Perception of Pain & Discomfort

[Amos Keeto]

Been dealing with failed back surgery for 23 years, I just keep on trucking,.Pain sucks but you have to find your way to keep going regardless. It slowed me down some and I plan things around my known restrictions. No more taking off across the mountain without a plan LOL.

^^^This^^^

Once you figure out and accept your restrictions, then you can begin to build routes "around" those restrictions.

P.S. - it ain't always fun and it ain't always easy, but "getting it done" despite disabilities is a reward all it's own!

Killed, retrieved and processed this guy all by my crippled self!

I have to constantly remind my kids, "I'm a cripple, NOT an invalid!"
Having been a loner much of my life, figuring out "work-a-rounds" makes accomplishing a task satisfying on a different level!

 

[Weldor]

Absolutely, I'm still processing some Deer from my Texas trip last week. Getting ready for the spring hunts.

 

[Woitey]

Retired LEO from a medium-sized city. (250K) Worked Patrol for 28 years, and Patrol is a full-contact sport. After retirement, I had a spinal fusion, two hernia operations, and as I sit here as I type this with a broken ankle with 12 screws and a plate. I find at 65 recovery from any kind of injury is months instead of weeks. With age, testosterone is all but gone, and it does affect motivation and drive. As for pain, well sometimes you go to bed fine and wake up and can barely walk. And I will tell you now, 65, is a hell of a lot older than 50, and 75 is gonna be a hell of a lot older than 65, if I make it that far. From 50 to 65, is like 15-25 in reverse. Instead of peaking, your in a fast decline. Many of your friends will die, your parents likely will go, and you're coming down with conditions that you never had before, and one or two of them will be lethal.

 

[Huntndog]

To the original question. Im not sure about pain perception. Maybe as we get older stuff hurting is just part of it and we accept it. I do think it has a lot to do with attitude and motivation.
In my own case, when I started hunting I literally had to borrow a rifle to deer hunt. I cut and housed tobacco to buy a shotgun so I could waterfowl hunt. Fast forward forty years and we have been fortunate financially and I finally have enough time AND money to do what I love. My take is since it took so long to get here , a little pain isn’t going to stand in the way. There are some challenges, but there are still some great adventures to be had. I intend to stay active and as fit as I can for as long as I can so I can stay in the game.

 

[Pony Soldier]

The tendonitis is a distraction as well as the sharp pain as tendons slide over the bone spurs.

Today I was pulling shoes on horses. I noted that a hesitance has developed as I dive into things that I had never anticipated. I guess it is not having faith I can withstand a wreck of some kind. I have had horses blow up but never a severe injury yet I felt apprehension as I removed the shoes from my girls. By the time I got done, I felt relief. I just don't know why I question these things where I never have in the past.

 

[Amos Keeto]

The tendonitis is a distraction as well as the sharp pain as tendons slide over the bone spurs.

Today I was pulling shoes on horses. I noted that a hesitance has developed as I dive into things that I had never anticipated. I guess it is not having faith I can withstand a wreck of some kind. I have had horses blow up but never a severe injury yet I felt apprehension as I removed the shoes from my girls. By the time I got done, I felt relief. I just don't know why I question these things where I never have in the past.

Things like this bother me.

My dad was one of those who would be walking through the woods and suddenly say, "I'm going to sit down here and kill a deer."
Way more often than you'd think, he was successful.
When I quizzed him about how he did it, he would simply say, "It felt right."
That puzzled me for years.
Decades after dad passed, I was heading to a stand when I got this little niggling urge to stop and sit down.
It made no sense!?
I was in the middle of a big open pasture, sitting under a huge pecan tree.
It wasn't thirty minutes later, a big, fat doe walked by not 50 yards away!!!!
Since then, when I get those little "creepy-crawlies" run up my spine, I try to tune in and listen.
Weird?
Without a doubt! But for whatever reason, it works way more than you'd think.

On that note, when I get those little weird, foreboding feelings, I start looking over my shoulder and being extremely cautious about what I'm doing.
You are right to be concerned about those feelings. Listen to them.

 

[Billinsd]

What am i missing? Is there a huge perception difference in pain as you age? Sure, I can see more stuff does hurt after multiple decades, but isn't that expected? What other facet am I not comprehending?

Testosteron goes down as you age. Mine is low for my age too. Energy goes down too. That’s probably part of it. Some probably give up. Some probably hate PT. I’m very active, but slowing down. I am a firm believer in PT but get lazy at times. I want to live another 10 years or so and be real active. A lot of my challenge is keeping my weight down.

 

[Still Hunter]

To the original question...

Age just gives you the wisdom to learn to accept it. Everyone has different pain thresholds. No one understands back pain, until you have it. It's like an awakening. All the sudden you realize all those whiners were in some serious freaking pain.

Some people just push though it, some people find it debilitating and can't face it. As we age ,old injuries rise up to haunt us. I do not believe the "perception" of pain changes. It's like all the problem's and adversities we face along life's path, its how we react and deal with it individually. Realizing it's a part of the process.

I have a 92 year old uncle and just lost a 94 year old aunt. I hope to hurt another 30 years!

 

[Amos Keeto]

Testosteron goes down as you age. Mine is low for my age too. Energy goes down too. That’s probably part of it. Some probably give up. Some probably hate PT. I’m very active, but slowing down. I am a firm believer in PT but get lazy at times. I want to live another 10 years or so and be real active. A lot of my challenge is keeping my weight down.

Testosterone is definitely a factor. But so is the goofy stuff you did as a kid!
The padding in joints begins to give way. The fluid in joints goes. The spinal column begins to settle, the disc's wear away. The spinal column begins to close in on the spinal cord, causing pressure spots (spinal stenosis). The stenosis causes pain and/or numbness.
Muscles lose elasticity. Nerves refuse to respond.
Arthritis and rheumatism set in and cause aches, pains and destroys joints.

....and then you die! LOL!

 

[flathead#2]

Creeping up on 60, but this week I've eat deer I've killed and processed. Whiting I caught from the surf and veggies I grew in the garden.
Some part of my body hurts every day. But I cant just sit around and do nothing. Actually, if i sit too long that hurts too.

 

[Amos Keeto]

Creeping up on 60, but this week I've eat deer I've killed and processed. Whiting I caught from the surf and veggies I grew in the garden.
Some part of my body hurts every day. But I cant just sit around and do nothing. Actually, if i sit too long that hurts too.

Yes sir. At 73, I just grit my teeth and go on. One of the biggest enemy's of old age is inactivity!
You don't have to build a Taj Mahal or an Eiffel Tower, just stay busy.
....and it's not just your old stinky body that needs exercise, keep your brain active also.

You older guys, ever notice that "old man" odor? Even if you shower or bathe daily, you have an odor.
Just another one of those little things "growing old" brings on.
My grampa used to absolutely "bathe" in Old Spice cologne. I would still catch a whiff of "old man" from time to time.

 

[Billinsd]

The padding in joints begins to give way. The fluid in joints goes. The spinal column begins to settle, the disc's wear away. The spinal column begins to close in on the spinal cord, causing pressure spots (spinal stenosis). The stenosis causes pain and/or numbness.
Muscles lose elasticity. Nerves refuse to respond.
Arthritis and rheumatism set in and cause aches, pains and destroys joints

....and then you die! LOL!

If you have good genes/took care of yourself and are lucky you die after suffering all that!! Or you are struck down and don't live long enough to experience the complete disintegration of your body, which means you are unlucky? LOL

 

[Amos Keeto]

If you have good genes/took care of yourself and are lucky you die after suffering all that!! Or you are struck down and don't live long enough to experience the complete disintegration of your body, which means you are unlucky? LOL

LOL! Pretty much!
My maternal grandmother died in her late 80's. My maternal grampa died young (1932) so I never knew him.
My paternal grandmother died at 100!
My grampa in his early 80's.
My mom died at 98.
My pop died early. Years of hard living, drinking and smoking.

I'm 73. I've no idea how I made it this far. Smoked way too long. Drank way too much. Several broken bones, car wreck, bad diet, high blood pressure, no/little exercise, overweight, and long hours.
Yeah, every morning I wake up, I figure I'm pushing the envelope.

 

[Pony Soldier]

Sounds a little like- rode hard and put away wet. It's important to listen to what your body is telling you. Some things are survivable.

My goal is to keep on driving past the nursing home. I do understand why so many of the old guys I worked with were pickled by 10 am.

 

[OldInNV]

There is no easy hunting here. It's all tough and involves a lot of hiking up and down rough volcanic mountains. Also, our hunting big game prospects are in the tank. Every big game species is on a highly limited quota, even for residents. I haven't drawn a resident deer tag for four years now, let alone an antelope or elk tag. I also have 41 sheep tag points. I spent $180.00 on application fees this year, money I need on a fixed income.

Wild chuckar and quail are pretty much our hunting opportunity anymore. We have a long season, but winter can limit access to much of the chuckar territory.

This and some old and not so old injuries that cause severe back pain have me too inactive. I used to farm alfalfa on a small scale that required strenuous work, but the cost of electricity made it unprofitable (thanks FJB!).

All that said, I'm embarrassed that I gained 50 pounds and became essentially inactive. The pains are severe, but inactivity makes them worse. Try carrying a 50 sack of potatoes everywhere...lol

I'm having radiofrequency ablation soon and am going to physical therapy to strengthen my back, hips, and legs, things I should have done years ago. I intend to be a viable hunter by bird season.

Devil-birds beware!

 

[Srp]

I did four months of therapy for my lower back and both the therapist and myself agreed that that wasn't helping it at all, and might even be hurting it. Then I went the shots route. That just flared everything up even worse. That settled down a little, but I'm in pain 24/7. I absolutely can't work out like I'd like to because of the pain. Take away the pain and effects of this lower back and at 58 I'd tell you I was 35, and can and will out hike and out hunt 99% of everyone else out there. But this lower back thing is a real pain........literally.

And not just in the back. It's my hips, my thighs, my glutes, my lower abdomen, my groin.......and both thighs on the outside always feel like they're on fire. Either that or they itch at the same time. I have a line of scabs running down both legs where the nerve is. I don't want lower back surgery anymore than I want the 4-level fusion in my neck that I've been told I need. But the lower back is 10 times worse than the neck in regards to pain. I keep pressing on and I will be hunting this September (Lord willing), but it's really wearing on me. At some point I'll have no choice, but I imagine most hunting and hard work will be over at that point, so I just keep putting it off as long as possible.

Please read The Mindbody Prescription by Dr. John Sarno. Approach it with an open mind and it will change your life. Once you read it and accept it you will have a superpower. I am sorry to be so vague, but you have to read the book. Nothing to loose and an amazing amount to gain.


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