LRSep 20, 2025
oh no. 7:08. and in my head i'm already programming. but i'll have to stay in bed for 2-3 more hours. this is no way to live.
Show threadLR

anyway. i've been going through all physical signs of aging as i have experienced them up until my mid 40s. here goes:

23: metabolism slows down. food goes straight to the hips.
35: need to take off my shortsighted glasses to read labels. too straining.
38: water pressure diminishes. bladder never seems to empty entirely.
40: "horny" hormone slowing down. fewer wanks. sildenafil is time travel.
43: drafts and other temp differentials now lead to muscle aches. a need for slippers arises.

Sep 20, 2025 at 5:28amWeb
Show threadLRSep 20, 2025

forgot this:
38: brown hue in hair leaves first. hair is blacker.
45: silver has broken through everywhere on my head.

my feeling is that the nervous system grows less tolerant to disturbances and "achier" overall - things don't hurt more, the nerves become more sensitive instead.

some of these experiences may be uniquely male or specifically me. i have no base of comparison.

we might think these changes tragic but i now think they're magic. i'm transforming, and change is always interesting.

Show threadLRSep 20, 2025
oh i forgot another thing: first time shingles in my late 30s. get prepared for a rainbow of pain. these fuckers live in our spines all our lives. haven't come back out yet but from what i know from my family, they will.
Show threadJanne MorenSep 20, 2025

@lritter
Get the shingrix vaccine.

Not just for shingles itself - though if you're unlucky the nerve damage from the infection can become permanent - but also because the vaccine seems to cut the risk of dementia by about 20%. It may also reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, though I don't think that's been conclusively proven yet.

Show threadLRSep 20, 2025
@jannem €200+
Show threadJanne MorenSep 20, 2025

@lritter
Yep. And right now most people have to pay by themselves (Japan gives a discount to 65+ people). And you need to retake it about every ten years.

But with the effect on dementia, many countries are currently reassessing the vaccine and may make it free or subsidized in the future.

Show threadAllLogarithmsSep 20, 2025
@lritter as someone in his late twenties, I feel a bit concerned by this... most of them sound tolerable, but the bladder one is freaking me out. Isn't that painful and distracting? I hope you're okay.
Show threadLRSep 20, 2025

@chozorho not painful, just mildly annoying because you have to use your muscles more to push it out. there is no feeling of residual fullness. you just always wonder if that was all. give it a good shake and such. occasionally you'll get one of them good old strong streams for no explicable reason and you'll be unreasonably glad.

oh also, your prostate *grows forever*. nobody told me this. but apparently this is not directly prostate growth related, i hear women experience this too.