FTA: "The digital rectal exam should be part of gynecological exam," Alvarez said. "It's really not done because some patients find it uncomfortable. But it at least should be discussed with doctors[because] inspecting of the lower third of rectum can be done with physical examination."

Us men get 'em. I would have thought women got the same digital rectal exams automatically.

I mean, the GYN is already down there with the patient's legs spread and up in stirrups? Why not go for it?

Most of the people I have dealt with who have died suddenly are actually in their 50's-early 60's. Some had known heart problem, CABG, the works. Some just dropped dead.

Submitter: Besides getting your AARP membership (yup, 50 is the qualifier), here's some more tips to help you make it to your 60s, also known as the "stay of off my lawn" stage

FTFY

As I had to deal with Florida retirees yelling at me to stay off their lawns as a kid, when I'm in my 60-plus years, any fraking kid can play on my lawn anytime they want.

/Will just have to put a deposit down for possible broken windows.

Every time I hear some fellow old fart go on about how we're tougher because of seatbelt-less cars, PCBs, dangerous playground equipment, leaded gas, Benzpyrene, etc, I just tell 'em the only reason they're still alive is they aint died yet. All the motherfarkers that did die of seatbelt-less cars, PCBs, dangerous playground equipment, leaded gas, Benzpyrene, etc, are DEAD

.

50 is the qualifier? I've gotten membership invitations from AARP, and I'm 28.

Hah, I made it to sixty and I am just coasting now. I't all downhill from here.

Doh!

AARP can kiss my ass for backing Bush's ripoff Medicare Drug Plan.

AirForceVet: FTA: "The digital rectal exam should be part of gynecological exam," Alvarez said. "It's really not done because some patients find it uncomfortable. But it at least should be discussed with doctors[because] inspecting of the lower third of rectum can be done with physical examination."

Us men get 'em. I would have thought women got the same digital rectal exams automatically.

I mean, the GYN is already down there with the patient's legs spread and up in stirrups? Why not go for it?

This book may help:

AntiNorm: 50 is the qualifier? I've gotten membership invitations from AARP, and I'm 28.
Same here, and I'm 32. If I show them my AARP card, can I get a senior citizens' discount at Denny's?

Stay of my lawn stage?

do you get the extra "f" when you turn 70 to make that Stay "off" my lawn?

"Stay of my lawn" sounds like some crap summer early 90's drama with Cher or something.

I'm in my 30's, but I already have a retirement place. Dead in a N. Vegas motel swimming pool.

What? Makes a hell of lot more sense than some of of the other pipe dreams out there.

Farah Fawcett had cancel.

Michael Jackson had drug problems/OD'd.

Billy Mays was a fat guy with high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Old people die. Particularly old, unhealthy people. If you are in your 50s, ask yourself, "What have I done in the last 30 years to ensure my health and quality of life into my old age?"

If you are 50, fat, don't work out, drink, smoke, etc, etc, etc....then hey, guess what - your time is most likely coming to an end soon.

If you didn't already know this, you're a fool.

Cancer, cancel. Whatever.

Since that saying that 60 is the new 40, I'd think that 50 is the new 30. Or, did I miscalculate something there?

Fark_Guy_Rob: Cancer, cancel. Whatever.

Retirement plan, retirement place. Whatever (me, too).

I just turned sixty, so I'm getting a kick out of this...

Seriously, in my early fifties, one of the local hospitals had free annual prostate exams, with the digital/rectal exam and blood drawn for the prostate antigens. I took them up on it each time. My PSA level actually dropped by the second time.

When I was 48, my then employer paid for annual comprehensive blood screenings. Mine came back with lower cholesterol, triglycerides and everything than even the big fitness buffs in the office. They were exceedingly pissed.

My current employer has the same, but at a subsidized cost and all my numbers still come in on the low side of normal. Sometimes, it is even better than that of my son, who is twenty-nine years younger.

If you are 50, fat, don't work out, drink, smoke, etc, etc, etc....then hey, guess what - your time is most likely coming to an end soon.

...and if you're 50, skinny, work out a lot, abstain from everything, etc, etc, etc... it's not really going to make a lot of difference. Might even be worse, according to your genetic background.

It also turns out, though, that being a little fat is better than being "normal" or thin, as far as life expectancy goes, on the average.

Here's the appropriate slogan: Live Healthy or Die!

Meaning, of course, if you're not living a healthy lifestyle, you might not be around here as long as you otherwise might.

/hit the gym
//hit the juice bar
///hit the veggies
////maybe even take a freakin' walk instead of sitting around in front of the TV (or the computer)

FTFA

Alvarez suggests that men and women in their 50s get annual physicals, and have their blood pressure checked every two years and their cholesterol checked every five years.

Wow, that's some awesome doctorin', there. BP checked every TWO years, but annual checkup? What, do they not check your BP at the annual? Did Alvarez do his residency under Dr. Nick Riviera?

/my doctor made me buy my own BP monitor
//he also told me to do it about once a month at the grocery store's pharmacy BP machine
///and it's the first thing they check as soon as they whisk you into the exam room

Aulus: all my numbers still come in on the low side of normal

If one of those "lows" you are bragging about is HDL, you'd better go get some pills ASAP...I found out the hard way about "low numbers"

Fark_Guy_Rob:
Farah Fawcett had cancel.

Michael Jackson had drug problems/OD'd.

Billy Mays was a fat guy with high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Old people die. Particularly old, unhealthy people. If you are in your 50s, ask yourself, "What have I done in the last 30 years to ensure my health and quality of life into my old age?"

If you are 50, fat, don't work out, drink, smoke, etc, etc, etc....then hey, guess what - your time is most likely coming to an end soon.

If you didn't already know this, you're a fool.



I think people know this stuff.

However, the funny part is that the Boomers are actually dieing and realizing there is nothing they can do about it. No nips, no tucks, no surgery or pill is going to save them.

The really fun part is going to be in approximately 5-10 years when they realize they bankrupted their children who cannot afford to put them in a nice place to live out the rest of their years.

/Baby Boomer Mantra: "I can worry about tomorrow, later."

No matter what you do, you're still gonna die.

Genes, as has been stated above, also mean a lot. Three of my grandparents lived to their mid to late eighties and one great aunt to 99.

My mother just turned 85 and is active in a hiking club, even with an artificial knee. I think my chances are pretty good to be around for a while.

If that is the "good" cholesterol, it was high and the "bad" was low, over all was low. On the last test, the "good" was very high.

Aulus: I just turned sixty, so I'm getting a kick out of this...

Seriously, in my early fifties, one of the local hospitals had free annual prostate exams, with the digital/rectal exam and blood drawn for the prostate antigens. I took them up on it each time. My PSA level actually dropped by the second time.

When I was 48, my then employer paid for annual comprehensive blood screenings. Mine came back with lower cholesterol, triglycerides and everything than even the big fitness buffs in the office. They were exceedingly pissed.

My current employer has the same, but at a subsidized cost and all my numbers still come in on the low side of normal. Sometimes, it is even better than that of my son, who is twenty-nine years younger.

You sound fat.

/sorry
//had to

I'm in my 20's and I'm worried about my death. Couple months ago I'm pretty sure I had a heart attack. No scratch that, I DID have a heart attack. No one can tell me otherwise. I was watching a movie and laughing really hard and my heart stopped, completely. I fell to the ground. My brother and friends thought I was joking because a guy in the movie just had a heart attack or something, I can't remember. It hurt a lot, felt like I was dying. It was a good 4-5 seconds of no heart beat. I got up an took an aspirin and went to sleep. My heart has felt "weak" ever since, and I can feel my heart skip beats. I've always had a weird heart rythym, and I overexhaust myself in everything I do.

I'm not fat either, I'm 5'10 150 lbs. I'm athletic, I excercise.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to die from the alarm clock one morning, because the second I hear that sound I jump out of bed. My heart feels weak in the morning too.

Probably heart arrhythmia or something. So yeah, its not just you older folks that are worried.

cirby
...and if you're 50, skinny, work out a lot, abstain from everything, etc, etc, etc... it's not really going to make a lot of difference. Might even be worse, according to your genetic background.

It also turns out, though, that being a little fat is better than being "normal" or thin, as far as life expectancy goes, on the average.

I hate to break it to you, but there is a difference between real life and wishful thinking. I wish my car ran off Unicorn farts - but it's not real life.

Show me one study, even a crappy study, that says 'For some people, with a particular genetic background; it's actually GOOD to be obese, smoke, and drink excessively'.

We all know there are a lot of factors that contribute to how long someone will live. Lots of those factors we can't control; but there are factors we can control.

The CDC says....
http://www.infoplease.com/askeds/smoking-life-expectancy.html
Elsewhere on the site, the CDC mentions in passing that, on average, the life expectancy for smokers is 14 years less than for non-smokers, but I don't know how they define those terms.

Here's another study...
There have been many different studies which have identified that smoking reduces life expectancy. One particular 50 year study revealed that smoking cuts life expectancy by 10 years. Smoking-related deaths are more likely to be by cancer, and around 88% of deaths from lung cancer are from smoking. At least 50% of smokers will eventually be killed by their habit.
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/328/7455/1519

I see the appeal of saying, 'Hey - we're all going to die. Might as well enjoy my life' and if that's how you choose to live your life; do it, and enjoy it. But, the best evidence we've got, suggests that certain activities are going to reduce your lifespan. Pretending otherwise is silly.

And I see I need to work on my HTML, too.

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, Martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming'WOO HOO, what a ride!'"

/50 and enjoying the ride, baby

Being alive is like being on a reality tv show.

You can get voted out any time, so play as if you are facing elimination this week. Whatever moves you have planned, make them now.

That way, someday when your torch is about to be snuffed out, you won't look back and think "if I knew I was leaving today I would have...".

If you play as if you know you're safe this week, don't be surprised when you get blindsided...BY DEATH!! AHAHA!

AirForceVet: I mean, the GYN is already down there with the patient's legs spread and up in stirrups? Why not go for it?

You must not be married.

That way, someday when your torch is about to be snuffed out, you won't look back and think "if I knew I was leaving today I would have...".

To my knowledge, no one has ever been overheard on their deathbed saying "if only I'd spent more time at the office."

Think about that, all you farking greedy-bastard MBA's out there in Farkistan.

No worries here, I won't be fifty for almost thirteen months.

DistendedPendulusFrenulum: Every time I hear some fellow old fart go on about how we're tougher because of seatbelt-less cars, PCBs, dangerous playground equipment, leaded gas, Benzpyrene, etc, I just tell 'em the only reason they're still alive is they aint died yet. All the motherfarkers that did die of seatbelt-less cars, PCBs, dangerous playground equipment, leaded gas, Benzpyrene, etc, are DEAD

.

F*ckin' thank you. If you look at statistics on accidental deaths over a long time, kids are half as likely to die from accidental causes in this country than they were in the 1980s. I'm an old fark, and at least understand how lucky I am to be alive.

SuperTramp: "Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, Martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming'WOO HOO, what a ride!'"

/50 and enjoying the ride, baby

If you don't take good care of yourself, you are lucky to die young. But most people aren't that lucky. They are used up, worn out, feeling bad and still living for another 10 years. And that sucks. Take decent care of yourself, and all your years will be worth living and enjoyable.

Sorry. Missed the stats. Check out Y6.A on child mortality from 1980 till 2005 on "unintentional injuries."

I have Alzheimers on both sides of my family tree. I have the potential to live to 90, but I won't remember the last 20 or so.

/A gigantic heart attack at 65 or 25 years of senility? Pass the buttered bacon!

GoSurfing: I'm in my 20's and I'm worried about my death. Couple months ago I'm pretty sure I had a heart attack. No scratch that, I DID have a heart attack. No one can tell me otherwise. I was watching a movie and laughing really hard and my heart stopped, completely. I fell to the ground. My brother and friends thought I was joking because a guy in the movie just had a heart attack or something, I can't remember. It hurt a lot, felt like I was dying. It was a good 4-5 seconds of no heart beat. I got up an took an aspirin and went to sleep. My heart has felt "weak" ever since, and I can feel my heart skip beats. I've always had a weird heart rythym, and I overexhaust myself in everything I do.

I'm not fat either, I'm 5'10 150 lbs. I'm athletic, I excercise.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to die from the alarm clock one morning, because the second I hear that sound I jump out of bed. My heart feels weak in the morning too.

Probably heart arrhythmia or something. So yeah, its not just you older folks that are worried.

Sounds like you need more coffee, doctors recommend at least three pots a day.

GoSurfing: I'm in my 20's and I'm worried about my death. Couple months ago I'm pretty sure I had a heart attack. No scratch that, I DID have a heart attack. No one can tell me otherwise. I was watching a movie and laughing really hard and my heart stopped, completely. I fell to the ground. My brother and friends thought I was joking because a guy in the movie just had a heart attack or something, I can't remember. It hurt a lot, felt like I was dying. It was a good 4-5 seconds of no heart beat. I got up an took an aspirin and went to sleep. My heart has felt "weak" ever since, and I can feel my heart skip beats. I've always had a weird heart rythym, and I overexhaust myself in everything I do.

I'm not fat either, I'm 5'10 150 lbs. I'm athletic, I excercise.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to die from the alarm clock one morning, because the second I hear that sound I jump out of bed. My heart feels weak in the morning too.

Probably heart arrhythmia or something. So yeah, its not just you older folks that are worried.going to a doctor or perhaps the emergency room? Might be worth it.
Or are you trolling?

Have you considered

GoSurfing: I'm in my 20's and I'm worried about my death. Couple months ago I'm pretty sure I had a heart attack. No scratch that, I DID have a heart attack. No one can tell me otherwise. I was watching a movie and laughing really hard and my heart stopped, completely. I fell to the ground. My brother and friends thought I was joking because a guy in the movie just had a heart attack or something, I can't remember. It hurt a lot, felt like I was dying. It was a good 4-5 seconds of no heart beat. I got up an took an aspirin and went to sleep. My heart has felt "weak" ever since, and I can feel my heart skip beats. I've always had a weird heart rythym, and I overexhaust myself in everything I do.

I'm not fat either, I'm 5'10 150 lbs. I'm athletic, I excercise.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to die from the alarm clock one morning, because the second I hear that sound I jump out of bed. My heart feels weak in the morning too.

Probably heart arrhythmia or something. So yeah, its not just you older folks that are worried.

Go to the doctor. Get an EKG and blood work done. If you can't afford it, do it anyway.

You may just have high blood pressure - often easy to fix. You may have high blood pressure resulting from an anxiety issue, where adrenaline is not your friend (I say that because of your height/weight/exercise reference) - often even easier to fix (beta blockers FTW).

If you have a heart issue, many of the medications out there are very very cheap (beta blockers, for example) if cost is an issue.

GoSurfing: I'm in my 20's and I'm worried about my death. Couple months ago I'm pretty sure I had a heart attack. No scratch that, I DID have a heart attack. No one can tell me otherwise. I was watching a movie and laughing really hard and my heart stopped, completely. I fell to the ground. My brother and friends thought I was joking because a guy in the movie just had a heart attack or something, I can't remember. It hurt a lot, felt like I was dying. It was a good 4-5 seconds of no heart beat. I got up an took an aspirin and went to sleep. My heart has felt "weak" ever since, and I can feel my heart skip beats. I've always had a weird heart rythym, and I overexhaust myself in everything I do.

I'm not fat either, I'm 5'10 150 lbs. I'm athletic, I excercise.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to die from the alarm clock one morning, because the second I hear that sound I jump out of bed. My heart feels weak in the morning too.

Probably heart arrhythmia or something. So yeah, its not just you older folks that are worried.

Let me try again:
Have you considered going to the doctor or emergency room?

Excen
I have Alzheimers on both sides of my family tree. I have the potential to live to 90, but I won't remember the last 20 or so.

/A gigantic heart attack at 65 or 25 years of senility? Pass the buttered bacon!

Or you could wind up like my mother's best friend - 86 and healthy as a horse, but so terrified of death she hasn't eaten anything but grass since WWII or had anything resembling fun since her wedding night in 1946. No thanks. Quality, not quantity.

Fark_Guy_Rob: Farah Fawcett had cancel.

Michael Jackson had drug problems/OD'd.

Billy Mays was a fat guy with high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Old people die. Particularly old, unhealthy people. If you are in your 50s, ask yourself, "What have I done in the last 30 years to ensure my health and quality of life into my old age?"

If you are 50, fat, don't work out, drink, smoke, etc, etc, etc....then hey, guess what - your time is most likely coming to an end soon.

If you didn't already know this, you're a fool.

I resemble that remark...damm tomorrow is Monday?..shoot..

I'm 52.....all of a sudden I don't feel too good.

You should only be concerned AT ANY AGE if you are abusing the same medications that these celebs were.

FTFA: Other screenings/medical recommendations to consider in your 50s:

- Stay physically active. Don't be a couch potato.
- Stay mentally active. Read. Think. Troll Fark.

Above all:
- Find an interest. A hobby. Something that makes you want to get out of bed in the morning.

All these young Celebs dying is troubling and very scary. Oh yeah, one thing to add to the list of things to avoid, bullets. Really bummed out about McNair. Ex-Nashvillian.

ironrat: No worries here, I won't be fifty for almost thirteen months.

Fourteen for me. Damn.

Doctors have said I have the body - and heart - of a 20 year old. (And I'm not giving her back, either!) But I've started working out lately. Mostly because tipping the scales at 190 was unacceptable, as was my accumulating belly fat.

family history of heart disease
this summer marks 2 years no smoking and 5 years no alchohol

healthy eating - my mantra 5 days a week -
no bread - no potatoes - no sweets no treats and no seconds

my healthy activity today (new window) out and back 7 miles

6'- 175 lbs - i will be 50 in 3 years
another good run (new window) 11.5 mile loop

I said:
It also turns out, though, that being a little fat is better than being "normal" or thin, as far as life expectancy goes, on the average.

Fark_Guy_Rob:

I hate to break it to you, but there is a difference between real life and wishful thinking. I wish my car ran off Unicorn farts - but it's not real life.

Show me one study, even a crappy study, that says 'For some people, with a particular genetic background; it's actually GOOD to be obese, smoke, and drink excessively'.

Not the point, and not what I said.

What I DID say was that it's not going to make a big difference - a few years at most for most people - and that being a little above the common model for "normal" is actually good for you. (I see that you combined two different ideas into one, but that's not the point).

Sure, smoking's bad for you. Usually. But what that CDC study you quoted DIDN'T say was that smoking-related cancer and death rates are highly influenced by genetics - it's not an automatic death sentence. My family is one of those "smoking will kill you early" ones - I don't smoke. On the other hand, I know some families where EVERYONE smokes like chimneys, they're all very active, and the only ones that die young tend to die from things like falling off cliffs while climbing mountains.

Note again that I'm NOT saying that smoking's good for you - but for quite a few people, it's not that bad, either. There's been such a huge effort to make smokers feel like criminals (and make them criminals, when that didn't work), that a lot of incidental research has been ignored, especially when it comes to smoking and genetics.

Ditto for a lot of dietary work. The whole "skinny is better" movement came from some limited studies, and managed to cause a lot of scientists to forge the link that insists that if you're (pick one or more) overweight, don't exercise right, drink alcohol or eat the "wrong" kinds of foods, you CAN'T be healthy. Meanwhile, millions of people have been living long, healthy lives while doing combinations of those, due to a lack of genetic predispositions to one or another of the issues that kill them early.

Now, we know that a "normal" or lower BMI isn't actually the most healthy one for a lot of people, that you can drink alcohol without becoming a lush (and most people probably should drink at least some), and that a moderately-imbalanced diet can actually be good for many folks.

I'm 50 years old, resting heart rate of 60, I have a 29 BMI. Did a 35 mile bike ride yesterday, passed a whole lot of skinny people half my age. From my family history, if I keep in my current (overweight) shape, I have a decent shot at making 100 in good health - as long as I don't smoke.

Not all risk factors are the same for all people.