Do you die or get deathly ill after you retire?

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Do you die or get deathly ill after you retire? (Page 1 of 3)

Posted: 11/27/2015 12:21:43 PM EDT

5 co workers retired in the last year:

One died less than a year in his sleep. Funeral tomorrow. Age 60

One is on dialysis for kidney failure less than a year after retiring. Age 59

One had a pacemaker put in and heart is at 40% function two months retired. Age 61

One had his foot amputated after infection six months after retirement. Age 56

One is having knee and hip replacements 1 month retired. Age 56

Also had 1 friend who died of a massive heart attack 3 weeks into retirement. Age 54

Another had a massive stroke and his left arm and leg is paralyzed. Can barely talk due to paralysis. Age 52.

Posted: 11/27/2015 12:24:37 PM EDT

[#1]

Yes. You have to live for something and stay busy. Work is that for a lot of people.

Posted: 11/27/2015 12:24:57 PM EDT

[#2]

Tell us where you work so nobody applies there.

Posted: 11/27/2015 12:25:25 PM EDT

[#3]

I retired 3 years ago at age 54. I'm in better health than when I was working. BP substantially down. Stress substantially down.

I'm so thankful I was able to retire when I still had my health!

Posted: 11/27/2015 12:25:30 PM EDT

[#4]

eat right
get plenty of sleep at night
exercise (especially walking distance daily)
get regular checkups (blood work)
drink one or two glasses of red wine with meals before bedtime (help you sleep)
avoid strong drink and drugs
keep bad stress to a minimum
listen to peaceful music
avoid violent entertainment
Most important keep an ongoing relationship with God
Fear Not

Posted: 11/27/2015 12:26:29 PM EDT

[#5]

Quote History

Quoted:
Yes. You have to live for something and stay busy. Work is that for a lot of people.

View Quote

True

Posted: 11/27/2015 12:26:35 PM EDT

[#6]

Don't retire from that place. Yikes.

Posted: 11/27/2015 12:28:12 PM EDT

[#7]

I would retire right now if I could afford it, and stay busy every day.

Posted: 11/27/2015 12:28:54 PM EDT

[#8]

maybe they decided to retire early because of health problems?

Posted: 11/27/2015 12:29:33 PM EDT

[#9]

Quote History

Quoted:
Tell us where you work so nobody applies there.

View Quote

...or don't retire in AZ

Posted: 11/27/2015 12:29:42 PM EDT

[#10]

Retirement has nothing to do with the cases you describe.

Those people all did a shitty job of maintaining their health.

Posted: 11/27/2015 12:30:04 PM EDT

[#11]

Quoted:
5 co workers retired in the last year:

One died less than a year in his sleep. Funeral tomorrow. Age 60

One is on dialysis for kidney failure less than a year after retiring. Age 59

One had a pacemaker put in and heart is at 40% function two months retired. Age 61

One had his foot amputated after infection six months after retirement. Age 56

One is having knee and hip replacements 1 month retired. Age 56

Also had 1 friend who died of a massive heart attack 3 weeks into retirement. Age 54

Another had a massive stroke and his left arm and leg is paralyzed. Can barely talk due to paralysis. Age 52.

View Quote

Damn, looks like a curse to me

Posted: 11/27/2015 12:31:33 PM EDT

[#12]

I retired with my health intact and have been phyiscally active.

Posted: 11/27/2015 12:32:17 PM EDT

[#13]

I won't say that retirement has nothing to do with it. I don't want to jinx myself

Posted: 11/27/2015 12:33:02 PM EDT

[#14]

A man I worked with attended his retirement dinner on a Friday evening, Saturday morning he had a heart attack and died. I was retired 4 years (64 now) before I had a heart attack.
2 weeks ago I went to a funeral of a coworker, the last 3 people that retired from where I did now have leukemia, all retired less than a year.

Posted: 11/27/2015 12:34:05 PM EDT

[#15]

My dad noticed the same thing about all of his dad's friends when he was younger. Since they all worked in plants he wondered if the removal from an environment that had a certain chemical make up might cause a withdrawal type illness. It was the same story, retire and be dead in a year,

So... What kind of work do you do?

Posted: 11/27/2015 12:36:09 PM EDT

[#16]

I keep thinking that I'll probably retire and then die within a year...

Posted: 11/27/2015 12:43:16 PM EDT

[#17]

Similar thing happened at a place I worked at except most did not retire and worked well into their 70s (80s in one guy's case). People would run home to their house at lunch time and die watching the twelve O' clock news. Thing is most didn't go to the doctor to begin with and they were simply that old.

Recently we had an employee retire and have quite the brush with death. Truth is, he was sick to begin with but going to work everyday gave him a routine and a lot of people covered up for his health failings including himself. When he ended up in the hospital everyone at work was saying "retiring almost killed him." No, the fact that his health was horrible to begin with and he didn't do anything about it and everyone "took care of him" by covering for him at work was the reason it suddenly came back to bite him.

But yes, I do agree that most people need to stay busy and active and sitting around watching the Price is Right and sleeping is probably more of the issue than anything else.

Posted: 11/27/2015 12:44:40 PM EDT

[#18]

My wife and I have been retired for over 10 years and are enjoying life. We stay busy everyday and are active. I have a couple of hobbies and friends that I do things with. Stay busy with the family (Grand kids).

Sometimes life throws you a curve though. Most of the retired people I know are pretty healthy and if something does come up, they get it diagnosed and treated. One friend of mine has pancreatic cancer. Some have prostate cancer, and a few are on meds for blood pressure. Overall, getting older brings you closer to death.

I know a few that died at the switch and didn't get to enjoy retirement.

Retire the earliest you can and enjoy life.

Posted: 11/27/2015 12:45:08 PM EDT

[#19]

Quote History

Quoted:
I keep thinking that I'll probably retire and then die within a year...

View Quote

Why do you think that?

Posted: 11/27/2015 12:45:43 PM EDT

[#20]

5+ years retired here....No problems.

Posted: 11/27/2015 12:48:24 PM EDT

[#21]

Retired 4/2013. Doing fine, my 4yr old keeps me young.

Posted: 11/27/2015 12:48:28 PM EDT

[#22]

I retired in 1992.

It gets better every day.

If you have no life besides your job, watching TV, and drinking, you probably will fulfill the prophecy.

If you have some interests, and stay as active as possible, and haven't let your health go to hell, you should really enjoy it.

Posted: 11/27/2015 12:52:27 PM EDT

[#23]

Quoted:
5 co workers retired in the last year:

One died less than a year in his sleep. Funeral tomorrow. Age 60

One is on dialysis for kidney failure less than a year after retiring. Age 59

One had a pacemaker put in and heart is at 40% function two months retired. Age 61

One had his foot amputated after infection six months after retirement. Age 56

One is having knee and hip replacements 1 month retired. Age 56

Also had 1 friend who died of a massive heart attack 3 weeks into retirement. Age 54

Another had a massive stroke and his left arm and leg is paralyzed. Can barely talk due to paralysis. Age 52.

View Quote

At least one of those sounds like bad genetics or luck. Most of them, however, have a high likelihood of being prevented if you're monitoring your health. My guess is that exercise, watching their weight, and monitoring blood pressure would have prevented most of those.

Now I may be wrong, maybe you work with some really unlucky people. But kicking off almost 20 years before average USA lifespan should definitely not be the expected norm.

It's becoming more popular for middle-aged and older people to exercise these days, but a lot of the people who are in their 60s now still grew up in the era where exercising, riding bikes, etc. was NOT something that adults did, and they've spent their entire adult lives going from work to home to the couch.

Posted: 11/27/2015 12:52:33 PM EDT

[#24]

Quote History

Quoted:
Tell us where you work so nobody applies there.

View Quote

Ha-Ha!! THIS!!

Seriously, though.... It sounds as if these guys had some serious, untreated or ill-treated health issues - more than anything.

Posted: 11/27/2015 12:59:24 PM EDT

[#25]

19 years so far. However the avg was 5years from the .mil for a while. Not sure what it is now. Some say the stress of the job then nothing to do was the main culprit. Plus as most have said, many retiring from the military were not taking care of themselves. Heavy drinking and smoking for many. Plus when military retire no one is making them keep the weight off. I know I gained 25pounds pretty fast. So keep healthy and you could buck the trend like I have.

Posted: 11/27/2015 1:01:17 PM EDT

[#26]

Quote History

Quoted:

eat right

get plenty of sleep at night

exercise (especially walking distance daily)

get regular checkups (blood work)

drink one or two glasses of red wine with meals before bedtime (help you sleep)

avoid strong drink and drugs

keep bad stress to a minimum

listen to peaceful music

avoid violent entertainment

Most important keep an ongoing relationship with God

Fear Not

View Quote

Smartest advice I've seen posted on this forum in a long, long time.
Thank you.

Posted: 11/27/2015 1:02:54 PM EDT

[#27]

My dad is 70. He retired 2 years ago from LEO most of his life. He just had a defibrillator put in this week.

I own my company. 12 years in. Ill be 42. I do not plan on retiring if the company makes it....I'll work until I need to be put in diapers and a feeding tube... Planning on handing it over to my daughters at some point.

Posted: 11/27/2015 1:09:38 PM EDT

[#28]

Ehh, one dude in a different department just retired about 2 months ago, he died in a house fire earlier this month.

Posted: 11/27/2015 1:10:20 PM EDT

[#29]

Quote History

Quoted:
eat right
get plenty of sleep at night
exercise (especially walking distance daily)
get regular checkups (blood work)
drink one or two glasses of red wine with meals before bedtime (help you sleep)
avoid strong drink and drugs
keep bad stress to a minimum
listen to peaceful music
avoid violent entertainment
Most important keep an ongoing relationship with God
Fear Not

View Quote

Sounds reasonable.

Posted: 11/27/2015 1:11:17 PM EDT

[#30]

this is why my father is still working at 70.
i have no desire to ever retire.

Posted: 11/27/2015 1:13:33 PM EDT

[#31]

Quoted:
5 co workers retired in the last year:

One died less than a year in his sleep. Funeral tomorrow. Age 60

One is on dialysis for kidney failure less than a year after retiring. Age 59

One had a pacemaker put in and heart is at 40% function two months retired. Age 61

One had his foot amputated after infection six months after retirement. Age 56

One is having knee and hip replacements 1 month retired. Age 56

Also had 1 friend who died of a massive heart attack 3 weeks into retirement. Age 54

Another had a massive stroke and his left arm and leg is paralyzed. Can barely talk due to paralysis. Age 52.

View Quote

What was the physical condition of these people before they retired?

Posted: 11/27/2015 1:14:50 PM EDT

[#32]

My father(76 years old) retired from teaching at a big university here in Nashville, and has never once looked back. His spinal stenosis has slowed him down lately, but both my parents are constantly on the move. Seeing live music or theater, traveling, trying to learn the piano, the old man has no regrets about retiring early 13 or 14 years ago.

Posted: 11/27/2015 1:15:00 PM EDT

[#33]

retirement? I will die with my boots on for sure...

Posted: 11/27/2015 1:15:53 PM EDT

[#34]

HR is probably bumping them off to cut down on pension expenses and keep the rest of you working harder.

Posted: 11/27/2015 1:18:13 PM EDT

[#35]

Retired 16 years ago,and doing fine thank you.

Posted: 11/27/2015 1:19:10 PM EDT

[#36]

I'm

Quote History

Quoted:

What was the physical condition of these people before they retired?

View Quote View All Quotes

View All Quotes

Quote History

Quoted:

Quoted:
5 co workers retired in the last year:

One died less than a year in his sleep. Funeral tomorrow. Age 60

One is on dialysis for kidney failure less than a year after retiring. Age 59

One had a pacemaker put in and heart is at 40% function two months retired. Age 61

One had his foot amputated after infection six months after retirement. Age 56

One is having knee and hip replacements 1 month retired. Age 56

Also had 1 friend who died of a massive heart attack 3 weeks into retirement. Age 54

Another had a massive stroke and his left arm and leg is paralyzed. Can barely talk due to paralysis. Age 52.

What was the physical condition of these people before they retired?

They all retired with 1000 to 1500 hrs sick time on the books. That's unused sick time.

Posted: 11/27/2015 1:20:27 PM EDT

[#37]

I have worked in petro-chemical refiners for 35 yrs. Thankfully most was as an in and out contractor. Until the early 1990's is was VERY COMMON to have leaks of all types that were accepted as "normal". The people who worked there doing12 hour shifts were saturated with the chemicals of their section. The human body is a sponge. It absorbs chemicals....especially if you breath it. Most of the full time workers in these situations died of cancers, leukemia, and other diseases not associated with chemical free living.
Anytime someone complained about the noticable fumes, the immediate response was,"it's a refinery, what did you expect". It was only when the feds got tuff about fugitive emissions that the companies started cleaning up.
Now, it is rare to smell or see any uncontrolled chemical contamination.
Most who were able to retire, died within 3 years........cancers, liver/kidney failures, other slow deaths that probably were chemical exposure related.

Posted: 11/27/2015 1:20:57 PM EDT

[#38]

Not a concern for me since I don't foresee ever being able to retire, I'll die on the job instead at home.

But, I've heard of this many times and lots of people have said/observed the same thing. I used to work at a hospital that had a lot of seniors who volunteered there. Not only was a socialization thing for them, but it kept them quite active.

Posted: 11/27/2015 1:23:00 PM EDT

[#39]

Many of the Union IronWorkers that I worked with that retired early died within two years of retiring.

One guy retired and then he came back to work as a detailer for an Iron company. I asked why he came back to work and he said there was only so much fishing you can do. He lasted about a year before he retired again and then was dead within six months

Posted: 11/27/2015 1:24:56 PM EDT

[#40]

Retirement is what you make of it.

Posted: 11/27/2015 1:25:48 PM EDT

[#41]

Exercise
Diet

Go places and do things

Stay active, have some freakin' fun.

Posted: 11/27/2015 1:28:00 PM EDT

[#42]

Quote History

Quoted:
retirement? I will die with my boots on for sure...

View Quote

I will work till lunch on the day of my funeral.

Posted: 11/27/2015 1:30:03 PM EDT

[#43]

You are... what you do for a living.

If you retire and do nothing.... then that is what you become.

Posted: 11/27/2015 1:30:29 PM EDT

[#44]

Yes you get old, retire, and die.

Posted: 11/27/2015 1:41:51 PM EDT

[#45]

Retired too early. I got out at 62 from iron working due to FBHOs economy. Then took a job driving. Work till you die.

Posted: 11/27/2015 1:43:43 PM EDT

[#46]

My father always said his friends who just sat around watching TV after retiring died quickly. You have to keep moving, even if it's not at work anymore.