Help - I'm Shrinking!!
I don't feel any shorter
My pants legs don't drag the ground....
What is going on?
I've been 5' 7" FOREVER. Well, not when I was a baby but you know what I mean.
At a dr. visit recently the nurses aide comes in, tells me to stand on the scale. I do as she requests (I'm not telling what it read!!) and I start to step down.
She says, "Whoa, wait a minute. I need to measure you."
MEASURE ME... WHAT FOR?
I can tell you that I am 5' 7" tall but she pulls this flat ruler thingy out of the top of the scale and positions it on top of my head.
5' 5" she says.
I turn and look at her like she's lost her ever-loving mind! But, she's a nurses aide and I guess they didn't include "measuring" in the classes she took. So, I let it go. I know how tall I am!
The doctor comes in, checks me over, says I am fine and leaves. A different aide comes in, so to ease my puzzled brain I say to her, 'how about measuring me' just like I hadn't had it just done.
I step back on the scale, she does that little measuring stick thingy again and proudly announces, "5'5". "You sure", I ask. Yep, she says she's sure.
How did I get shorter and not even notice? So, I google it. I mean, whatever would we do without GOOGLE? It says the shrinking is caused by spinal disc compression due to osteoporosis. It is also caused by curvature of the spine and flat feet, among other things.
I already know that I have spinal stenosis, curvature of the back and flat feet and nobody ever warned me that I might SHRINK?
Have you been measured lately? You might get a surprise. By the age of 70, women lose up to 2." I am over 70, big time.
Hmmm. Am I finished shrinking yet?
I have lost my 2" already so I guess I am through.
My pants legs don't drag the ground....
What is going on?
I've been 5' 7" FOREVER. Well, not when I was a baby but you know what I mean.
At a dr. visit recently the nurses aide comes in, tells me to stand on the scale. I do as she requests (I'm not telling what it read!!) and I start to step down.
She says, "Whoa, wait a minute. I need to measure you."
MEASURE ME... WHAT FOR?
I can tell you that I am 5' 7" tall but she pulls this flat ruler thingy out of the top of the scale and positions it on top of my head.
5' 5" she says.
I turn and look at her like she's lost her ever-loving mind! But, she's a nurses aide and I guess they didn't include "measuring" in the classes she took. So, I let it go. I know how tall I am!
The doctor comes in, checks me over, says I am fine and leaves. A different aide comes in, so to ease my puzzled brain I say to her, 'how about measuring me' just like I hadn't had it just done.
I step back on the scale, she does that little measuring stick thingy again and proudly announces, "5'5". "You sure", I ask. Yep, she says she's sure.
How did I get shorter and not even notice? So, I google it. I mean, whatever would we do without GOOGLE? It says the shrinking is caused by spinal disc compression due to osteoporosis. It is also caused by curvature of the spine and flat feet, among other things.
I already know that I have spinal stenosis, curvature of the back and flat feet and nobody ever warned me that I might SHRINK?
Have you been measured lately? You might get a surprise. By the age of 70, women lose up to 2." I am over 70, big time.
Hmmm. Am I finished shrinking yet?
I have lost my 2" already so I guess I am through.
I went from 5' 7 1/2" to 5' 4". Not unusual for post-menopausal women to lose some of their height, but I lost more than average. I'm kind of shocked that you got to be 70 and you haven't been measured regularly for the past 10 years.
ReplyDeleteYes, I know we do 'shrink' as we age. I've only lost about a half inch so far. Went from 5'4" to 5'3.5" (I'm 74). BUT... let me tell you a secret (or maybe it's not a secret, but it's definitely true). If you do Yoga... and stretch a lot, you can regain some of that loss (maybe not all, but some). Worth a try. There are other advantages to Yoga, but I really like this one.
ReplyDeleteI've only lost an inch but then I didn't start out with a bunch being only 5'2", now 5'1". I noticed my chin keeps getting closer to the restaurant tables:))
ReplyDeleteI will be 70 next birthday. I've heard of people shrinking as they get older. I remember my mother finding that out.
ReplyDeletehehehehe, so funny!! when i go to the doctors, i do not allow them to weigh me. they all know me and now, they don't even ask, it's just too depressing!!
ReplyDeleteand what in the world would we do without google? but it eliminates the need for our kids to call us, my kids use to call me with questions, now they too google everything!!!
I, and many of my friends, are shrinking too. I love to click on google and or Mayo clinic to ask questions. It's interesting. Have a great evening.
ReplyDeleteWas 5"8" until a few years ago, now 5'7" - so where did that huge inch go? South like everything else I guess. I liked being tall all my life, now I'm just another little old lady!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhen the nurse wants to measure me, I make sure I stand straight with shoulders back, and I try to stretch my neck at little! So far, so good!
ReplyDeleteHope you are having a great week!
yes, I have heard the same thing, Latane,but haven't been measured recently. When we go for a medical office visit, we prefer to tell them our morning weigh-in in the privacy of our home. we have never been "forced" to weigh in or measure up, so I don't know for sure.
ReplyDelete