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In the Good Olde Tymes


jenny_islander

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I wouldn't have survived birth I was breech and had my cord pretty tight around my neck. Even if I had survived birth I was really susceptible to strep and had more time than I can count. I also had things like my tonsils and adenoids out and tubes in my ears so if I had lived back in the day I would probably be pretty miserable with constant sore throats and ear infections.

I also have no desire to live with out modern plumbing. You can take my electricity away but not my flush toilet and hot running water.

My my was born deaf in 1948 and didn't receive the best treatment so I'm not sure how she would have done in Ye olden times. My dad had an ear infection in the 50's bad enough to destroy is hearing so I'm not sure he would have lived with out antibiotics.

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I suspect I would not have been concived at all since my father would have died age 9 with his ruptured appendix and my mother would probably have been left lifelong in the care of the religious run childrens home she spent her first few months in (my grandmother had purperal fever and apparently even with the new abx and transfusions just postwar, still had the last rites performed 3x before she recovered) who knows what her life would have been like.

One of the most sobering things I have ever been shown was the old archives of a hospital where there was the recording book for deaths in the maternity hospital in the 1900s to 1910s - pages and pages of names of youngish women with causes of death such as mitral stenosis (probably from rheumatic fever complications)and untreated congenital lesions, puerpural infections, and of course haemmorhages (pre blood transfusion). Not to mention all the infant deaths. And this (avid googlers can find out the hospital from this information) was in a city that was at the cutting edge, so to speak of obstetrics, where the first ceasarian sections(with successful survivors) had been performed only 10 yrs earlier (on 'rachitic dwarves', no less)

Heres a picture of them. They look pretty modest, I think teh fundies would approve. Apparently the photo was taken at a wedding

http://www.theglasgowstory.com/image.php?inum=TGSG00029

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I never would have been born because my dad would not have made it through childhood. He had so many blood transfusions as a child that he can't give blood. They had to take out his spleen when he was around 5.

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At six months of age, I contracted RSV and a massive case of pnuemonia which put me in the hospital for a week. In Victorian times, I would have died. Even with modern medicine it weakened me and I spent my entire childhood battling strep infections, life threatening allergies, and UTIs. Assuming I made it through that first illness without medical care, I would have died in childhood.

As pretty as the pictures on the sidebar are, I cannot figure out why she likes Gieshas so much. I counted at least 4 definite giesha in her picture collection. Also, she's easily fooled by black and white or sepia washes as those pictures span probably a 200 year timeline including some VERy modern pictures that were merely balck and white.

She's from the south it appears. I guess she has NO concept of how unlikely it is she would have been part of the very small AA upper class, especially since that group only existed in Urban areas and their heyday wasn't the 1800s in the first place. She would have been a dirt poor, sharecroppers daughter if we're talking about after slavery.

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My grandmothers didn't not live in the Good old Tymes, but they might as well have. They came of age in China during WWII. My maternal grandmother lost three kids due to a lack of proper medical care. Two died in infancy, one in childhood. My other grandmother survived a famine that killed 30 million and lost one child. However, her predecessor, my grandfather's first wife, died while trying to deliver twins. The twins died too.

Both my grandmothers lived in a patriarchal society as idealized by fundies here. And it was not all tea and crumpets. My paternal grandmother was completely illiterate. She was dependent on her husband and children for any outside transactions. She would be cheated out of her money later in life, and even today, is at the mercy of others to care for her since she cannot even count past 100.

My maternal grandfather had a hard time finding a job, so my grandmother was forced to be a common labourer to feed the family. She loaded and unloaded heavy packages up a dangerous runway while also carrying an infant on her back. It was dangerous work with low pay.

Yes, this is what happens when society fails to value women. When money is scarce and boys are the only ones allowed to work, then they are the only ones allowed to go to school. Women become life long children and may still be forced to earn income. Ain't patriarchy grand?

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I would have died from a persistent infection by 2 weeks of age had we lived in the good old days. My sister might not have even made it that far, given the umbilical cord was double wrapped around her neck.

That is provided I was even born, my mom had some issues between my older sister and I that were fixed via surgery and would likely have killed her with out that.

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AD, shut the FUCK UP!! (sorry I am so sick of her I am about ready to leave this forum, unless someone sends me a nice Lemon Coconut cake or cupcakes)!!

It's called the foe button, use it and shut up yourself.

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I would be completely disabled...in a wheelchair unable to do anything for myself because I have severe Rheumatoid Arthritis. I had a total knee replacement this past summer because my knee was so destroyed. I am functional today because of the drugs that I take to keep this disease in check and the miracles of modern surgery.

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I would probably still be alive. As far as I know, my mom had a generally complication-free pregnancy and birth and I've been lucky enough not to have any major medical problems in my life so far. Although poor nutrition, factory polluted air, etc. led to weaker immune systems and made it more likely that a normal cold or flu (of which I've had plenty) could turn in to something deadly.

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I would have been a tiny little mention in someone's family tree, most likely called "infant girl, lived one week". I couldnt keep any food down as a newborn (I forget the condition's name) & it took quite a few ER trips for them to figure out what was wrong. If I happened to make it thru that, tonsillitis would have taken me at about a year & a half. Thank goodness for modern medicine!

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I've always been pretty sturdy and would probably have lived to adulthood. However, my mum had to have heart surgery as a 4 year old, so that wouldn't have happened back then, which would have prevented me from being born.

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I probably would not have made it past the age of 7 because of severe, recurring bouts of tonsilitis. I remember the inability to breathe and the high fevers with the frightening hallucinations vividly. If it hadn't been for antibiotics, I probably would have died. And if that didn't kill me, then the early bout of chicken pox with a high fever may hve done that.

If I had survived to adulthood, then my son probably would have died of dehydration before he was two weeks old. I was trying to breastfeed him exclusively and I wasn't producing enough milk. He kept wailing and I kept giving him the breast. When I saw how dry his mouth was, I realized we had to get him to the hospital ASAP. If we had lived in Ye Good Olde Tymes, we would have lost him to something so simple and curable.

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I probably wouldn't have been conceived. In a perfect, olden days, patriarchal world, my 19 year old mom would not have gotten pregnant a second time by her 28 year old married boyfriend. She'd have been home cooking and cleaning for her headship, her alcoholic, abusive father instead of playing house (sometimes, when he was around) in a tiny apartment the married man and the first kid they had together.

Had all those social sins been miraculously overcome to get to the coupling that resulted in me, I was a child plagued by strep throat. Poof. First one was at about 6, I think. Other than that, I was surprisingly healthy as a kid. So, if I made it through all that, the rupture of my appendix at 33 would have killed me for sure, since even with modern medicine it came damn close to doing just that.

I would have been an orphan in the good ol days at the age of 8, or sooner. My mom had some pretty serious 'girl problems' and had an emergency hysterectomy that landed her in ICU and close to death for days and days. I think her total stay for that life saving event was about a month total. Not to mention the years of troubles and treatments before that.

If the fundies want the good ol days, they can have them. True survival of the fittest, I guess. Those who use the means available to them survive. Those who don't, well, they don't survive. Too bad, so sad.

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At thirteen I had scoliosis so severe that I was slowly being crushed to death. It moved so fast from first being found in Sept that when I had my surgery in Dec that I had a 70 degree curve and a 80 degree curve of my spine. I would have been dead by May if not for the surgery.

OMG, ladypuglover!!!! My scoliosis was discovered and monitored from the time I was 5. I had surgery at 14 when my curve reached 45 degrees - and that was after wearing a back brace for 4 years. I can't even imagine what you went through!!!! Did you have CD rods or Harrington? You'll understand this: at the hairdresser's she kept telling me to sit straight. I kept sitting straighter and straighter and she kept griping. Until I figured out she was trying to use my shoulders to check the evenness of my hair on each side. I had to tell her I'm lopsided due to scoliosis and my shoulders are not even and that she has to use my chin instead. First time that's ever happened to me. :)

I would not have lived long enough to have scoliosis. I'd have died at birth. I had a right sided diaphragmatic hernia at birth and was only given 25% chance of survival in '73.

Even if somehow I survived that I'd have probably died from strep throat or scarlet fever or the resulting bacterial endocarditis I'd have had gotten since I also have mitral valve prolapse and...

Hell, let's just say no matter what I'd be dead.

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I had chronic bronchitis and strep throat frequently, because I am so sensitive to second-hand smoke. I know fundies like to think that the olden days were just fresh country air, but in reality I would have been in a dirty polluted factory town. So I'm gonna say that I'd make it to 5 or 6 if I were really lucky. If I somehow managed to survive to adulthood, I'd continue working in a factory, probably the same one I would have worked in throughout childhood.

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I wouldn't even have been conceived. There weren't any lesbians conceiving children via donor insemination back in the "good old days."

If I had been conceived, I most likely wouldn't have survived birth, as an emergency c-section was needed to deliver me.

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My mother would have died giving birth to me, in the good olde tymes, even in 1969 she camethisclose. I probably would have, either due to indection, fetal stress or oxygen loss. If I survived being born, I was constantly ill growing up with strep throat, the flu and bronchitis and probably would have died during early childhood.

Not to be gross, but I can't even imagine the awfulness of having your period back in the day. My mom has told me stories about pads and the belt you had to wear in the 50's and 60's. No thank you! I imagine that was better than what they had a hundred or so years ago

Worse than that...doing laundry in the good olde tymes. Hell to the NO! I love you 2012!

ETA I just remembered my mom had scarletina (???) as a child. Not scarlet fever, but similiar to it, I think. Nurse Nell I need you!! She has a heart murmur still. She probably wouldn't have survived that way back when.

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Guest Anonymous
I would have died of peritonitis when my appendix burst at age 12. Few survived that in the bad ole days. My opinion is that these are the good old days. God bless technology!!

Even now, it's a danger. My appendix burst 6 weeks ago and it took 5 days in hospital to stabilize me.

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I have a bad medical condition which is kept in remission with powerful drugs. A hundred years ago I would have either died or suffered horribly. As it is today - I live a normal life. Even if by some miracle my disease went into spontaneous remission the colour of my skin and being a female would have relegated me to two career options: menial work, wife. I would not have had the financial/educational wherewithal to wait for my husband (who I married when I was 30) but instead would have had my husband selected for me. Today I get to say what I want - but 100 years ago I would have no choice but to keep sweet if I wanted to survive. Live in the "good old days" - no freaking way.

RE: the bolded bit: me, too. I've never been in completely remission since I almost died the first time it flared up, and I most certainly would have bled to death internally in the Fantasmatastic Days of Yore. Hell, I've almost died multiple times in the hospital in these Horrible Sinful Modern Days of Satan.

My younger sister's appendix burst a few years ago, and she wouldn't have survived that were it not for evil surgery and antibiotics, and she still had to be in the hospital for a week because the infection wouldn't go away.

I have no desire to live in a time in which Quited Northern did not exist.

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OMG, ladypuglover!!!! My scoliosis was discovered and monitored from the time I was 5. I had surgery at 14 when my curve reached 45 degrees - and that was after wearing a back brace for 4 years. I can't even imagine what you went through!!!! Did you have CD rods or Harrington? You'll understand this: at the hairdresser's she kept telling me to sit straight. I kept sitting straighter and straighter and she kept griping. Until I figured out she was trying to use my shoulders to check the evenness of my hair on each side. I had to tell her I'm lopsided due to scoliosis and my shoulders are not even and that she has to use my chin instead. First time that's ever happened to me. :)

I would not have lived long enough to have scoliosis. I'd have died at birth. I had a right sided diaphragmatic hernia at birth and was only given 25% chance of survival in '73.

Even if somehow I survived that I'd have probably died from strep throat or scarlet fever or the resulting bacterial endocarditis I'd have had gotten since I also have mitral valve prolapse and...

Hell, let's just say no matter what I'd be dead.

I have a full length Harrington rod and so far so good. I was 13 at the time of surgery and I'm now 41.

I didn't know scoliosis appeared so young in girls. Mine was discovered at the fall health screening by just a slight deviation. The school took another look and had my mother come in to see what they were seeing and I already had deviated from the week before. It was like someone had thrown Fast Acting Scoliosis Growth on my spine. The doctors were really worried that they wouldn't be able to get me into surgery fast enough as I was already to far gone for either type of brace or tends. I did have to stay in a body cast for a few months and to this day have one side of my ribs curve out funny but you really can't notice it until I point it out. In a bathing suit everyone sees the full length zipper down my spine, not the bowed out ribs. ;)

I have had a very full active life because of that surgery and I am over the top thankfull you are healthy too. :D

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Oddly in my family history ( and in my husbands ) - people seem to be living LESS long with each generation. I don't know why on earth that is, but I don't like it at all.

We were talking about this recently .. not sure what the factors are - maybe because of more pollution/toxins/etc ??

I know it's unusual.

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The women in my family are a long-lived bunch; there are stories on both sides of great-great-grandmothers who made it well into their 90s, and several into their 100s, during the 19th century. So I've got that going for me.

However, I'd spend that long life hobbling around on partially-clubbed feet, which were (mostly) corrected with surgery when I was an infant.

My older brother, the Rubella baby, was born mostly deaf, with severe vision problems, and with a heart defect that required corrective surgery when he was six months old. He would have died before he was a year old without it. Even had he lived, he also wouldn't have had access to even the extremely limited resources available in the '60s and '70s to help kids with developmental disabilities (and he received the best help and education available at that time). When he was born, doctors suggested that my parents spare themselves the difficulties and heartbreak of raising him, and put him in an institution instead. They refused. Today, he's fully employed, lives on his own, and only rarely needs assistance. Between digital hearing aids, text messaging, and the Internet, his ability to communicate with other people has become so much easier in the last decade, it's transformed his life. I can't imagine what his life would have been like 100 years ago, and even when he was born 50 years ago he was damned lucky to get the kind of help he did.

And while I'm not close to my dad, I'm very glad he didn't die when a kidney stone caused a blocked ureter.

Oh, and among the long-lived women in my familythat I mentioned? I have a 97-year-old grandmother who got to be 97 because she's been in remission from bone cancer for eight years now. Chemo was hard on her, but she's still feisty as ever and got to see her first great-grandchild born last year.

So yeah, I'm perfectly happy to live right here, right now.

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