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

IllinoisLady

Emalyn, welcome to our little home away from home. It does sound like you are doing pretty well and hopefully you will be looking at life with an NED status and the enjoyment and satisfaction of the giving and getting cycles w/o need of a nap although I've found that there is little actually wrong with them. It's the pause that refreshes.

Going out soon to hopefully feed the feral cats. It has rained a bit and I'm hoping if anything for now there might only be light mist left. At least as long as they are eating. I thought about going earlier since we had the time change and beat the rain, but I thought -- they might be a little 'off' too since daylight was different today. They are much more aware usually that we are. So fingers crossed.

Hope you all will have good weather today.

Anneb1149

Good morning all,

I cannot tell you how happy I am to be home. I love my home! The trip home was, thankfully, stress free.

Emalyn, I too received Herceptin along with 2 other chemo drugs. I was told at the beginning that I would need to continue the Herceptin infusions for a year, but after chemo they said they didn't see a reason to continue them. My biggest side effect of chemo was the exhaustion. That has diminished a great deal, but there are still days when my body says "stop" and I have no choice but to listen to it's demand.

Jackie, your quote hits the nail on the head for me.

Emalyn, you and I seem to be on the same path. I think voting for anyone based on party lines, race, or charisma is so wrong. Like you, I want people of integrity in office. I will concede that most public officials may have started their political careers with sincere intentions to help this country. Unfortunately, they very quickly get used to the life of a politician, which includes an inflated self-image, a more lavish lifestyle, and an increased interest in other things, like travel, that eventually leads to their focus being more on continuing the lifestyle to which they have become accustomed, than doing what is best for the citizens of this country. . Unfortunately, I think that leads most of them to accept campaign donations with strings attached.

I want to see people, who know they are just like anyone else, but want to do good for this country. That means working together, regardless of political party to solve problems. It means doing the right thing, even when no one is looking, but also doing the right thing even when many of your co-workers don't want to do that. It means getting out of your small ivory tower and seeing what is happening in the lives of those you represent and working to improve your community. It means being focused on others, not yourself. I don't want people who let special interest groups color their positions.

I think the most important thing we can do is vote. Look at the people we are voting for. Take the time to find out what's important to them, find out how stable their lives are ( or not). Find out if they are willing to go against party lines and if they can make the tough calls and follow through on them. Find out if they are active in their communities and elsewhere. We are giving them the power to make decisions for us- are we sure we are voted no for someone we trust enough to make the decisions we would?

The same goes for issues. They need to stop piggybacking totally different issues in one amendment. If there is an issue with education, that vote should be about education, not immigration. If there is a issue about the use or improvement of city owned properties, there should not be salary increases snuck in there. And the issues should be clear with their wording, so the average voter knows that yes means yes and no means no. Far to many are worded so that a no vote really means yes and a yes vote means no.

After these last few posts, I sound like I have a lot of political knowledge- I don't, and I have tried to keep my personal beliefs out of my posts. I just think this country needs to start changing the way things are in general and the main way we can do that is by changing how we vote. We need to be informed voters, basing our votes on more than what social media says. We need to stop voting based on party lines or because the candidate is female, or black, or because we agree with them on one issue alone.

Enough of that! Jackie, one of the best parts of my time in upstate NY was seeing deer in my sister's backyard or when driving to the supermarket. The scenery was incredible. I showed the pictures I took to my oldest DGS, and he kept saying "This is NY? Really?" I realized that to him NY meant New York City-he had no idea there even was more to NY than the crowded city. Hope he gets to see both parts someday.

Anne

ChiSandy

I used to vote on the basis of the issues and the individual candidates' positions and records on them, not necessarily party affiliation. (I actually used to work for a state government agency whose party was the opponent of my own--and I voted for its head in his campaign to be re-elected).

But these days, one particular party (both at the state & national level) seems to be pledged to follow the agenda of a national leader who is hell-bent on amassing as much personal power as he can, "otherizing" wide swaths of the population (ethnic, religious, racial, gender), splitting families apart, and favoring a country that used to be our archenemy over our own gov't officials and destroying democracy in the process. Sadly, the other side (mine) needs to be somewhat tribalistic in order to attempt to put a check on him. (And we're not as unified as our counterparts). These days, it's whichever party controls the House & Senate that determines who gets onto the Supreme Court, whether hard-won rights and necessary regulations are preserved or stripped, and whether corruption (and worse) receives proper investigational scrutiny. Only one cable news outlet is truly biased--and that is because its late founder declared (in writing) that his purpose in starting it was to advance the interests of and more favorably report on his own party. (Those who think CNN is biased are probably fans of--and exposed to only--the politically-founded network I mentioned).

I will not get more specific and name names lest I run afoul of the Moderators--but I could not allow misconceptions to go uncorrected. There are separate "hidden" topic threads that do not appear under "Active Topics," where members of each political bent can have a safe harbor without being trolled.

ChiSandy

And Anne, we Jews do not refer to Messianic Jews or Jews for Jesus as "completed" Jews. We find that term very condescending and insulting. We refer to Messianic Jews as......Christians. No matter how much of the Jewish liturgy and customs they retain, a belief in the divinity of Jesus, and that the Messiah had already arrived, is wholly antithetical to Judaism. Messianic Judaism is Christianity, not Judaism. For the same reason, we do not refer to the Jewish Bible as the "Old Testament" nor to the second half of the Christian Bible as the "New," because that assumes that the Jewish Bible is antiquated and outmoded and superseded by Christian scripture. (Christians may assume that but we certainly do not).

We call our Bible the "Tanakh," which is an acronym for its components: Torah (Genesis through Deuteronomy), Kohanim (Kings) and Nevi'im ("Writings," which includes Prophets, Psalms, and historical chronicles). When it is translated into English (with the original Hebrew printed in the opposite column), annotated and printed as a book for liturgical and home reference use, it is called a "Chumash." When I grew up in our part of Brooklyn in the middle of the 20th Century, it was very difficult to find a Chumash in bookstores or libraries--most Jewish bookstores in Brooklyn were Orthodox, even Hasidic. Non-Orthodox families were not literate in the Hebrew alphabet (after their Bar Mitzvahs, many non-Orthodox men forgot whatver Hebrew they'd learned other than recitation of the major prayers--and many left even that behind). So the Bible we had in our home was a KJV. We now have both. Ironically, though Bob is still Catholic (he went to Mass this morning), his family didn't have a Douay-Rheims (Catholic version) Bible, just the KJV.

Speaking of religion, Friday night's service at our temple was an ecumenical memorial service for the victims of the Louisville and Pittsburgh shootings. Every congregation in ECRA (Edgewater Council of Religious Associations)--all three Lutheran, both neighborhing Catholic parishes and non-diocesan academy, Presbyterian, Baptist, Unitarian Universalist, and moderate Sunni mosque--was represented. All the pastors, including the Imam, gave readings. In lieu of traditional Jewish hymns, we sang Bob Marley's "Redemption Song," a song by Jewish rapper Matisyahu, and "Blowin' in the Wind." The sacntuary was standing-room-only, and the partition between the pews and the rear (where the after-service Oneg Shabbat dessert reception is usually held) was removed, and as many chairs as possible brought in. I took a Lyft there and walked home, because the temple parking lot (and the beach parking lot and condo garage on either side) were chock-full.

MCBaker

Thanks, Sandy, for that polite explanation of why the expression "completed Jew" is offensive to Jews. Much of what Jesus taught was present in Jewish teaching before His time. In fact, today's readings, Deuteronomy 6:2-6 and Mark 12:28-34 illustrate that.

There are many translations of the Bible now, with a better understanding from some of the oldest manuscripts, including the Dead Sea Scrolls. I use the New American Bible; the language of the Douay-Rheims is antiquated. My mother kept her KJV from her Protestant childhood. I have derived a lot of understanding of Jesus' time from my reading of Maccabees.

MinusTwo

I don't post on this thread often but I do read it every day. Whatever your political flavor, I surely hope that this thread doesn't turn into a bunch more posts pro or con ANY personal leanings. We get enough of it 24/7 everywhere else we look. As Sandy said, there are other threads where people of like minds can discuss & vent to their heart's content.

ChiSandy

Deuteronomy 6:2-6 is, in Hebrew, called the "V'ahavta." (In the Torah it's part of 6:4-5 through 6:5). It's chanted at every Shabbat service, as well as on other holy days. Among other prayers (including the Shema, which is as close as we get to a Credo), it is written on a tiny parchment scroll and inserted into a "mezuzzah:" a small oblong or cylindrical case affixed to the entry doorpost of a Jewish home. (Orthodox families also place them on the doorposts of every room except the bathroom). That is in obedience to the order to "place these words on the doorposts of thy home;" the passage that says "they shall be for frontlets between thine eyes" refers to that scroll placed into a little leather box called "tefillin" that Orthodox Jewish men tie to their foreheads, with the straps winding down around the right arm to the right hand. "Tefillin" comes from the root "tefilah," or "prayer."

MCBaker

Wow!! That is the scripture in there. I didn't know it was as important to you as it is to us.

IllinoisLady

Likely time to say we don't really talk politics here and only mention it now and then in passing for the most part. If anyone would like to check out the other threads do let me know. There are a couple of us here, and I should say for the most part only one of the hidden ( but findable if you look hard ) threads is active and that is the one that is left leaning. On that thread not much else is discussed so something to keep in mind.

I do like to hear one thoughts now and then and have enjoyed the lighter discussions. We generally try to keep things pretty quiet here and usually avoid politics and religion though I am learning ( even if my mind doesn't take some of it in well at all ) fascinating things about the Jewish religion. Since I don't get too rattled by much of it ( I made a lot of peace with others religious needs and beliefs when I delved into accepting myself as more of a spiritual being ) but I do enjoy hearing now and then these things that keep me grounded about some of our differences. My own son is Atheist which while difficult ( more because it was a big change for him ) I accept as well.

I think for the most part we all here are normal. Some complexities, some problems, but mainly we are just doing the best we know how and trying to enjoy life and each other after difficult late in life medical issues that came generally as a surprise. I have been here a long time now ( since 2007 ) and leaving has never seriously crossed my mind. I look at a world of friends that I would never had known were it not for my cancer dx. It means a lot to me to come daily to share and try to put something good into this place where we found so many friends.

IllinoisLady

There are no little events in life; those we think of no consequence may be full of fate, and it is at our own risk if we neglect the acquaintances and opportunities that seem to be casually offered, and of small importance. -Amelia Barr

IllinoisLady

Oh my, we are getting rain this afternoon but hopefully today will be the last one for awhile. In fact, if anything I think we will see it starting to be a bit colder. The ground is littered now with leaves, but hard to even sweep at them on the deck or sidewalk with all the wet. I could try the hose but that isn't the best answer either as the wetness if what makes them stick in the first place. Sigh !!

Going to see my little Muffin today. He's a sweetie and I will time it so that I can take him with me to feed the feral cats. The only thing I'm not super fond of is that he likes to sit in your lap while driving. He is quiet, but after a while I really start to "feel" him sitting there. He is not overwt. but my legs are older ones that want to rebel when a wt. is left in one place too long. He loves a ride and so every time I 'sit' with him I make sure we go 'somewhere'. Hate to admit, it is boring for me but I enjoy it when I feel he is happy. I know, I know -- I'm a pushover, but other than slight boredom it is not a big deal.

Dh is doing okay. Still a little whiney about things, but I kept reminding him of how much good he is doing himself for LATER so he is doing what he needs to. He is still working ( week-end is not good for that ) on trying to see if he can get the V.A. to help him get some Lyrica or something comparable and I think it was you Sandy that mentioned there really isn't much if anything.

Don't know how much today ( maybe a small amt. ) but tomorrow we should have some sun which will brighten me up immediately. We get up early so can look eastward out of our windows and see streaks of orange appearing in the sky. Our family rm, living rm, and kitchen are all a part of an L shaped pattern -- family rm area is an odd sm. L shaped spot, that opens into the living room which is the long part of the house and that rm. runs towards the east and towards the end opens to the kitchen. So, an open floor plan though with the ability depending where you are of not actually being able to see into the other rooms -- but easily aware that it is all open. So, we so enjoy sitting in the living room in the early a.m. watching our mornings news and drinking out coffee, while we wait for the sky to begin the process of going from dark to hopefully orange in the horizon coming closer all the time.

Hope you all have a really wonderful day.

MCBaker

Things to try for nerve pain:

Meds: Lyrica or gabapentin I take 2100 mg a day of gabapentin.

Anti-depressant-- I take venlafaxine

heat or cold

TENS

soak in Epsom salt bath

mild exercise

curucumin with pepper (tumeric0

glucosamine and chondrotin (just in case there is confusion between arthritic pain and nerve pain)

plenty of sleep in a soft bed

chiropractic and/or massage therapy

acetaminophen

whatever works

IllinoisLady

Thank you MC Baker --- any and all suggestions welcome. Dh does have a TENS unit. Don't know about the pads for it because I don't think I've seen him use it in a long time, but nice to know its a possibility.

ChiSandy

TENS units are available at the drugstore these days--the Omron allows you to place pads wherever you want; the Aleve version looks like a giant bow tie, and is for back pain. I actually like that one better because it stays on more securely. There's a pricey one called "Quell" that you place on your calf below your knee, but it is contradicted if you have artificial joint implants, especially knees. AFAIK it's sold only online.

Icky rainy day here too--began "spitting" about 3:30pm. Bob tried to early-vote yesterday & today to no avail--lines out the library door in the nasty weather, 2-hr. waits. Gonna go to my precinct polling place midday tomorrow--fast in & out. Snow expected Thurs. night. Gotta get my gutters cleaned before that, even though there are plenty more leaves yet to fall.

IllinoisLady

We have had a few hours of earnest rain here. Not sure just when it will end, but there is ( according to the earlier forecast ) going to be sun tomorrow. Sounds like we may go vote in the sunshine. I'll just take that as a good omen. We always get teased a bit about our name which is a Swiss name though the 'grandfather' that originally came here changed it so that it wouldn't sound like a girls name. Anyway, Dh's 3 brothers all live close enough around to vote at the same polling place. They are all fully retired. Since both of us here still worked ( not this time though ) we were always told we were very late showing up. I think maybe tomorrow the joke won't work any longer.

We vote at a Church -- actually in the back which is more of an activity area. The kitchen is right behind where we vote -- so I think we are in the 'dining' room. Easy to get to and usually not much for lines. I don't anticipate its taking us very long.

ChiSandy

Our polling place is at Edgewater Methodist, aka "The Country Church in the City." White clapboard, modest steeple, lawn & garden with a trellis gate and a low white picket fence. Very calming & centering. The 48th Ward early-voting place is the Edgewater Library, 2-stories, modern brick-and-steel with a "green" LEED roof. It serves all 50 precincts in the ward and the waits to even enter the voting room can be insane.

Wren44

Our vote is all by mail. They pay the postage or there are drop boxes where you can leave your vote and save postage. It takes longer to count but I really like having the paper trail. Plus no one has to take off work or stand in line. I voted last Thursday so I can go la-la-la through all the commercials.

MCBaker

I voted before I knew the date of my surgery. Went to city hall--the only polling-place in town. I was the only person to vote at that time, just walked in, showed my DL. Was given my ballot, did my thing. Returned the ballot, she put it in an envelope. Expressed my disgust at political polarization, and left.

Why cope with crowds on the sixth when you can do it on a time more convenient to yourself before?

IllinoisLady

The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely, or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature, and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. AS long as this exists, and it certainly always will, I know that then there will always be comfort for every sorrow, whatever the circumstances may be. AND I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles. -Anne Frank

IllinoisLady

Beautiful out today though windy, but it will help it dry out. We got notices in the mail to get mail-in ballots if we so wished. I thought about it, but glad I didn't. Good for Dh to get out. He has a walker so should hold up fine. I'm superstitious a bit about certain things but something that made me feel great was that when I took the food bowl for the cats out on the deck -- rt. next to the wooden sidewalk was a deer sleeping. She/he did not get up but just looked at me -- so I took it as a good omen that I would end up the day happy.

Going over to check on my little pal Muffie again today. Cousins have to go back to the city ( St. Louis, Mo ) for the Dr. to check over the eye-surgery. I don't know how often they will have to go, but I'll keep caring for Muff till they are able to cut back again. In the mean-time -- plans to do a dinner here on Thanksgiving continue and to get my yard work done and a some other projects. Also need to get a hold of a few friends and say hello. I've been unable to find the right times, but I think that will come now.

carolehalston

We vote at an elementary school that is easily within walking distance but, of course, we drive. This morning we stopped off on our way to the gym and hit it lucky. No wait except for maybe a minute. As we were exiting the parking lot, quite a few cars were turning in.

I'm cautiously hopeful that this election will go the way I want it to go. I won't claim not to be a partisan. To give a hint, I was devastated by the outcome of the 2016 election and nothing has happened during the last two years to prove me wrong. One of my main concerns is taking care of the planet that provides a home to humans, many of whom seem dedicated to destroying it.

It's exciting to see so many people voting.

We've had rain showers this morning but now the sun is out. It's hot and humid and we have the a/c on. I'm ready for some cool/cold weather. Rain is forecast for the rest of the week. More opportunity for me to continue cleaning out closets and cabinets and storage places.

Time to shower and change and head to the nursing home.

Happy Tuesday.

ChiSandy

Bob just got back from voting. Took longer to walk there or to go through the entire ballot than it did to get a ballot—no lines at all. Cold and very windy. Gonna shower, go vote and then have my back PT, though most of my muscles still ache from this stupid cold. My family shrink said yesterday that it took his cold almost 3 weeks to go away. Mine might be on the way out (at least any bacterial sinus stuff) because I noticed a few zits—which is usually how I know, because those are bacteria trying to bail out via my skin. I’m way too old for actual acne.

MuddlingThrough

I voted this morning. Like many of you here, I'm very partisan but not going into that here. Instead, I think I'll say something that we will all likely agree with: I'm looking forward to a short period of time without political ads and phone calls!!!

ChiSandy

7pm can't come fast enough—no more stupid political ads—just stupid car commercials again! Took me less time to vote, even with a 2-1/2 page ballot, than it did to walk there, schmooze with the poll watcher (a friend from temple) and pick up stuff from CVS en route home. Super-windy, though!

IllinoisLady

Got my voting done. Went very fast. I knew a couple of the people that 'work' the election but then hey, we only have about 13,000 residents here where I live and the poll workers are from the neighborhood. No jokes this time though. Likely due to Dh's walker. There was a chair in one of the voting booths, but he pushed it out of the way and stood with his walker. Good for him !!

Been such a pretty day my spirits are up and it was amazing to see all the people showing up to vote. We were in a short line, but it moved quite fast. Another couple came in ( the man in the family with a rollator/walker ) and he had just had a quad by-pass surgery done. Hats off to him that he had the drive and desire to vote. Made my day -- no matter how he voted. Of course, I'm hoping to see a whole lot of people replaced, and will have to like everyone wait and see.

I too look forward to no more ads. We use a Charter bundle program and they have a 'do not call blocker' and so we have been spared from the phone calls, thank goodness. Use too, we took turns answering the phone the last few days before an election and by the last day you are ready to talk gibberish to any callers that are 'live'. Or have a break-down. So, no more of that. In fact, we get one ring on the phone and the number will flash for two or three times on the t.v. screen but no more rings. Never thought I'd enjoy seeing a number being blocked but it makes my day. Simple joys when your 73 and tired of the phone. To think we spent many yrs. without one at home. Only got it when my Dad because the city secretary and they insisted and paid for it. In our little town Dad had a skill. His penmanship was excellent. My sister and I just LOVED having a phone for the first time. I was I think 11 and she was 13. Now I often find it handy but something of an intrusion -- till I got Charter to help me with the intricacies of their blocker program.

Wren44

We don't have caller ID and just don't answer the landline. If it's really for us, they'll leave a message. If we're there we can pick it up during the message. I have only had a few calls on my cell phone. Don't answer those either if I don't know the person. One pestering company uses a number that has my area code and first 3 numbers followed by 4 random numbers. I block all of those calls. The only reason we still have a landline is that it gives 911 our address and DH has heart problems.

MCBaker

I am on the no-call list, and it is effective. I also have a number of phone numbers that are persistent offenders; those are named "Don't answer" I don't have a cell-phone; I am hearing-impaired and have another year to wait before I can get bluetooth-compatible HA's. My landline, through Magic Jack, is a specialty phone for the hearing-impaired. I am very happy with it; no, I don't need the captioned phone. If I need a taxi ride home, I ask customer service to call, and they talk to them for me.

ChiSandy

I'm on the no-call list, but it's not very effective. I just let the voicemail pick up the landline unless it's a name or number I know.

Wren44

My calls doubled after I put the number on the no-call list. I think they sold my number.

ChiSandy

I find myself having to hit "Block this Caller" multiple times a day on my iPhone.