're still active and riding a bike then? If so, that sounds very positive.

I was at 115° this morning, going into first week of 3rd month (had some issues that slowed things down). So far it looks like biking with 165mm cranks and XL toe clips won't be a problem– only on a mag trainer now. I believe I probably do 170s with this amount of bend (at the PT) although riding in the wild with aerobars (which my shorter cranks allow) could be a useful trade-off.

My 66th has been a rough year so far with regard to my biking.
I had put in some miles thru March, and only 1 ride in April.
Then the woes started.
I pulled my right hamstring in late April, followed by a severely sprained left ankle, then a re-pull of the right hamstring.
Ugh.........
So, I rested up til early July. Rode 20 miles on the 4th, then 15 miles on the 6th.
The second ride was accompanies buy a bit of pain in my right knee................
Got so bad I could hardly walk......so..........
X-ray really didn't show anything but some Arthur Ritis.
6 weeks of PT.......helped a bit at first, then no improvement.
MRI showed the full gamut: torn maniscis, Baker cyst, bursitis at the ACL and ,good ol' Arthur.

1st "rooster comb" injection yesterday. 2 more to follow.

I climbed back aboard 'Dale this morning for an easy spin.
7.5 miles at 14avg.
Felt like my first ride ever...............
Knee sore a bit, but not too bad.

I did notice that my right heel was about 1" from the chainstay.
That is rotated out a bit. Time for a cleat adjustment.

We'll see how it goes...........

Sorry to hear of your problems. :(

Your pedal/cleat system doesn't have any float? Or very little float?

For my 68th I've gone back to the classic pedals of old with toe clips and more of a mid-foot position.

I use the old (old)style Look Delta black c;eats/pedals.
I have never liked the "float" feeling of the red cleats.
I have adjusted the cleat and we'll see how it feels tomorrow.

I had been using the particular shoe/cleat setup for about 9 months or so.
Can't believe they are the problem, but my knee may have been telling me otherwise....

We gotta get ready for Nate............

Weeks To 80
 

I always wondered what it would feel like at this age, now that I'm here, it's not that much different than 40 or 50 in my mind, but my body, well I still work out with weights, ride a Me-Mover which requires about 20% more effort to propel than a bicycle. Yesterday it was above 90, rode to the Y for some chest work, flys, pull downs, stretches, and of course the ride home on the Me-Mover, anaerobic and aerobic work outs.
I find that riding the Me-Mover in a standing position takes away some of the discomfort from my crotch area I've been experiencing for years, in addition to back problems, besides I don't have to do core exercises anymore to compensate for hours of bicycle riding.
I've been cross training for years because if I do the same exercise week after week, it stops being exercise, the body get's so used to it, it's not that much of a challenge. But over a year ago I started riding the stand up pedal machine, and it was some what of a challenge. I could feel it in my legs more than climbing a steep hill on my bicycle. The lactic acid built quickly as I rode around my apartment complex which surprised me after years on my bicycles. I was using different muscles, cross training.
The more I plateaued, the further I rode without discomfort until I did over 40 miles, not bad for this old guy, HIIT routines helped the acclimation. However a young lady in Europe did over 2,000 mile on the Me-Mover. I feel the difference in spinning when I ride my bicycle, feels easier.

Wow, I had to Google Me-Mover. Interesting!

Bicycle alternatives are considered niche market BPV, most information is available by Googling the name, if you don't know the name, it's difficult to find. When I'm on a bicycle trail riding the Me-Mover, I am often asked what is that? I guess I stand out because I'm not horizontal, or sitting, I'm verticle.
Standing does have it's advantages, most guy's know this, girl's as well. My back appreciates standing along with my core and I actually use different muscles, many of them, besides the propulsion method does increase your aerobic training.
I feel it in my core, the first time I rode it, I had to use use my core and back muscles to balance which took about 10 minutes to get the feel of the machine. It's different than a stair stepper, you not only have to step down, you must also lift your legs on the return, by doing this you get different gear ratios in the 2 transmissions based on the height of the pedals. By lifting your legs and alternately pressing down on the pedals you are propelling the machine, keep the pedals high for low gear to climb and start, mid range to cruise which you will feel the first time you ride the Me-Mover. Disc brakes bring you to a stop, speeds depends on your physical condition, since I started riding the Me-Mover at 79 years of age, I'm no speed demon, but many riders can attain high speeds associated with BPV's.
The Me-Mover can be used as an effective rehabilitation alternative to running since there is low impact, it helped me with a hip problem, and it's a hell of a lot of fun seeing more of what is ahead of me.

Turned 65 in May ! Retired last month and they already hired me back as a consultant 2 days a week ! Got my 90’s Cannondale M 400 out and turned it into a bike path rider. Was all good till I climbed on a new Trek FX3 ! Made my Cannondale feel like a boat anchor ! So now I’m sitting here waiting for the bike shop to call and say my new FX3 is ready to pick up !

And then, what will be your next bike? (n+1)

Made it to 67 on Friday 20th October and don't know how that happened! Where do the years go and do they speed up as we get older?

I still work on a freelance basis and can get called in to the radio studios at very short notice. It's great fun but does mean that I do not have a routine. I can ride for a few days in a row and then not even see my bike for weeks. This means that when I take off for a ride it feels like I'm starting from scratch. I'm determined to spend more time on the bike but I have noticed that my younger and prettier half has just bought a tin of paint and the bathroom has been mentioned!

And yet another riding season winds down... I'm sure today wasn't my last ride of the season, but I'm pretty sure it was my last ride on my road bike, wearing my full summer kit! Mid-70s at the end of October is pretty darn unusual here in Michigan, but nobody's been complaining. That will start this week when it gets colder and wetter for a while!

Anyway, at 71 I can definitely feel my strength and endurance diminishing a bit, but I've still got a long way to go before I hang 'em up for good. Thinking back a ways, I started out with a tricycle at about 3 years old, and once I graduated to a regular bicycle I've been on two wheels pretty much all my life. The only major gap was right after I turned 16 and got my driver's license, but even then I soon took up motorcycling. A bicycle was eventually added back into my stable at about age 30 and I've had at least one ever since then, outlasting the motorcycles over the last 15 years.

So a gap of about 14 years in continuous bicycle ownership but only a gap of about 5 years not having a two-wheeler around! How many others here are life-long cyclists or close to it?

I've been bicycling pretty much continuously (weather permitting) since I was 23. Closing in on 68.

Other than when I bought a Schwinn Collegiate around the age of 14 (5 speed shifter on the top tube), I didn't do much of any bike riding after getting my driver's license at age 16. That is until the bug hit me in my mid-50's, about 40 years later.

I rode pretty consistently until my early 60's, then totally quit for just over 5 years, and am back into it pretty consistently for almost 3 months now starting back in early August this year. I'm back to doing occasional metric centuries, but haven't tried any full centuries yet. I don't have that in me. Yet.

I turn 67 in December. Wow. I don't feel that old most some of the time.;)

Around here its starting to kick into high gear.
Tomorrows high is supposed to be 78F and sunny. Much nicer than 90F+ with high humidity. :)

Another awesome day here in west central FL. 68F when I got to the Withlacoochee Trail at 9:15 this morning. :D

I guess the snowbirds will be here soon taking up all the parking spaces at the trailheads. :twitchy: It'll mean more folks on the bike trail to ride with and wave at.

Plenty of rain a bit farther south of you and just waiting for the FRONT to go through. We are ALREADY having SNOWBIRDS showing up. Enjoy the trails.

2nd ride in ~2 weeks. It's ~85°F out... a pair of new shorts made a big difference. I can certainly recommend bike shorts with a gel chamois to anyone with a saddle as hard as mine. It was a bit windy too; I rode for >40 years without them and haven't used'm much in the wild (just on the trainer) but, it looks like I will enjoy putting my clip-on aerobars to good use this winter--

We live in a motorhome and follow good weather. Looking for best road bike riding area FL panhandle. Will be there for one week late Nov or early Dec.

My wife keeps bringing up the idea of a motorhome and for the life of me I cannot make the economics work, but that aside, it seems like a great way to find good cycling country without having to settle in one spot. Why Creede? Previous home or some other reason as your summer location?

Have seen most of what there is to see and slept in 48 states. Creede is a VERY unique community. Imagine a community of under a 1,000 with: rodeos, balloon festival, music festival, quilt show, old car show, art shows, home tour, chocolate festival, live theater, gravity derby and so much more. Coupled with a great RV park and resort, fantastic weather, tons of outdoor activities and reasonable prices considering remote location it is a great sumer home for us. We have not seen anything even close to Creede in seven years of RVing around the US. We were there less than two weeks and decided "this is it." We ended up leasing a space in the RV resort for forty years.
Community info here Creede & Mineral County - Colorado Vacations, Colorado Adventures
RV resort info here Home
As to making economics work - you really can't unless you make it a lifestyle by selling house. Must think of it as a second or vacation home. We started with travel trailer and worked our way up. And you are right - I do get to ride in some of the greatest places.

I did a Google Maps street view of Creede and it looks like a fun small town with some nice riding country nearby. Good choice, but I bet the winters there are snowy!

We typically get there early May and leave late Sep. Snow likely first and last few weeks. Great to look at and gone by the end of the day.Pic is view thru windshield from our RV space early May this year. Was gone except for high in mountains later that day. Water in pic is Rio Grande river and a trout pond that is part of the RV resort - great trout fishing and kayaking. Snow melt water a tad cold for swimming.

I made it!
As of yesterday I can officially join the club here. And, Retirement is scheduled for 01/01/2018.
For my 65th birthday present to myself I bought a Cycliq Fly6(v) with a 20% off coupon that was emailed to me today.
For my Retirement present to myself I'm thinking about a new Hybrid, maybe a Trek FX3.
To tell the truth there was a time in my life when I thought I would never make it to this 65th year old milestone. Too much living in the fast lane in my 20's and 30's. My, how I have slowed down with all that in the last 30 years.
I took up cycling about 5 years ago and I keep getting stronger and better at it as each season passes. Hopefully, decent Fall and Winter weather will allow my continuing journey.

^^^
Glad you're here. :thumb: Now forget that idea about an FX3. Go whole hog and get a high end CF bike (road, gravel, TT, etc). Think $4000+ ;)

Sometimes you just have to say no. :p

Not according to my wife. :D Got my 2018 Roubaix Expert 2 that she bought for me for my 67th birthday. Have six century+ rides already. Yesterday 132 miles, looking at 150 tomorrow and 200 on Saturday. Feel soooo sorry for those who don't live in the SW FL area. :innocent: Fairly good winter riding here-abouts. :D