RonH

Now that I'm 70-1/2, old age is beginning to rear its ugly head.
I did something to my back 2 weeks ago while working at the food pantry at my church. Went to the dr the next day and got a shot in the lower back and 10 day supply of muscle relaxers. No help! Went for lower back X-rays earlier this week. Seems I am in the beginning stages of osteopenia. I'm having a bone density scan next week to see just how bad it is. Also starting physical therapy next week.
My primary care doc says I need to take calcium for the osteopenia. So I did some research on calcium types and have decided to go with this. Hope it helps the osteopenia.

My heart doc says not to take calcium supplements as it could end up in my arteries. I got an A+ on my stress test last month so I'm not worried about the calcium ending up in my arteries.

The good thing is when I'm riding I don't have back pain. It occurs mainly when I do a lot of standing and walking.

Fastfingaz

That's real good news RonH Ive been having lower back pain for a while myself but that's the extent of it ,I joined a fitness center, and in there theres this machine that you kneal down on and tilt back, it's supposed to streach your spine, anyway I use it before my workout and after, so I notice that the pain has diminishd some what and I'm happy with that,, anyway hope you get some relief,, I had one Doctor tell me to stop riding altogether and start swimming,, but I didn't,,,

RonH

Osteopenia is what you get before osteoporosis so stretching and bending won't help. My bones have begun to lose calcium.


I'm guessing most of the PT exercises I will be doing will be weight bearing exercises.

DougG

As I found out recently, scoring well on a stress test does not necessarily mean a clean bill of health. I took a "fitness evaluation" program at a local hospital that did the whole works: echocardiogram, stress test, V02-max measurement (wearing a mask during the treadmill test), etc. i came through as expected with flying colors: normal EKG, 90th+ percentile for my age, etc. But due to having a pretty bad family history (on my dad's side) the cardiologist that I met with recommended getting a CT Calcium scoring scan that reveals calcium deposits in the coronary arteries, which is interpreted as a sign of plaque buildup.

Well, that turned out to be a lot worse than I had hoped and expected. So now my doctor is trying more aggressively to lower my LDL level (increased my statin dosage) and I've been less casual about my diet and BP readings. When I asked my doctor what good all this exercise has been if I'm on this path anyway, he said that without it I could well have had an event by now. And indeed, my younger brother -- who does not do any aerobic exercising -- had a mild heart attack at about 62 when he was 6 years younger than I am now.

On the upside, after all this medication adjustment, I ran a half-marathon last weekend in 2:10, which was only 10 minutes slower than my previous one a couple years ago when I was much better trained (and younger!).

RonH

This was my one year followup stress test. Had a stent put in my mid-LAD in April 2014.

nobodyhere

Heading into 76 here. I do a lot of cross training - different modalities, ride about 100 miles/week.

Great idea, this 65+ thread!!

Fastfingaz

Hey nobody ,,newbie,,,, to clear everything up , I just made 65 in April but I'm equally happy that you guys,, alittle older than me are still going strong and I plan to continue your examples,,,,,, with my cycling and running,,,,

nobodyhere

Hey, that's OK

From 65 to 76 is, well . . .

This year I have begun to notice age a bit more. I now ride TOTALLY for fun, at my own speed, enjoy stopping and talking with folks. I, likewise, have cut down on my swimming distance a bit, but still walk several miles (I don't run). I have been able to pretty much keep up the amount of resistance in my various resistance exercises, though.

622keehner

Today my folding bike arrived. Having watched YouTube, I started putting it together. Rather quickly it became apparent (& I am a parent) that no way could I complete it--in fact I might injure the bike-- & better get it to LBS. So I did.

Fastfingaz

,,,,Hey, I know what you mean,, I went to lowes to get some fence boards and a BBQ grill( pit) anyway ofcourse the one I chose was not assembled, had to wait , free assembly! but I didn't want to wait so I said I'll take it I'll assemble it, well I did assemble it , but it took me about 2 hours and a few clips and washers left over I finished ,I should have told them that if I had to assemble the thing that they take at least 30 dollors off the price , at on point I thought I was going to have to take it back to them so they could finish it,, but I got it done and it works like a charm
,,,Used it today,, I'm impressed,,,,,,

622keehner

Terrific you got it done & working well. After reading of the few clips and washers left over, I thought "Uh-oh," then, "Make-do is how experts do it." Happy 5th.

Viking55803

Born in 1948. I raced in the late 1960's before returning to Minnesota in 1972. After that I mainly competed in x-country skiing and running events. I had a nasty heart attack playing hockey in 1992 which left me with some permanent damage. For the next twenty years I kept some conditioning by hiking and snowshoeing year round, but finally needed quadruple bypass surgery in November of 2012. Of course I did some mountain biking, but found falling a lot did not appeal to me, but after surgery I lost a lot of extra weight and started dreaming about being back on the road bike. I started riding again about 5 months after surgery and haven't looked back. I'm at the same weight I was when I competed in my 20's which makes the dang hills around Duluth, Mn a bit easier to climb.

This spring I picked up a Raleigh Tamland gravel bike. The road around here are pretty beat up from 6 months of winter, and gravel "racing" has exploded in Minnesota and around the midwest. I did a short gravel race in June and will be doing the Filthy Fifty in October. I wear a heart monitor when I ride and started tracking all my rides on Strava. I created the "Cardiac Cycling Club International" on Strava for folks like me with heart disease. We have 32 members now.

I've had some issues with beta blockers, which limit the heart rate, but am on the lowest dose they make. My conditioning has improved steadily especially since I started weight training about a year and half ago. But here's an issue that is concerning me today. Yesterday I did a 28 mile ride with about 800 feet of climbing. Normally on the hills or during a hard effort I can get my heart rate up to about 135 - 140, but yesterday I could not push it past 124. I averaged 15.3 mph and my perceived effort was fairly hard, but that heart rate just would not budge.

Any thoughts?

nobodyhere

A symptom of over training. What is your "resting protocol"?

Badgerfog

Are you still on your beta blocker?
I had a mild hart attack April 14th and am riding again. The doc has given me the go ahead to push it.
I still cannot get my hart rate up very high and it varies all over the place. I am told that I will no longer need the beta blocker after a year and that then my hart rate will stabilize.
Good luck,
Wayne

Indyviews

A new Codger member here as of today...just turned 69. I can hardly wait until next year when I become an old Codger. After having my ICE trike for nearly three years I finally got my first century ride in a few weeks ago. The heat was too much in previous attempts. I would like to go for more on my 70th marker.

Steve

jeromephone

I am on Lopressor and have found it to keep my max in the range of 140-160 I am doing spin classes which make monitoring a bit easier as you don't have to watch for cars etc. What I found was when it felt like I was putting out max effort and just hanging on my heart rate is low in the 80-90 range. When it is in the 120-140 is when we are recovering so it is like I don't get the push when I need it and it goes up during recovery and then comes back down again. I am feel stronger with the higher heart rate. I have a mio fuze for a heart rate monitor and check some other activities like stairs and get the same effect. Am on blood thinner as well good news no stroke or heart attack.

Viking55803

Yes, due to my low ejection fraction (41%) the cardiologist is reluctant to stop it completely. Regarding overtraining - another poster mentioned that - I have been increasing my efforts steadily but moderately. However, I have been under an extraordinary amount of job-related stress and that can sometimes make riding, which is normally a stress reliever and additional stress. So yes, that is my concern. I've been sleeping a little more and am taking a few rest days to see how that works. I've been doing a lot of hill riding.

Badgerfog

I am on Metoprolol Tartrate (generic for Lopressor) 25 mg twice a day, and the highest hart rate I have had is about 110 bpm. Before my hart attack I got into the 160's frequently. I will be glad when I can get off of this drug as well as Clopidogrel (Plavix) 75 mg once a day. My doc and a friend's doc who was also on on Metoprolol both say that the effect of Metoprolol after one year is negligible and no longer worth the risk of taking it. My friend's old doc had him on this drug for 6+ years. He said when he got off his riding really improve and he lost 15 pounds in a couple of months.

You might want to discuss this with your doc and see what he says. If you are not happy, please seek a second opinion.

I am not sure if I could over train; but I have real strong days and not strong days for the next couple of rides. I am still learning how to go about increasing the length and intensity of my rides. It has only been a week since the doc gave me the go ahead to start pushing it. Now if my knees would not hinder me I hopefully could learn more.

Does anyone else have experience with this drug?

Thanks,
Wayne

OldTryGuy

I finally made the 65 last Friday and did the required 65 miler plus my 2 miles extra for the "pinch to grow an inch" but for me the "pinch = 2 miles extra" in hope that I don't shrink much more.

Wishing I felt 65 but sadly feeling more like the second foot is just shy of passing the horizontal plane into the 6' deep hole.

After reading the posts here, I find myself feeling fortunate that I do not have the ailments so many here have. Prostate cancer, thyroid issues, arthritis, zero testosterone, anemia, other crap BUT all this really doesn't compare, in my mind, to the SURGERY-MEDICATION REQUIRED illnesses many of you all are living through. Your challenges are great and your resolve to overcome those challenges is all inspiring. Whining solves nothing, wining might but sadly I am not allowed at this time to enjoy that recourse, so we write/converse/inquire to advance our understanding of these ills.

Good luck to all and I hope the best for you. My family/friends must think bicycling is a form of religious pursuit for me and I hope to continue this passion as long as possible even though many times it seems to hurt more than it helps, but heck, every once in a while self flagellation does a body good.....right**********

zeeway

My longest ride ever - 22 miles today on my Trek hybrid following my lovely wife. We have a great trail here in Greenville, SC...the Swamp Rabbet Trail - goes 11 miles one way to the next little town. I thought it was flat, but it was rising slightly - about 220 feet...made the return trip very easy. We stopped for a mid morning refreshment, and rode back. All in all, this nearly-flat course does not feel as difficult as riding 7 miles in our hilly neighborhood. But I did decide it was time to buy some padded shorts...

RonH

Glad to hear you're getting padded shorts. Next you'll be asking questions about bibs.

RonH

Seems the doctors were a bit premature with their diagnosis about osteopenia. The bone density scan showed that the numbers are within normal limits for my age. I finally had an MRI last Thursday. The doctor called this morning and said I have spinal stenosis. I'll be seeing an ortho doc later in the week for whatever he has planned. I looked up spinal stenosis and it says that aerobic exercise such as bicycling is good for it.

peterws

Anybody experience a frozen shoulder? Thats what the quack says ive got. They all say different things anyway, supposing i can get to see one.
Cant move my arm sideways above my head, even forwards its hard, and my shoulder gives me stick at night. Pulling on the handlebars uphill seems ok but im not sure if this should be avoided at present. Physio says use it or lose it. Shes a hard woman and doesnt know when a guy needs sympathy. . . .

peterws

Might be a pulled muscle, tendon. Was in a car bump recently and those airbags went off. . .

McBTC

Not personally familiar with this but you may want to check out --i.e., Google: "Orthopedist author Dr. Kirsch shoulder impingement hanging" -- many have been happy to learn about Kirsch's technique as shoulder impingement is accompanied by quite a bit of pain and completely fixing the problem without surgery sounds too good, right? In any event, I Googled it and noticed that Kirsche's technique is apparently recommended for treatment of frozen shoulder as well as shoulder impingement. I've never read the book but there is a lot of info about on the net.