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Have my arms shrunk?

(109 Posts)
MissAdventure Thu 14-Mar-19 13:11:06

I'm having more and more difficulty reaching things!

Not just things which are far away, but my own feet, and (ahem!) other areas.

I think my arms have shrunk, and my middle has grown.

Have you noticed this happening to you?

Millie8 Sat 16-Mar-19 11:03:24

I love Gransnetters sense of humour in the face of adversity smile

Juliet27 Sat 16-Mar-19 06:49:45

MissAdventure
I shouldn’t have laughed at your neck problem but the wording did amuse me. I imagined you being owl-like in the past, managing to swivel almost 360 degrees. You had me checking how far back I could see. Wasn’t too bad but the crunching sounded awful!

absent Sat 16-Mar-19 05:36:24

Golly! Not me.

Cathy21 Fri 15-Mar-19 21:17:32

Some mornings have trouble fastening my bra and have to do it back to front then puck round. Also legs have shrunk a lot!!!!

MissAdventure Fri 15-Mar-19 20:51:53

My neck has lost its swivel.
It used to turn around quite well, but now I can't look behind me.

trendygran Fri 15-Mar-19 20:46:27

Just read that some others are having the same problem -sympathy!,Fastening the bra at the front and twisting it round is a pain! ?

trendygran Fri 15-Mar-19 20:41:52

Finding it more difficult to fasten my bra .,My hands won’t stretch far enough to catch the hooks .Why do they have to be so far from the edge of the strap?! Very frustrating.

Notthecatsmother Fri 15-Mar-19 19:33:22

As well as shorter arms I have lost my neck. Dunno where it went it is very strange.

annep1 Fri 15-Mar-19 19:29:12

Thanks Nanalex

GabriellaG54 Fri 15-Mar-19 19:11:26

A sponge on a stick, replaceable after each use, is not good as far as saving the planet is concerned but then, the US is not known for adhering to many, if any, concerns about recycling or emissions and the like.

DeeDum Fri 15-Mar-19 19:10:44

I've always been 5ft 4 ins I used the weight machine in Boots it said height 5ft 3ins ? Checked at home at yup! I'm shrinking.. wonderful I think not !!

GabriellaG54 Fri 15-Mar-19 19:03:00

Some of the comments are really funny. I just wish we had a cartoonist who could sketch some of the situations listed here. A book of them would be a best seller.

Happiyogi Fri 15-Mar-19 18:45:38

May I be Nanny for a moment and ask everyone tempted to reach high cupboards by standing on a chair to Just Not Do That.

Please buy something purpose built like the little folding single steps or the sturdy things like mini ladders. DIY places have them, as do Aldi and Lidl from time to time. You know it makes sense! wink

Coppernob Fri 15-Mar-19 18:39:23

When I was measured at the hospital last summer it came to light that I’m now 2.5 inches shorter than I used to be. I was so surprised that I told my gp about it when I next saw him. He sent me for an X-ray and a bone density scan but everything came back ok so I’ve just has to accept that old age is making me shrink. My arms don’t seem to have got any shorter though. They’ve always been on the long side so I hope I don’t end up looking too out of proportion and gorilla-like.

Armoria Fri 15-Mar-19 18:32:10

It's where the saying "get the wrong end of the stick" comes from

lindadoughty650 Fri 15-Mar-19 18:05:34

Thank goodness for this thread! I thought it was just me. The family think it is a huge joke when I have to ask for things to be reached for me. I am 5 ft, son is 6ft 1inch. DIL is 5ft 6inch, so everything is OK for them. In supermarkets I look out for the good looking young men to help me out if I need it. But sleeves have always been too long for me, even when I was a bit taller. I have two sisters with whom I share a taste in clothes except one has long arms and the other is like me, My short armed sister has a tendency to turn up cuffs and forgets to put them back when the garment is returned to long armed sister. Kerfuffle then ensues. I referee.

Daisyboots Fri 15-Mar-19 17:51:43

75 last week and still 5'10" I find many sweaters and cardigans are too short in the body but the sleeves come down to my knuckles. So my arms must be shrinkng but not my body.

Nanny27 Fri 15-Mar-19 17:19:55

I'm crying with laughter picturing all these contortions grans achieve due to shrinking arms and swelling middles. Brilliant!

Matthew1 Fri 15-Mar-19 17:17:43

Just the opposite problem I am afraid. Always had a problem with coat, cardigan etc sleeves too short. Most jumpers look if they should be three quarters. It's not getting any better ??

Greyduster Fri 15-Mar-19 17:06:53

I now absolutely know that my arms are getting shorter. I always buy crew neck sweaters from Edinburgh Woolen Mill and today I tried on my usual size, which was fine except that the sleeves came halfway down my hands!! I commented to the assistant that perhaps it was that one abberant sweater, so she sorted out all the others in that size and I tried them all on. They were all the same! Either they are making sweaters for gorillas or I am shrinking!

B9exchange Fri 15-Mar-19 17:03:43

I don't think my arms have got shorter, but my spine has, the discs compress and you are supposed to lose half an inch for every decade after 40. As I struggled to top 5', that is not good news. I hate having to ask people to reach me things off the top shelf of the supermarket, my kitchen cupboards were designed for someone about 8" taller, and I have to stand on a child's chair to get books out of the bookcase.

Why can't platform shoes come back into fashion? wink

annep1 Fri 15-Mar-19 16:46:37

Cut toenails when you are in the bath. They are softer then.
I have actually got to the stage where I look at the catalogues for aids for living and think they have some products that would be very handy.

Barmeyoldbat Fri 15-Mar-19 16:13:17

Since my knee replacement I find swimming difficult, but I do go now and again and just lie on my back kicking and see how fast I can go. Also do exercises in the water. I did start back at yoga and though I can still kneel if I use a cushion it only for a short time so I stopped going. Now I go to a class run by Age UK and its a mix of yoga, pilates and Tai Chi with no floor work. Suits me. Also cycle.

Nanny41 Fri 15-Mar-19 15:43:07

Sleeves are always too long on me, short arms I suppose so I hope they dont get any shorter.
As for toe nails, its getting more difficult I am quite supple, but my nails are getting thicker and harder to cut.I have thought about a chiropodist, but in this country it costs £60 a time, I dont know what it costs in the UK, but that is a bit steep I think,I will just have to cope a while longer.

Rosiebee Fri 15-Mar-19 15:39:45

I swim three times a week, 30 lengths of a 22.5 metre pool. A slow and stately breast stroke. A couple of months ago I decided to mix it up and threw in a few lengths of front crawl and back stroke. My right shoulder has never been the same since. I convinced myself that I had shrunk as I could no longer reach to the top shelf in the kitchen and had trouble closing the boot of the car, until I realized that I couldn't extend my right arm fully. Also struggling to fasten by bra. I'm presuming the unexpected overarm strokes when swimming have strained the shoulder muscles. I read somewhere about using Magnesium Oil to help the muscles relax, so have been massaging that in for a while and although it feels easier, after reading this post I'm now beginning to wonder if my arms really have shrunk.