Ageing & Growing Old

[charliebrown]

For me this is a real horror story.

In 1950 at age 4, I had trouble breathing at night.

My mom took me to the throat doctor and he dripped ether down my mouth and nose through a metal strainer, and I really thought I was dead from the feeling of drowning.

I awaken later without tonsils and the worst sore throat.

We said good bye to the doctor and went home.

I was in such pain for days.

I think this was standard medicine in 1950.

 

[Lb8535]

In the US, I thought they stopped because the doctors decided that tonsils were an important part of the immune system, like lymph glands, and it was better for people to have them. Not because a small percentage of children bled to death. But, I actually don't know what the reason is. Perhaps it is a fashion among doctors. Eye of newt out; toad tongues in.

Actually the people most subject to excess bleeding from a tonsillectomy are those who have it done as adults. But the reason it stopped was that the value of the tonsils to the immune system was recognized. Used to be that one sore throat and out they went, they were compared to the appendix, which is also now believed to serve some purpose but used to be considered something just waiting to get infected.

 

[ramonmercado]

For me this is a real horror story.

In 1950 at age 4, I had trouble breathing at night.

My mom took me to the throat doctor and he dripped ether down my mouth and nose through a metal strainer, and I really thought I was dead from the feeling of drowning.

I awaken later without tonsils and the worst sore throat.

We said good bye to the doctor and went home.

I was in such pain for days.

I think this was standard medicine in 1950.

I spent a few days in hospital when I had mine out in 1966/7.

 

[Endlessly Amazed]

For me this is a real horror story.

In 1950 at age 4, I had trouble breathing at night.

My mom took me to the throat doctor and he dripped ether down my mouth and nose through a metal strainer, and I really thought I was dead from the feeling of drowning.

I awaken later without tonsils and the worst sore throat.

We said good bye to the doctor and went home.

I was in such pain for days.

I think this was standard medicine in 1950.

That was dreadful. I think you had a very rough time.

In the early sixties, when I was nine, I had a similar experience, but in a hospital. Nobody actually explained to me what was going to happen - tonsils taken out - and when the ether was dripped over my nose and mouth, several nurses held me down as I was fighting for my life. This was in a charity hospital, and long ago. I like to think things are done better now.

 

[the_ragnarokkr]

I turn 34 in two days.

I can feel the Reaper approaching in the distance.

However, I am a transhumanist, so hopefully I'll become an Electronic Old Man.

 

[Endlessly Amazed]

I turn 34 in two days.

I can feel the Reaper approaching in the distance.

However, I am a transhumanist, so hopefully I'll become an Electronic Old Man.

You are a mere babe in the woods, o cigarette smoking man.

 

[catseye]

I used to get tonsillitis every single autumn. The doctors were threatening to take out my tonsils if I got another attack, fortunately the following year I had left school and college and never had another attack after that. It seemed to have some correlation to the date that the heating systems came on and once I wasn't subject to building-wide central heating (we had none at home), I never suffered again.

 

[Kondoru]

I have never had Tonsillitis nor them out but I am old enough to remember it was routine.

When did it fall out of fashion?

 

[charliebrown]

I think medicine today is better in putting people to sleep in the hospital.

Having been put to sleep in 1950 at age 4 with ether was absolutely beyond terrifying, but again I think kids having their tonsils out was a real “ 1950s thing “.

There was an American sitcom called “ Leave it to Beaver “, where the young child nicknamed Beaver wanted his tonsils out to be like his friends who had their tonsils out.

The Brady Bunch TV show also had an episode where Cindy and Carol had to have their tonsils out.

 

[CarlosTheDJ]

I had tonsilitis when I was about 27 and it's the most ill I've ever been. It's not just a sore throat, it absolutely destroyed me for about a week.

 

[Lb8535]

That was dreadful. I think you had a very rough time.

In the early sixties, when I was nine, I had a similar experience, but in a hospital. Nobody actually explained to me what was going to happen - tonsils taken out - and when the ether was dripped over my nose and mouth, several nurses held me down as I was fighting for my life. This was in a charity hospital, and long ago. I like to think things are done better now.

Yes my question was where on earth was that (I know the answer - Tennessee, right?). I had to be anesthetized in the late 50's in NYC and I don't remember anything in particular at all about the hospital except my mother was a nervous wreck and they sent me home the next morning. These days they would have sent me home that afternoon.

 

[charliebrown]

Lb8535,

I am not saying I am right or wrong, but just what happened to me.

You are lucky NYC was more modern in medicine.

My mom drove us to the biggest city near which was Nashville ( about population 100,000 in 1950 ) for the throat doctor.

 

[Endlessly Amazed]

Yes my question was where on earth was that (I know the answer - Tennessee, right?). I had to be anesthetized in the late 50's in NYC and I don't remember anything in particular at all about the hospital except my mother was a nervous wreck and they sent me home the next morning. These days they would have sent me home that afternoon.

Close, but actually, it was northern Indiana. Healthcare for the uninsured poor was very, er, creative! I suspect healthcare for the uninsured poor is better nowadays, but it probably still is different than what insured people experience.

 

[Lb8535]

Lb8535,

I am not saying I am right or wrong, but just what happened to me.

You are lucky NYC was more modern in medicine.

My mom drove us to the biggest city near which was Nashville ( about population 100,000 in 1950 ) for the throat doctor.

I was replying to the language of your comment on "medicine today". I think that what you and Endlessly experienced was not a time period "medicine in the dark ages" issue but a regional and discrimination against the poor issue, both of which haven't changed much since the 60's in the US. Although it's now not accepted practice to use ether at all principally because it's flammable. My family was thrifty middle class but I'm guessing my mother had health insurance from her job. Edit or maybe she didn't. My experience was before the NYC hospital strike of 1959, which was the point after which hospital workers had to receive living wages - before that strike, many people worked full time at a hospital and were eligible for welfare benefits and had no health insurance themselves. Prices of hospital services inevitably increased after the union won the contract, but before then she may have just been able to pay the bill.

 

[charliebrown]

I went to a friends 90th birthday party and told him I was impressed that he had been retired for 22 years.

I asked him how he felt, and always being the joker he said he was never smart and he couldn’t really tell me.

But this always puts the same question in my mind is genetics the reason why some people seem to keep going along without too many problems ?

My older brother died young with cancer.

My young sister is fighting poor blood circulation where she is always cold with blue fingers.

And of course, I am diabetic.

What determines one’s health ?

 

[Endlessly Amazed]

I was replying to the language of your comment on "medicine today". I think that what you and Endlessly experienced was not a time period "medicine in the dark ages" issue but a regional and discrimination against the poor issue, both of which haven't changed much since the 60's in the US. Although it's now not accepted practice to use ether at all principally because it's flammable. My family was thrifty middle class but I'm guessing my mother had health insurance from her job. Edit or maybe she didn't. My experience was before the NYC hospital strike of 1959, which was the point after which hospital workers had to receive living wages - before that strike, many people worked full time at a hospital and were eligible for welfare benefits and had no health insurance themselves. Prices of hospital services inevitably increased after the union won the contract, but before then she may have just been able to pay the bill.

Yes, you have nailed it. For many years, my home state of Indiana had the infant mortality rate of some third world country. It was settled by a variety of religious extremists. One can see, from an airplane, the very different farm and town organization, compared to Indiana's neighboring states, Illinois and Ohio. The echos of these extremist views, now mouthed by the religious right, are still sounding in the state's responses to the poor.

 

[escargot]

We certainly do- unfortunately. We have one that has been going since 1960 and a guy has been in it since the beginning- the adonis that is Ken Barlow if you want to look him up.

Bill Roache who plays Ken is about to turn 90. Celebrations are planned.

 

[escargot]

I went to a friends 90th birthday party and told him I was impressed that he had been retired for 22 years.

I asked him how he felt, and always being the joker he said he was never smart and he couldn’t really tell me.

But this always puts the same question in my mind is genetics the reason why some people seem to keep going along without too many problems ?

My older brother died young with cancer.

My young sister is fighting poor blood circulation where she is always cold with blue fingers.

And of course, I am diabetic.

What determines one’s health ?

It's a mixture of genes, lifestyle and luck.

 

[Floyd]

Bill Roache who plays Ken is about to turn 90. Celebrations are planned.

I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I did start to watch the programme about him the other night. I got so fed up with the drippy background music though, that I couldn't stand it for very long. Why they insist on spoiling every programme/documentary with this crap I don't know. (Mind you, after listening to Yoko Ono's screeching last night on a prog about John Lennon's first album with her, anything sounds ok).

 

[escargot]

I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I did start to watch the programme about him the other night. I got so fed up with the drippy background music though, that I couldn't stand it for very long. Why they insist on spoiling every programme/documentary with this crap I don't know. (Mind you, after listening to Yoko Ono's screeching last night on a prog about John Lennon's first album with her, anything sounds ok).

The experience of being subjected to the ex's severe Corrie obsession left me with a deep loathing of that fine drama so I'll sadly miss the Bill Roach-worship. My loss.

Granada seem to be hoping he'll become a national treasure.
Well, he did pass his Druid exams.

 

[Floyd]

The experience of being subjected to the ex's severe Corrie obsession left me with a deep loathing of that fine drama so I'll sadly miss the Bill Roach-worship. My loss.

Granada seem to be hoping he'll become a national treasure.
Well, he did pass his Druid exams.

MrsF was watching it so I decided to have a look on my way through to the other room, where I had been watching a prog about Michelangelo and there was an hour gap before another one I wanted to see about da Vinci and the Salvator Mundi painting (which I never got to see as the tv signal had gone by then).

 

[Bad Bungle]

The experience of being subjected to the ex's severe Corrie obsession left me with a deep loathing of that fine drama so I'll sadly miss the Bill Roach-worship. My loss.

Granada seem to be hoping he'll become a national treasure.
Well, he did pass his Druid exams.

Vaguely remember Valerie Barlow's death (1971) and the flames spreading through the flat before the closing credits. Did not know she was played by Anne Reid. Don't remember what I did two days ago.

 

[Floyd]

Don't remember what I did two days ago.

You can remember what you did yesterday though? Show-off.

 

[escargot]

Vaguely remember Valerie Barlow's death (1971) and the flames spreading through the flat before the closing credits. Did not know she was played by Anne Reid. Don't remember what I did two days ago.

Did she burn to death then? I thought it was electrocution with a faulty iron.

I do remember a car jack giving way and the mechanic working under the car being crushed to death.

Saw that as a kid and it taught me that people can be shown dying quietly without being flashily shot or blown up as seen in American dramas.

 

[Floyd]

Hair loss;
When I had hair, I never had it long as I always had quite physical jobs and it would drive me mad, so I kept it short. Then, when it started to thin out a bit I did grow it for a while. By then though, it had thinned out a bit too much, so I looked a bit like an ageing hippy - which would have been ok if I had been, but I was only in my mid 30s. (See photo).

Now I have to have it very short (which I hate), but if I don't, I look like Prince William- hairwise.

NB Photo of dog that befriended me is cropped due to said dog having massive balls.

 

[Bad Bungle]

Did she burn to death then? I thought it was electrocution with a faulty iron.

Hah, so you did watch it as a youngster - heater fell over after the electrocution.

Yes @Floyd1 I do remember what I did yesterday (as soon as I re-read my posts).

 

[escargot]

Hah, so you did watch it as a youngster - heater fell over after the electrocution.

Yup, my parents used to watch it now and then so kids had no choice.

Can only remember a handful of scenes though as I didn't take much interest.

 

[Lb8535]

Did she burn to death then? I thought it was electrocution with a faulty iron.

I do remember a car jack giving way and the mechanic working under the car being crushed to death.

Saw that as a kid and it taught me that people can be shown dying quietly without being flashily shot or blown up as seen in American dramas.

Oh? American dramas like James Bond?

 

[Bad Bungle]

Oh? American dramas like James Bond?

I think Scargy was referring to I Love Lucy

 

[brownmane]

I think Scargy was referring to I Love Lucy

Or American soap operas? I do find quite a difference in Coronation Street vs any American soap. I actually prefer Corrie as it is more interesting to me because it is working class people, though not, vs the American soaps in which the actors are going to lunch in evening wear and are filthy rich.