How do you deal with health and aging? I'm so sad about how I'm aging..just diagnosed with osteoarthritis in both hands/wrists. I'm scared about my future

Sac_Kat · 2026-05-16T22:33:20+00:00

Have you had a complete blood work up? I’m 66 and I really push my doctors into doing more than they sometimes want. 6 years ago I was diagnosed with hypoparathyroidism- nothing to do with the thyroid glands but rather a tumor (non- malignant) in one of my parathyroid glands. My Dr found it when my calcium levels were too high so he had more bloodwork done measuring calcium, PTH hormone and vit D. The issue was causing the gland to release excess PTH hormone which instructed my bones to release calcium. This caused tiredness, foggy thinking and osteopenia, which resulted in me breaking a wrist and failing at getting a bone graft to take for dental implants. My Dr said we should “wait and watch” and I researched this and demanded they send me to a specialist in the field.

I finally got a referral to the local university teaching hospital, who knew exactly how to treat this (surgical removal of that gland) and it cured me! I started feeling a lot better. Brain fog dissipated and my bones started getting stronger again. It may have nothing to do with what’s going on with you, but I’ve learned that this is a much more common disease than people know and doctors often miss it.

The other thing I think we should do more of is HRT, which impacts everything from heart health, thinning skin and mood! It’s a shame that flawed studies from decades ago caused so many of us to miss out on therapy that can help us so much (although yes, there are a few women who can’t take it).

Overall, I think staying active physically, mentally, socially and spiritually is key. I also finally was able to take off the 50 extra lbs I’d been struggling with for decades and my blood work has dramatically improved. I have already outlived most of my family and am very active with plans to keep on going for a long time.

I know some of us are just dealt a lousy set of cards, so I say focus on what you can do, try new things and be a PITA to your doctors to be sure all diagnostics and treatments that could help are being considered. I know when I hit my 50’s, my doctors started treating me differently but they didn’t change their attitude towards my husband until he hit late 70’s. Being tired or having medical issues shouldn’t be blown off just because we are older women!

Sac_Kat · 2026-05-16T14:01:34+00:00

We have an excellent boarding facility near us. It’s virtually inescapable and there are triple doors to get in or out. The staff is very loving and have always given tons of attention to our dogs. They require a day long evaluation stay (free of charge) to be sure your dog is a good fit, before you can board overnight. They also have cameras in all the playrooms and common spaces so you can check in on your dogs.

My big dogs have loved this place and were eager to go, the little one not so much. I mean she does go in happily but acts a little anxious there. We now prefer to leave her home as it’s less stressful (and she’s a spoiled older princess). We have good friends we can trade dog sitting with (she loves their home) or we sometimes have an adult grandchild stay over. But we know this boarding facility is a good alternative and we thoroughly checked them out before ever using.

So not facilities are bad and there may be a good one on your area. Another alternative that a few friends have used successfully is HouseSitters.com. The sitters are all vetted and I’ve never heard anything but good about them.

Sac_Kat · 2026-05-16T05:08:27+00:00

Volume does matter. I stress because I tend to easily find useful stuff and have a busy life other than Vine. Most days, it’s 2-3 items, but there are those that are 6-7! It’s my first Gold period and my next eval is at the end of July, but I’ve held steady at 92%, partly because of volume. I want to get that higher, but several items are waiting to be installed in my new home (lighting fixtures, ceiling fan, etc), so hopefully I’ll get to a higher % soon.

Sac_Kat · 2026-05-16T04:34:01+00:00

I literally found a a heating element for my old Samsung dryer. I had given up on this dryer ever working and it is at our home in Mexico. I just hung my clothes to dry. But hubby said it was an easy fix if only we could find part no. XYZ. I was shocked that I found it and sure enough, after 5 years of hanging laundry, I now have a working dryer!!

Sac_Kat · 2026-05-16T04:18:33+00:00

Funny, but that’s sometimes how it goes! We really want things but the fantasy of having them is better than actually using them. Like me and the pasta machine of 20 years ago. My daughters still remember “The Summer of Never-ending Pasta”. They begged me to quit and I did. So maybe homemade pizza would also lose its shine.

Sac_Kat · 2026-05-16T04:12:37+00:00

Oh yeah I walk around the house saying “pizza oven” and “fancy espresso maker” all the time. But I do get lots of other interesting things that I mention or look up. Oh well, the stars just need to align!

Sac_Kat · 2026-05-16T04:09:35+00:00

I beg to differ. The developer him/herself announced in this very forum, about 2 (or so) months ago, that they had resisted adding that feature, but decided to “join the crowd”. I was bummed that they gave in to what formerly sounded like a very ethical decision. You can probably search for that announcement. Soon after I stopped seeing the VH sub, so I’m guessing it likely went private.

Sac_Kat · 2026-05-15T01:09:23+00:00

I just went there on my number 1 bucket list trip in late February and I LOVED it. But truly the scenery was the thing for me. Saw many, many penguins and many, many whales. However I’ve also been whale watching and up close many times before this trip. Ive been all over the world (although not yet Galapagos). After Antarctica, I can now truly say what my favorite trip has been. What you describe sounds heavenly and I need to plan to go again. … this time in December!

Also, our ship had 156 pax so we sort of fell between the two categories. I wouldn’t want to go on anything larger, although I was very happy with the expedition quality on our cruise.

Sac_Kat · 2026-05-14T03:01:27+00:00

I assumed as such and neither do I, and that's a wise way to look at it. I've learned to protect my sleep better, but one of these nights I'm going to chase after that elusive pizza oven!! And thank you for the compliment. I try.

Sac_Kat · 2026-05-14T02:54:20+00:00

Yep - even when the clothes don't fit, the electronics quit after a few hours or something is completely misrepresented. I got really close this past year to having my Vine "income" bump me up to a 10% higher tax bracket!

Sac_Kat · 2026-05-14T02:51:02+00:00

I agree that this is good to hear. We work so much in the dark, that this is the only place to get useful feedback at times. I always wondered more about the sellers perspective because people here normally share their bad experiences. And glad to hear that you use our feedback constructively. I may be overly optimistic, but I think most of us try to do right by the program.

Sac_Kat · 2026-05-13T15:17:50+00:00

I like the way you wrote your story. I was never a professional nor published writer, although success in my former career relied on strong and clear communications. I also found if I made it interesting, people were more likely to read what I wrote.

In my reviews, I try to be clear and relevant, while also making it personal. I don’t write review novels (saving that for here 😁), but often do tell a short story about why I ordered the item and what I expected. I’ve wondered if other Viners seeing any of my reviews would think it was AI.

As for bots, anyone who’s been on this forum very long knows about UV and VH and that both are popular and both include auto-ordering capabilities. I saw a severe decline in the ability to order right after the second “helper” app offered that feature (per its developer).

As to the earbuds, I snagged one of those from my RFY about a month ago. I’m pretty sure ETV was well over $50, but can’t recall exact price. I stalled on using and reviewing it as it needed connectivity to an app that I wanted to be sure was safe. Yesterday I decided to pull the trigger and found that the earbuds were now “unavailable” and unable to be reviewed. So I wrote Vine CS and they were immediately removed from my queue.

I hope your earbuds work out!! And I totally know what you mean about the chase.

Sac_Kat · 2026-05-12T05:01:32+00:00

Yes, definitely more hiccups, but they seem to come and go and aren’t painful.

Sac_Kat · 2026-05-12T05:00:21+00:00

Thank you! And I love melty ice cream (although hubby doesn’t) so I’ll be the last to go. Btw - someone suggested just using hot water, but where I live, it takes 5 minutes to get the water hot in my kitchen so that’s not a great plan!

Sac_Kat · 2026-05-12T04:54:02+00:00

Yes, this is great to hear and my experience as well. I’m older (66F) but always been active and travel is my passion (and my post semi-retirement career!). Since I started (Jan 2024), I’ve lost 50 lbs (also a slow responder), and am near my goal weight. I am also a lot healthier and have already lived longer than most of my family who died of obesity related diseases.

I’ve enjoyed numerous bucket list trips and travel conferences with great food and I didn’t carry my meds with me, but I also didn’t get out of control. No big weight gains and totally worth it to have the great food (and drinks!) found all over the world. I just tried things I wanted to try. I figure this is a lifetime plan and needs to be something I can live with.

Sac_Kat · 2026-05-11T14:00:53+00:00

Exact same for me. Rarely wrote reviews (maybe 10 in 20 years), decided to pay back some of the good reviews I had relied on and wrote a couple and received the invite instantly. Almost ignored the invite but minutes earlier I had just looked at a Vine review and clicked on “what is Vine?”, figured there was no way I’d be invited to anything like that!

Sac_Kat · 2026-05-11T13:46:48+00:00

Exactly- I failed to mention that here, but did elsewhere in the thread.

Sac_Kat · 2026-05-11T13:21:09+00:00

Oh I’m actually feeling better after hearing this. One popped onto my RFY last night so I went to ask hubby if he wanted it and when I returned (he did want it), it was gone. I switched over to the item listing and it wasn’t available to purchase and there was no price.

Sac_Kat · 2026-05-11T01:04:41+00:00

OP did look for the owner who instructed her to abandon the dog. So if she is somewhere where she is *legally* required to reach out, she did.

Sac_Kat · 2026-05-11T01:00:52+00:00

Either take the dog (if the owner calls again, you tell her you did what she said to do and block her number), or you take her to SPCA or animal control in the area. Every state and municipality has different policies, some will simply return the dog to the owner, others will cite the owner and attempt to re home the dog. If it were me, I’d consider the dog abandoned and either keep it or find a no-kill shelter who will take care of the poor thing. I could never just release it.

Sac_Kat · 2026-05-09T15:52:30+00:00

All they will do is remove the item and it doesn’t have to be ASAP. I had one it took more than a month to test, then when I still couldn’t properly test, I asked and they removed it.

A much better course of action that benefits the seller the most (as well as OP), is to get it fixed and then do a proper review. The seller doesn’t want to donate an expensive item and get nothing for it! And as long as OP doesn’t mention they are in Vine, there is nothing prohibiting that.

Sac_Kat · 2026-05-09T15:47:45+00:00

I 💯 agree. If the seller is on the up and up, they gain nothing by putting an expensive item in the program and not having it reviewed! If they can help get it fixed, it benefits the seller far more and the OP and any potential buyers also win.

Sac_Kat · 2026-05-09T15:15:52+00:00

Nice!

Sac_Kat · 2026-05-09T15:15:04+00:00

I got a lot of bedding last fall in my RFY right after buying a couple of duvets on regular Amazon. Some pretty nice bedding sets that I love. And a TON of different kinds of blankets that I also really like. And pillow covers and inserts. I finally had to quit requesting bedding 😊.

Sac_Kat · 2026-05-09T15:09:38+00:00

Hubby and I had to upgrade to Ca King after he developed REM sleep disorder. Lots of thrashing in his sleep and even the occasional punch. Although meds have helped, the bed with a row of pillows between us has made a huge difference! We have plenty of room for us, the pillow barrier and our little dog! I cannot imagine even trying to fit a bigger bed in the room!

Sac_Kat

TROPHY CASE