Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?

IllinoisLady

What a nice day so far though it is cloudy. It is warm as milquetoast outside and likely will bestow some rain on us later. I have enough to do that I won't focus on that much. I start out with my usual of feeding my feral friends but after that will go over to the Dr.'s house and get some instructions on this coming week. I will roughly spend the nights ( and a bit of other time ) with and for the little dogs there so they won't have to go to a kennel. It is always a pleasure for me. I am so fortunate that they only live about three miles from me -- so I can get home for morning coffee --- and spend fair amts. of time here accomplishing things in between seeing that the doggies get out in the play yard and have a bit of human company and direction.

It is a pretty big house and lots of troubles to get into without some encouragement to play only with their own toys and each other. Now there is only one unretired person there so most of the time they do have human company and I hope that has helped the youngest member of the pack learn to stay away from power cords. I think there are so many puppies who go through the stage of finding power cords to chew and the new little gal has made an attempt or two I think. I'll be anxious to see her size. Everyone thinks she may be smaller than most Yorkies, so we will see today. I think last time I was there ( three wks. or so ago and my face is red over this ) she was only two pounds and was a bit over three months old I think so hopefully a bit bigger. At that time she still couldn't go out alone as there are big owls and some hawks that might have been able to get to her.

I hope you are all going to have a good day and not too cold for anyone.

Anneb1149

Mornin all,

Wow, so much to catch up on.

Judy, you can get wood looking tiles in all colors and sizes. Because we live in So. Florida, we wanted to keep it fairly light. And they were not expensive at all. Ours were just $2.19 per tile. To do the entire house except for the master bedroom, kitchen and both bathrooms cost us about $5000. Labor was more costly. All the flooring stores around here have many choices.

I started sewing about a year before my first child was born. I was pretty good at it. I made pantsuits for myself, T shirts, etc. I sewed all my DD's clothes from the time she was a baby till we became foster parents. I used to make my girls outfits with matching ones for their baby dolls. I started making a dress fo my now middle daughter for her first day of school. I had gotten to the point that all that was needed was the hem. Five years later, it still needed a hem. Haven't sewn since then. Still have the machine- my daughter uses it as a table in her room.

Carole, I can only imagine how sad it must be to see your Mom failing little by little. Both of my parents died suddenly, one from a stroke,one from a heart attack, within less than three years. I remember feeling very unsettled- one day they were there,next day they weren't. I was hit harder by my dad's passing because I was very definitely Daddy's little girl. My Dad usd to sing to my sister and I. Her song was "My Little Margie" and mine was always "Daddy's little Girl" I love that song so much, I have adapted the words to sing "Grandma's Little Girl (or Boy) for my grandchildren.

Last time we ate at a buffet restaurant was at Golden Corral. We were seated close to the dessert area, and my son watched a kid licking the spigot the ice cream was dispensed thru. Yuck!! Haven't been near a public buffet since - and that was at least ten years ago.

Jean- so sorry to hear of your fall. I have had some pretty bad falls in the last few years. When I get a little off balAnce, I can't regain my balance and down I go. I fell about two years ago and hit just above my ankle on a door frame- I can still see the black and blue mark.

Here in Fl there are no hills- none. And 95% of our streets run north-south, east-west. It is very boring. It makes driving in or out of the state seem even longer than it really is. The highways are as straight as can be. But, growing up in NYC, we had lots of hills, which I honestly never noticed. What was really funny is when our kids would complain about having to walk to school (one of the reasons I chose this house was that the elementary, middle and high school were all within walking distance), my husband and I honestly shot back to them, saying we not only walked further than they ever had, we had to walk up and down hills both ways no matter what the weather was.

Ducky, I'm not sure if cell phones can cause cancer. But because I am not sure, I don't carry my cell phone close to my skin. Why tempt fate? It's the same reason I stopped using talcum powder after a shower, or using a deodorant, not an anti-persperant. None of those choices are necessarily clear, but if I can give myself the slightest edge ofnot going thru cancer again, I am going to make those changes.

Anne

IllinoisLady

Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.

- Desmond Tutu -

Wren44

Woke to a blue sky with white clouds, NOT scudding along with a high wind. Looks like a beautiful day. Leaves need attacking.

carolehalston

The cleaning woman was busy today and she looked just like me. Good reason, since she and I are the same person! I keep thinking I should hire a cleaning woman but somehow I don't do it. I wish just the right person would appear at my house.

We're back in the 80's with the a/c going 24 hrs. a day. I bought some pretty long-sleeved blouses to wear with jeans. Wasn't that optimistic of me? The stores should sell shorts and tee shirts year round here.

Bonnets, what a shame to get all relaxed with a massage and then fall. Bummer.

Happy Monday.

bonnets

Yup, discovered a Big bruise on my non BC boob, from the table I fell into!

VelvetPoppy

Isn't it amazing! My cleaning woman looks just like me, too.

I had a service when I was working, but let them go four months after I retired. I couldn't see the expense when I am capable of doing it myself. I think I do a more thorough job than the service did because they had other houses to do beside mine and I can take as long as I need to get it done. I had wanted a private person, but H was concerned about bonding and accidents. I still use the service for heavy cleaning twice a year. They come in and move all of the furniture and get into those hard to reach places, and if I ever get to where I can't do it myself on a weekly basis, I will bring them back.

We are hot here, too. Upper 80s and humid. I switched out my summer wardrobe for the winter one last week and am having to go into that closet for cooler clothes. I have lived here for more than 35 years and only remember one other fall/winter like this. It was the first year we were married. Thanksgiving was so warm, we ate at tables in the backyard and made ice cream in my in-laws garage that Christmas.

I agree about the stores. It makes no sense to me to have seasonal items in a place where there are no real seasons other than Spring and Summer. I remember wanting to buy lawn chairs for a Christmas gift and being told they were not available until March because they were a seasonal item. We can sit outside most of the year.

IllinoisLady

Appreciation is the highest form of prayer,
for it acknowledges the presence of good
wherever you shine the light of your thankful thoughts.
- Alan Cohen

IllinoisLady

Ah -- I know my cleaning lady very well too. If I were around I'd do your house Carole. I was a 'private' cleaner for yrs. in Santa Barbara, Ca. Had some neat clients overall. None were difficult to work for and I mainly enjoyed it all. Some day I'd love to have a service, but have done my own so long I don't think I could have someone w/o my going through first and cleaning so they wouldn't think/know I was something of a slob.

As to the clothing -- we are okay here though my gripe is that they bring things out a bit quickly ( likely for those buying for their children in school ) and though I don't buy much in stores --- if it isn't close to the season I'm not even interested in looking. I get most of my things at thrift/second chance/consignment/or Goodwill type stores. Mainly as I have no sense of style anyway --- so better to pay a little for my "mistakes" then quite a lot. I have no make-up sense either --- hmmm, somehow I was by-passed for all of that, but I don't think it has made a huge difference ( how would I really know ) in my life. The important thing is that I'm happy over-all and don't miss 'what' I didn't get from the get-go.

carolehalston

Good afternoon. Or good midday to all. I'm about to depart and drive the 20 miles to Hammond to Belle Maison Nursing Home where my mother lives. At 1:15 we'll go to the main dining room where bingo takes place at 2 pm. My mother always wants to go early and get parked in her spot. As soon as the cart comes out with the cards, I have to get a stack of the cards for her to look through and make her choices. Each resident can play two cards.

We're supposed to get some cool weather on Thursday. Looking forward to it.

Jackie, there are great buys at our Good Will store right across from the entrance to a country club. I should go there more often but it takes great patience, which I lack. I don't even put much time into sales racks where the merchandise is jammed together. The marketing plan now (my opinion) is to overprice new merchandise and put it out with a 25 per cent off or 30 per cent off sign stuck on the rack. I usually buy from those racks but will pay full price if the article is something I really, really like.

Recently I bought five articles of clothing, a pair of jeans and four long-sleeved blouses that were each priced at $40. But by the time the different sale prices and reductions were applied, I paid $105 for all five. There was a big so-called charity sale that weekend where you donated $5 to charity and got extra percentages deducted from all prices. I don't see how the store, Belk's, can make money at those prices. The jeans are gray and when I got home, I found another pair very similar to them hanging in my closet! I guess I bought them on sale another time. Let's hope I can wear one of them on Thursday when our cool front gets here.

Happy Tuesday.

Puffin2014

I managed to drink my gallon of golytely without puking and had my colonoscopy this morning - no polyps, good for another 10 years. Yeah!

ChiSandy

Yay, Puffin!

Carole, is Hammond, LA the same town as in the Roches' "Hammond Song?" ("If you go down to Hammond, you'll never come back," based on the sisters' parents warning them not to leave NJ and move down to Hammond to work on their music. Good thing they didn't listen to Mom & Dad).

IllinoisLady

How often are you worrying about the present moment? The present moment is usually all right. If you're worrying, you're either agonizing over the past which you should have forgotten long ago, or else you're apprehensive over the future which hasn't even come yet. We tend to skip over the present moment which is the only moment God gives any of us to live. -Peace Pilgrim

carolehalston

Sandy, I don't know if that Hammond is the same as the town I mentioned. Hammond is an "ordinary" town where Southeastern Louisiana University (actually a college) is located. It has a street of old-fashioned buildings which once was the downtown shopping. Also a few handsome old homes but not much to recommend it to out-of-town visitors.

Nearby Ponchatoula is more charming. The old-fashioned downtown has been turned into antique shops and is a place where visitors can spend a few hours browsing.

I seldom eat doughnuts and they all look enticing to me, even those in large gas stations!

I have a 10 am appointment to have my hair cut. I decided to skip the gym and have a leisurely morning. This afternoon is bingo at the nursing home. I may have mentioned that my mother now has to be transferred with a lift. The process is causing her a lot of soreness in her midrift area.

Today is supposed to be cool, in the 60's.

Happy Thursday.

IllinoisLady

We all have to go through the tumbler a few times before we can emerge as a crystal. Elisabeth Kuebler-Ross

IllinoisLady

Carole, I'm truly sorry to hear about your mom. Since I spent several months with my little Sally at the nursing home here I became familiar with that lift. It always hurt her. It helps the aids with transfers ( sometimes a bit more safely ) but there is a huge ( seemed to me ) lack of support of the spine while it is going on. Some of the aids would bring the lift in -- shut the door -- and then lift Sally up under her arms which didn't affect her nearly as much. That is not the best way since upper arms/rotator cuff areas and shoulders are often full of arthritis and issues can come up --- but it stopped Sally from the need to be 'vocal' when transferred. So, I never said a word when they closed the door -- I was glad. Sometimes the best way is not always the best way for the patient. I do understand there are rules that one should abide by if possible --- but it also bothered the girls that Sally would cry out.

I hope I haven't upset you by telling you that story. I agonized over it myself the first few times, but wanted Sally's time to be as stress free and painless as possible. Apparently the gals that came in her room had the same notion.

Cold here today ( heavy overnight frost ) but the sun is out so my spirts are fairly high. It is going to be a good day.

carolehalston

Jackie, my mother is extremely overweight to the point she would fall into the medical category of obese. There is no way she could be lifted manually. She has lost the ability to move her feet and cooperate in transfer situations. She is much safer with the lift. In addition to the discomfort, I think it's embarrassing to be assisted in that manner.

I am looking into the availability of handicap van rentals and transportation services for handicapped people. We need to plan ahead for getting my mother to a family gathering for Christmas.

Wren44

Carole, When I volunteered at a hospital, there were cabulances. I think they were owned by the taxi co. but had a ramp and tie downs for a wheelchair.

ChiSandy

Brrr....definitely winter in Chi-town. 24 and dropping as I type this. We did weather-strip the cracks in the front-room drywall, and it's not so brutally chilly now. Of course, I'm wearing a racerback tank under a buttoned shirt under a jean jacket...and have yet to kick off the UGGs I wore to shop. They're predicting light "lake effect" snow overnight and into tom'w a.m. but it won't stick in the city. (NW IN is gonna get slammed, though).

Starting tom'w night I have to take the CTA train (the "L") into the Loop for rehearsals every weeknight and all day weekends through Sun. Nov. 19 and starting back up Sun. the 26--we move to the theater (one station further south) Mon. night until the end of the run of the show on Sun. Dec. 3. Before I had my knees replaced (and had a permanent 4-yr HC placard) I would drive down there and try to park on the street in HC spots, or in the garage next to the Bar Assn. bldg. But they stopped making HC spots meter-exempt, and the city bought the garage to store its own vehicles. The closest garage to the Bar Assn. is 2 blocks away and (last time I checked) $32. Near the theater, when the Hilton hasn't commandeered the parking lot next to the stage door, if I get there early enough to find a spot I can park for $15. There are cheaper garages nearby, but they close at 10pm and sometimes I can't wash my face, get back into my street clothes and to the car in time after the performance. There are lots for $10 a block or two further, but they fill up fast and are open to the elements. (No fun clearing snow off your car at midnight after you've performed and then partied).

I suspect I may be using Lyft or Uber a few times. Not this Sunday, though--the Bears are at home and traffic will be brutal. Rehearsals start at 10am on the dot. And next Sat. is the Disney "Festival of Lights" parade down Mich. Ave., and there will be truly inconvenient street closures. My Ventra card (prepaid CTA account) has been getting a workout of late and will continue to do so. As long as I can sit on the train (and reach the door during crowded rush hr. to get off at my stop), and nobody stinky sits next to me (not just the "usual suspects" but people bringing home Indian or Mexican leftovers from restaurants) the ride is sort of relaxing. I pop in my AirPods and sync them to the playlist on my AppleWatch--no telltale cord, no need to even touch my phone. And when I alight, I lower the volume as I walk--and pay attention to traffic (unlike millennials who walk & text, which is about to become illegal in crosswalks).

I have to be "off-book" on all the music & my lines (such as they currently are--rewrites are inevitable & unpredictable) by tom'w night. We open in 3 weeks!

IllinoisLady

The most excellent and divine counsel, the best and most profitable advertisement of all others, is to study and learn how to know ourselves.This is the foundation of wisdom and the highway to whatever is good. -Pierre Chardin

IllinoisLady

We have SCAT busses here that are equipped for those who are disabled in some way. It comes with a very minimal cost for many as well. I know one lady who rides it and the cost for her is .25 cents too and from. The busses are also used by the older crowd who have had to give up their driver's license so it makes living around here a lot easier for many people. Those buses go everywhere and lots of older women do their grocery shopping that way.

It was 27 degrees here last night. Sun it out today though I'd prefer a little brighter. I'm in the middle of my sitting and will finish up sometime Wednesday morning. Haven't had time for a lot around here -- mainly as Dh is having some extra hours at work so I've mainly kept the animals in tow here and done most of their care. At least though I've managed to not let anything slip behind ------ yet. I hope I can continue to keep up.

I don't mind doing this ( pay is fantastic ) because I think so highly of the family. Dr. B has always been great and his wife ( former nun ) is really easy to be around. I told her I was going to miss her while she was gone and she gave me a great big hug. There are a few people in this world that are just comforting and she is one of them. No matter how bad a day you might just have had when she gets in your vicinity a feeling of calm and peacefulness just appears. Yes indeed, she is easy to miss.

Hope you all stay warm and happy as possible. I'll be fine as long as good ole' Dr. Sol hangs above me.

carolehalston

The sun is shining and today is supposed to be a lovely day. Yesterday was a perfect day for golf or anything else. At 9:30 when we (three other women and I) started our 18 hole round, the temperature was in the 50's and gradually warmed up to high 60's. The sky was a gorgeous blue. Sadly, my golf didn't match the day.

DH is headed out this morning to a wood turners meeting. I will go to the gym and later on drive over to Hammond to the nursing home.

My sister called the Council on Aging for our parish and is checking out some leads on handicap van service. We need the type that transports a person in his or her wheelchair.

Have a good Saturday!

bonnets

22 here when we got up, about 24 now. Brrrrr! Beautiful and sunny. Might go to a craft fair or 2!

IllinoisLady

Friends. . . they cherish each other's hopes. They are
kind to each other's dreams.

Henry David Thoreau

IllinoisLady

Very chilly here as well -- in the mid 20's but will warm up later. Not as much as I'd like, but summer ( actually Fall too ) went so fast that is what I'd really like to be having. There is a beautiful Maple tree in my neighbor's yard when I'm leaving the lane. This yr. it has just been stunning. Such beautiful deep red leaves. As I'm driving down the lane and look up I usually just end up sucking my breath in and ending with an O'Wow !!! Since our temps dropped down below freezing the past couple of nights, the leaves of that tree are dropping dramatically. It is still breath-taking, but the leaves so much thinner now. The ground around the tree is littered with those red leaves --- which makes a post-card picture of Fall.

Hard to believe we are up to the week-end. Though I don't mind my work I'm starting to feel at least a little anxious. I come home every day to do my work here and look longingly at my bed --- going un-used for now. Clean sheets await, but won't be till the coming Wednesday night when I will get to sleep at home again. At any rate, I'll get over it quickly --- especially when I get a nice pay-check as balm for spending so much time away. Denny gets lonesome as well. I don't know how much is for me and how much is for our over-all routine. Like me, he has a lot of flexibility most times but we like what we like and we enjoy the quiet evening together talking over the day and enjoying t.v. before its time for bed. Coffee in the a.m. is also highly appreciated by both of us. Hmm, I guess we have to admit we are older and well into being creatures of habit --- or at least creatures, huh !!!!

VelvetPoppy

It's cool here - for us - high 60s. NIghts go down to the low 50s. This will be short lived as the weather is supposed to warm back up into the high 70s & possibly low 80s. We don't get cold here until January & February, but it's nothing like it is up North. I miss the fall colors. All we have in this area of Texas is yellow & brown - it's depressing.

I managed to get caught up on housework this morning. Dusted yesterday and cleaned the bathrooms & utility this morning; floors got done earlier this week. I won't have time for any house work next week, too much going on.

I start my 6-month doctor visits, etc next week until the end of the month. I have my mammogram Monday morning - have to admit, I'm a bit nervous. MO says it natural to feel that way. I don't think I will ever get back to the place where I took my annual mammogram in stride as just routine Well Woman. I am coming up on the two year mark this month. It was this time in 2015 that I had my first ever suspicious mammo. I had to wait until after Thanksgiving to do the repeat mammo and get the diagnosis. Shared the concern I had with a SIL and she blew it off....it's nothing....flaw in the film...false positive...it happens all the time...you're fine...worrying about nothing. This woman worked in the medical field as a nurse! Oh well, I no longer trust her judgment because she also blew off radiation as "no big deal".

On a happier note: S brought a young woman to dinner last night who, I think, may well become my DIL. I already knew her, but H hadn't met her. She works at the library where I worked. I never worked with her, but did have occasions to interact with her. She was promoted & transferred to the department I worked in after I retired. She's a pleasant person and she & H found common ground right away - Arizona. He was stationed near Tempe & she went to college there. Granted there is a 38 year gap, but it gave them something to talk about.

Here's to a great Saturday, ladies.

Anneb1149

Hi all,

And the hurricane repairs just go on and on. I think I told you we gave our tile guy a week off because we were all so frustrated about the errors, etc. Well, the one week turned into 2 weeks- and really not sure when he will be back. He was supposed to come Thurs, but he went to the Dr Wed, and they were sending him for an X-ray to check for pneumonia. Normally, I would find that highly suspicious, but we all have bad cases of bronchitis. My DGS started coughing last weekend, and everyday when she came home from work, my DD would tell him he had to go to school the next day. She would look to me for backup, but this week, I just kept saying that he was just laying on his bed watching TV and I thought the cough was getting worse. Finally, I took him to the Dr Wed. It was so funny, she was in the middle of telling us everything sounded clear when he coughed. She stopped in mid sentence and said "That's bronchitis". We weren't home 20 min when in walks his mother- she had a fever of 102 and had gone to an urgent care. We didn't seeher again til last night

I started coughing Wed night and went to the Dr Thurs morning. The coughing fits are the worst ever, and I had a really scary one this afternoon. I could not catch my breath. My DGS came in in the middle of it and I pretty much scared him to death. He finally got me into a sitting position,I had been in my recliner, and he started to pat my back. I gasped "harder" and he started pounding my back. He said I was as red as the pillows on our couch. When I got a breath, I told him to get the cough medicine, he asked if I needed a spoon and all I could do was shake my head no. I took one swallow, but that seemed to coat my throat enough for me to at least breathe. My son suggested that it could be from all the dust with the remodel which made sense, and Ron was in more of that than us.

They started on replacing the roof this week. First thing they had to do was add a pitch to the flat roof. I agreed that I would pay for the extra wood to do that, not realizing it would be another thousand dollars. They didnt come till at least 11 every day, and yesterday, they didn't come at all. No call, no excuse. My brother left to pick his girlfriend at the airport, and was planning to go out to dinner before coming home. So the rest of us went to bed. About a half hour later, my DD comes running over to our side of the house, yelling that it was raining in her room. It was just a small leak, but it was definitely raining. Had my brother call the roofer this morning , then went to tell my DD he was on his way, and found four more buckets by the dinng room door. The temporary paper they had put up had blown away.

And so it goes. I have optimistically scheduled a deep cleaning for the Tues before Thanksgiving. The new doors and windows will be here Fri, and the roofer told my brother the roof will also be done by then. If Ron gets the floors fixed correctly, and completes the few other tasks I have given him, every thing will be done except for the shed, which, of course, goes in the yard. Until that is done, we won't be able to get the garage cleaned up. I can't wait for everything to finally be done. And I am still waiting for the insurance to answer about the hole in patio ceiling, the solar panels and the wall damage. The idiot that came out to see that damage did a full inspection, even though I asked him several times, why he needed to go in all the rooms and check the roof. It took over 2 weeks for him to get the report to the claims dept, and she had to send it back, for him to remove everything that repeats the same info.

You were all talking about the weather. My brother said his girlfriend kept telling him which jackets she was bringing. It was freezing in DC where she lives. He said she just couldn't believe we are all still in shorts.

And the hurricane repairs go on and on. Hope everyone is doing better than we are.

Anne

IllinoisLady

The quote today is from one of my favorite people -- and my signature lines are from her as well.

Whether you know it or not, one of the most important relationships in your life is with your Soul. Will you be kind and loving to your Soul, or will you be harsh and difficult? Many of us unknowingly damage our Souls with our negative attitudes and actions or by simple neglect. By making the relationship with your Soul an important part of your life, however, by honoring it in your daily routine, you give your life greater meaning and substance. Use your experiences--all of them--as opportunities to nourish your Soul!

Elisabeth Kuebler-Ross

IllinoisLady

Sometimes when it 'rains' it really does pour doesn't it Anne. I am so sorry all this is going on and that your family in addition has to fight bronchitis. I had that this past winter so my reality on it is fairly strong as yet. It is horrible. I coughed for nearly three weeks and by the time I 'thought ' to finally have it checked out I was into heavy-duty exhaustion. So, mainly I pray you will all get well -- sooner rather than later. Of course, goes w/o saying that I hope your work gets done CORRECTLY and as quick as possible.

I think all here were thrilled that you would have Ron and only have temporary issues -- boy there are likely a lot of people in those who missed that boat. You are your usual stalwart self -- looking on the bright side that seems so hard to see, but you do it. Thinking of that appt. to deep clean that you have made. My hat is off to you. Well you know -- if we aren't stoic, who will be stoic for us. Sure hoping for all good fixes here.

ChiSandy

Gory details are in the other threads (getting tired of retyping them on this iPad) but Bob is in the hospital overnight with a small bowel obstruction. Medically managing it for now with NG suction, but might need surgery tomorrow or Tuesday. Will keep you posted.

At least the snow & ice melted yesterday.