Monthly Archive for April, 2007

Huh? Whut? Pardon? At Least Get a Hearing Test for a Baseline

Published on April 30, 2007 in Baby Boomer, Health and Research. 0 Comments

Maybe you don’t have a hearing problem, but if you are a boomer, chance are you do – or will have.  Loud cars, loud cycles, loud concerts, loud music, you lived the life, you know what I’m sayin’.

May is Better Hearing Month.  Good time to get a hearing test, even if it’s just to establish a baseline for later.

Lifetwo.com has these interesting stats regarding boomer hearing.

–From 1971 to 1990, hearing problems among those between the ages 45 and 64 jumped 26 percent, according to a National Health Interview Survey.
–There was also a 17 percent increase in the 18 to 44 age group.
–In California, where researchers surveyed 5,000 people, the rate of impairment jumped 150 percent between 1965 and 1994 among those in their 50s.
–Paired with the fact that the Baby Boomers will live longer than any generation before them, hearing impairment in people over 55 is expected to reach new levels in severity and prevalence in the coming decades (Hear-it AISBL, 2005).

So make the appointment even if you think you’re hearing OK.  You might be surprised like I was and discover that you already have a hearing loss in the upper and lower ranges.

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Sometimes Marketing is Just To Obvious

Published on April 30, 2007 in Shopping. 0 Comments

oldnavyfitted.jpg

Yep, that’s me, ole XXXL fitted.  I wonder if Mary Kate and Ashley’s clothing line has a size zero chubby.

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Retirement Location Nothing to Sneeze At

Published on April 29, 2007 in Family and Health. 2 Comments

Here’s a quiz for those of you with allergies looking for a place to retire. Boomers on the Move says a college professor reports that the sunbelt is still the place boomers like to retire. (duh!)

Florida and its beaches remain a popular place to spend the sunset years, yet the current hottest retirement destination doesn’t even have a coastline: It’s Arizona.

• 1. Phoenix.
• 2. Las Vegas.
• 3. West Palm Beach, Fla.
• 4. Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
• 5. St. Petersburg, Fla.
• 6. Fort Myers, Fla.
• 7. Tucson, Ariz.
• 8. Los Angeles.
• 9. Sarasota, Fla.

are the top retirement destinations.

OK, now suppose you have allergies, which of the two above locations was rated the third and fifth worst place to live by Forbes?

Answer is in the comments. I was surprised, the rest of the list made sense, and when you read the article it makes sense.

If you are allergy prone I heartily recommend Flonase. It’s a anti-inflammatory nasal spray steriod.

I had very bad year round allergies. A scratch test when I was adult indicated that I had some degree of allergic reaction to everything but distilled water.

In the fall, when the ragweed pollen was it’s worst, I was a crabby recluse. My mood changed and I would avoid going outside because of the itchy, watery eyes, the sneezing, the itchy forehead and the low grade fever, that was always present.

Like most, I didn’t take pills because of the side effects.

Then an allergist suggested Flonase. Within 30 days of starting, my symptoms were gone. Not diminished, they were gone. The symptoms will return sometimes in the fall when the ragweed is at it’s worst, but it isn’t anything like it was before.

Yet when people tell me they are suffering immensely with allergies I am truly baffled that most won’t even consider my suggestion of trying Flonase. People tell me they take pills, but don’t like the side effects, or they hate using a nasal spray.

But I understand why they feel this way. They are feeling so rotten and have been feeling that way for years that they aren’t thinking clearly enough to understand that there is something that may help them.

All I can do is encourage and recommend. The misery of allergies is hard to measure and therefore hard to explain how poorly one feels.

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Late Bloomer Boomer Zoomer Misses Nap

Published on April 28, 2007 in Dogs. 2 Comments

It’s a great afternoon for a nap outside. It’s about 70 degrees, nice breeze, warm sun. It rained last night, so the cushion on the swing was wet, but not unbearable.

The birds chirping, the sound of lawn mowers in the distance, the occasional car on the street even small planes overhead helped minimize my tinnitus.

Three things kept me from enjoying a snooze.

Dogs.

Three of our four dogs had joined me on the swing and were pretty chilled out just sniffing the air, each other, the cushion, me, and soaking up the rays.

I had my eyes closed not really listening or thinking anything earth shaking.  I was in that semi-concious state where I was concentrating on moving a floater around.

I don’t know how much time had passed, but long enough that I guess the dogs had left my side because the next thing I knew, our four pound Yorkie muddysofi.jpg (shown here almost actual size!)  ran across my belly, followed by our twenty pound Cairn taking the same path, because they were being chased by our 65 pound lab/border collie.

I think I was their “safe” spot.

Aside: We’re inside now, and one is sleeping on my chest, one on the couch and one on a cushion.  I definitely will be harassing them when I get done with this post. The fourth dog is on the bed looking out the window. Must be his turn for neighborhood watch.

The dogs apparently decided that “chase” was done and they left the swing again.

So things calmed down and I found myself manipulating that floater again. Since a real nap was out of the question, I was thinking about this blog.

Did you know that not many words rhyme with boomer?

I decided I’m a late bloomer boomer zoomer without a tumor or rumor.

Hey! Remember I was semi-concious chasing a floater.

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