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

IllinoisLady

Good morning everyone and I am so enjoying all the latest entries. Anne, I'm not sure about Carole. I hope I didn't say anything to upset her. I always feel a 'good' twinge when opening up the forum and seeing names of all the people who feel just like they are my next-door neighbor. It is worrisome when someone doesn't post. Ooooh I think we may be getting some snow on the week-end. Not sure how much -- as little as a dusting or who knows. Also not sure if it will be more of a night time event ( sounds like it right now ) or happen during the day. The cold and sleet of the past couple of days sure haven't been fun, but winter does often seem to be reluctant to leave. For me anyway when I start dreaming of Spring and re-washing summer-time clothing etc. Just seems like my emotions are being toyed with by the gods.

Joan as ever, you are encouraging. I often discover that I'm nodding my head in a positive movement when I read your entries.

I hope it is a fabulous Friday for everyone and that the week-end to follow is great as well. I'm planning to stay busy and hope I can get Dh to join in. He has taught me the art of napping, but I may have to try to un-learn that. Sometimes I think I sleep better at night if I don't nap. The habit of getting 40 winks ( very short nap and not taken in bed ) seems to trace back to a Dr. Kitchiner's 1821 self help guide, ( The Art of Invigorating and Prolonging Life ". Somehow I didn't think of 1821 as a place to look for self-help guides. Makes a person wonder if it is still looked at as something of a long life preserver or not.

Anyway, hope you all have a great day.

carolehalston

hi, Anne. Thanks for inquiring about me. I'm back to normal now but 2019 started off with a bout of double pneumonia that landed me in the hospital for six days. DH had bronchitis at the same time and his coughing lingered until about a week ago. He had three dr. appointments and prescriptions during that time. The two of us nearly wore out a nebulizer that I just put away this week.

The hospitals around here were all full with pneumonia patients during January. Something really nasty was going around.

Welcome to new members of our discussion group and best of luck to you in your treatment and recovery. I remember that first year after bc diagnosis and the hope that some day I would back to "normal."

Wishing everyone a good Friday.

MCBaker

More expected this afternoon.

IllinoisLady

Good to hear of you Carole. I was afraid I had said something. I am really sorry though that it was due to harsh illness ( pneumonia as well as Dh's bronchitis ) and that pneumonia that was going around was very bad.

Not surprised about the bronchial coughs hanging on. I had that ? last yr. or was it the yr. before, and almost was put in the hospital as it got severe before I was able to get to Marion. It felt like the cough ( despite my feeling better ) lasted it seemed three times as long as the labored breathing and exhaustion. I'm glad you are both well on the mend. I'll be glad when we get into Spring though that is a bit heavy on allergy reactions. I am really tired of the dreary days of winter. So many of our 'winter' days have been rainy ones. I do have some weather depression so I'm on the lookout for sun and Spring should hopefully have a lot more.

pingpong1953

I know exactly how you feel!

jo6359

carole-So sorry you had a nasty bout with pneumonia. Glad you are doing better. Today was hot-80s and humid.

IllinoisLady

It's not in the DOing, it's in the BEing.
Whatever you do or don't do in your lifetime,
your greatest contribution
to current and future generations
will be the happiness and joy
you generated and radiated to those around you.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

IllinoisLady

MC, that is quite a "viewpoint" of your snow as well. In so many ways I am going to have to count myself fortunate that for several yrs. we have escaped the deeper snows for the most part. I'm sure many of you will have the welcome sign ( as I will too ) for the usually far nicer days of Spring. I know I've likely said it way too many times but it wakes me up to inspiration, hope, and a desire to plan good things.

Got most of my bills ready for delivery, either around town or to the mail-box for pick-up. So, that is on the plate today. I finally decided ( based on the strength of a pretty well re-vamped curriculum ) that I would go to the Nutrition class once more. It will be my friend's last class as she is retiring. She sold her house in town a few months ago and will go back to her family farm which is about 25 minutes from here.

I met her replacement teacher who I'm sure will be very good. My friend was a certified physical and occupational therapist so was able to be outstanding during the hour of physical exercise training that is a part of the class. I'm assuming since I haven't asked, that the replacement teacher hopefully has the same background.

Going to be a gray day here, but doesn't sound like we will get ( since we don't have it right now ) the negative possible snow weather mentioned as a possibility. In fact, I think it will be 40 or so today and that is far from snow weather. Not sure though about tomorrow. Just hoping that we don't get any more of the ice. If it snows, well let it, but I would like to skip any ice.

I hope you are all going to stay well ( rest if you need too ) and have a really great Saturday.

BatyaD

Hiking Lady -- thanks for that info. I'll have to check with Medicare about the costs. Right now I'm looking at Wishcaps because they're the only ones that have a system I can manage on my own. If I still lived in Nashville I'd have plenty of friends who would come and help me through treatment, but here in South Florida I don't know enough people, or enough people without their own serious problems, and have no help for that sort of thing. I have a neighbor who will be "on call" for me when I'm home, and a friend who'll do a sleep-over the night of my first chemo. But no one who can spend the day every week for 13 weeks. I'm stretching it to find someone to drive me to and from the first chemo appointment and hoping ACS's Road to Recovery can manage the rest for me. Of course, their computers are down this week and I can't get anything for my first chemo appointment. I'm already using up one friend for my port placement.

I can't believe there's still snow up North! I guess being a "southerner" for the past 20+ years has made me forget!

MinusTwo

BatyaD - My son came from out of town for my port installation surgery & first chemo the next morning. After that I drove myself back & forth by myself for every chemo - 6 sessions of neo-adjuvant TCHP & 4 sessions of AC after surgery. I was tired, but with the steroids I did just fine. I also had no trouble driving myself back & forth to radiation every day for 5 weeks. Again, fatigue was the major problem. I wouldn't have wanted someone sitting with me through every chemo. I had music & reading material & a pre-packed lunch. It was easier for me to doze as I wanted than having to try to either entertain someone else or convince them I was feeling just fine.

Hoping you will find a similar routine for treatment. BTW - I was 70 years old during chemo.

BatyaD

MinusTwo--That sounds great! You did wonderfully!

It would be really great if I could drive myself. I'm trying to arrange for the Road to Recovery program for my chemo appointments after the first one. I'll have to have one friend drive me and one other friend pick me up. After that, if I can drive myself, I won't have to bother the Road to Recovery folks. Although I will be with that cold cap for about 4 hours after the treatment, so I don't know if that will interfere with driving -- it's anywhere from 1/2 hour to 1 hour depending on time of day/traffic. I've been going to a sculpture class about 5 minutes closer to me, on the same road--so I mostly know the traffic patterns in that area. And I'm used to driving there and back. Worst comes to worst, I have a friend who drives for Uber and gives me a really good rate. But the $$$ are adding up quickly. New bras, all the paraphernalia for the cold caps in addition to the cold caps themselves (I'm going to apply for aid, but it's not the whole amount at all), supplements to stave off side effects, OTC meds for side effects, healthy food (mega money!), cleaning help....etc etc etc. I don't have a lot of income (retired) and i can't imagine how people without good insurance/income manage through this disease. We need a real overhaul of our health care system. This is crazy!!! (sorry...got into a rant and didn't mean to)

IllinoisLady

Happiness is a sunbeam which may pass through a thousand bosoms without losing a particle of its original ray; nay, when it strikes a kindred heart, like the converged light upon a mirror, it reflects itself with redoubled brightness. It is not perfected till it is shared. -Jane Porter

IllinoisLady

Had a couple of cups of coffee this morning, while watching the news. Did a chore in the kitchen and looked outside -- snowing. It has finally arrived. Was due to start yesterday late or through the night. No idea how long it will last ( coming a wee bit late as it has ) or how much will accumulate, but it is coming fairly fast. Even if it quits snowing, the cold temps will remain for a day or two or even three. The first warm/warmer day it could rain. Sigh. And then rain more. I'm not going to type it out but I'm having a very mental double sigh.

So much rain this yr. Not so much snow, but between that the all the rain I know our water table is really up. It is usually high anyway. We still have the downed tree in the yard. A friend will come when the weather is much better and help take down another one that is dead. I have fingers crossed that all the other trees are secure.

Not looking forward to having to learn to operate another car in snow etc. but you get what you get, when you get it. I'm sure it will be fine, but we also have tax preparations tomorrow and Tues. will be the weigh in and measurements for the new NEXT class at the Rec. Center. I'm glad that Linda gets to retire but I'll miss seeing her so often at the Rec Center. I'm fortunate to get to take her very last before retirement class. Also fortunate there has been a re-vamping of the class and materials. I think in part that means that she will feature any dietary changes by the FDA and any other government type information. She/the class is not allowed to hand out the information until it is fully functional through the government.

Hope you are all going to have a great Sunday. Stay warm.

BatyaD

Sorry to all for my pity party yesterday. Everything just got to me. Thank you for your support and encouragement. Better today.

MCBaker

Bataya, if I were in your situation, I would have plenty of pity-parties. No need to apologize. Just remember that when they do figure it out, have a speech prepared to explain why you are doing it like you are doing it. No need for you to apologize there, either.

jo6359

Batya- I agree with minus2. I drove myself to and from chemo which was six rounds of chemo and then every 3 weeks for a year of herceptin and perjeta. After herceptin and perjeta infusions, I went to work. I was also in great shape prior to being diagnosed with cancer. I'm not going to lie to you. During chemo I had to push myself harder but it's all doable. We know our bodies the best and we need to listen to our bodies. We are all different. Don't be hard on yourself.

Illinois lady- I'm a registered occupational therapist. I didn't fully understand your last post regarding a certified physical and occupational therapist teaching a class. Was this at a rehab facility?

IllinoisLady

No, jo359. It is a program sponsored by the Felician Wellness Center ( Felician Nuns ). It is held at our local Recreation Center. There is an hour of classroom teaching/study which is based mainly on food and an hour of exercise as tolerated since the classes accept those 14 and above. The entire program is set up to incorporate wellness ( as much as possible ) for mind, body and spirit. Our local hospital ( St. Mary's Good Samaritan ) was operated through the Felician Sisters and though there are very few nuns now, they do sponsor this program to encourage knowledge about food and exercise which hopefully will keep people from so many of the health problems that come from not understanding how much of a role what we eat plays in our health and well being.

I've learned so much and while I am still overwt. ( thankfully I'm tall and most people don't see me as over wt. ) I do at least know in general how to read a label and also have learned to pace my cheats. The class teacher can use every machine in the gym room and there are some doozies I won't go near, but are or have been working therapists as well. The teacher who is retiring ( my last time in one of the previous classes ) gave me special exercises to do for one of my lower legs. She could tell the muscles in that leg were not functioning properly just by the way I walked up the stairs. So, it is invaluable to have a good person well versed in these things.

There have been some semi-retired and retired nurses taking the classes that are amazed. I think mainly at having been old enough to retire from nursing and never learned anything near the amt. a person could and likely should know about food. Jan, my neighbor ( long time nurse ) took the class four times in a row when she retired because she was so blown away by the things she never knew. I am not as disciplined as I should be but usually do lose wt. and get my core muscles in far better shape. I usually end up even being able to jog a little though I don't do much of that. So, it is a very good class. I took it a couple of extra times just for the large amt. of information one can receive about food as well as proper exercises for all ages, and disease issues.

IllinoisLady

Banana Pudding w/a Twist

Ingredients
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
3 cups cold milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
4 bananas, sliced
1/2 (12 ounce) package vanilla wafers

Directions

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in condensed milk, pudding mix, cold milk and vanilla until smooth. Fold in 1/2 of the whipped topping.
Line the bottom of a 9×13 inch dish with vanilla wafers. Arrange sliced bananas evenly over wafers. Spread with pudding mixture. Top with remaining whipped topping. Chill.

I've never made banana pudding with cream cheese or condensed milk.

As long as we were talking about no-no's ( for those of us watching wt. ) thought I'd put this in.

Grandma05

Hi Sierra, I was just diagnosed with IDC on January 29, 2019. I am 62. I can't seem to get passed the question "where did it come from?" But I suppose we have feel that way when we here our diagnosis. I have basically the same rx as you did with a few exceptions. iDC, stage IIB, grade 3, with lymph node involvement. Not sure how many yet, my process has just started. My port placement is in the morning. My onogolgist says treatment first, surgery after. After reading these posts, I'm hoping my chemo treatment is close to those on here, not as bad as I think it might be. Would you know how I can put my diagnosis on here so I don't have to repeat it when I post?

HikingLady

Grandma05 Warm hugs of support to you. Yes, it's totally horrible and overwhelming, and you are not the only one who feels that way, and we all wonder WHY, and there are not answers. All I can say about that is, I got used to it, and have managed treatment along the way, one thing at a time, and one day at a time. Reading threads on this forum that match my challenges has been a helpful resource.

To have people view your diagnosis and treatment information, you enter it under My Profile, and in Settings, you make your settings viewable/public, rather than private.

jo6359

Grandma05- when I was first diagnosed, it was totally overwhelming and frightening. These threads kept me almost sane and grounded. I had BMX then chemo and rads. Chemo is not fun. Each person is different. I worked and exercised throughout Chemo. I socialized with friends 1-2 x a week. Most of the SEs were minimal-blisters popping up on hands and feet for 1-2 days, fatigue and hair loss. I was prepared to lose the hair on my head but it truly took me by surprise when I lost my eyelashes and eyebrows. Food and liquids tasted horrible. Chemo is doable. The hair on my head grew back quickly; crazy chemo curls. Lol Chemo, radiation and surgery are all doable and manageable.

IllinoisLady

The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.

Albert Einstein

IllinoisLady

I certainly was overwhelmed and afraid ( sure I would be no more ) when I was diagnosed. Due to having dense breast tissue mammograms started much earlier for me. After what felt like endless yrs. of having nothing but good mammograms I became blasé almost and so the shock and distress wore very heavily. I hope I never again take anything too casually and can fully appreciate the positives and negatives of life as I go through whatever my life is destined to be.

Destiny has designed a sunny day. Mighty cold, and things iced up overnight with wind chill temps just below zero this morning because it WAS zero this morning. Thank goodness for the sun. I did manage to go down and pick up my rental car. It is a 2019 Malibu and it is very pretty, but also quite dirty on the outside. Too cold for them to go to the car wash. EEK, I am not at all happy with really dirty cars so Wednesday ( temps should be up to at least 36 ) I will take it to the car wash. I'm not totally adjusted to it, but it doesn't seem bad at all.

Worst of it is after having driven mainly SUV type vehicles I feel like I'm sitting on the ground. For that reason it feels a bit un-safe to me -- but I know it is all right. There is one thing that is different and interesting. There is no place to insert any sort of key once you are inside the car. You put your foot on the brake, and push a button and the car starts. You can turn it off just by pushing the button. Not sure how I feel about that, but I can deal with it for four days I'm sure.

Will have taxes done this afternoon. We had a 9 a.m. appt. for the gal who does our taxes had an emergency with her father -- so we will go back at 3 p.m. They will get done today though.

Hope you all are having a bright pretty day.

ChiSandy

Gordy Ubered Heidi to the vet early this morning for her dentistry and mani-pedi. I just brought her home--all she needed was cleaning, not extractions. She was ravenous when I opened the carrier door, and made a beeline for Happy's kibble. Since the vet said I could let her eat normal wet food for the next few days, I gave her a little Fancy Feast, which she wolfed down. I don't have to medicate her till tomorrow: just an NSAID pill.

Went down to -3F overnight, all the way up to 13 above this afternoon. Going back down to 4 above overnight, with a little dusting of snow. Warming up to 40 by the weekend before plunging again. With our luck, as soon as we head to NOLA a week from Fri. it'll warm up here, be chilly & rainy down there, and be back in the deep freeze again when we disembark at Midway at the end of our vacay. (Exactly how it was for our Vegas trip, and every time I've visited L.A. in November). Nothing is colder than raw weather in a normally warm locale. (Froze my butt off at 42F in Vegas, which felt just as miserable as the 11F from which I just escaped as I stepped into the house).

My sympathies for all the northeasterners here on BCO--you got our Snowmageddon, instead of us.

JCSLibrarian

Sorry about all the cold and snow up North. We had wild weather last night when the front went through. A couple of tiny tornados hit on the edges of town. One hit close to my chemo infusion center. Nothing as bad as Alabama. Those storms come so fast it is hard to be prepared.

Wore myself out today trying to clean. Got laundry caught up, bills paid and the kitchen mostly clean. My sister and her husband are coming soon so would like things to be tidy. Son and his wife coming for dinner tomorrow night. They are fun to have around.

Hope the snow melts soon

pingpong1953

We had to have snow trucked away from our front lawn because the piles were about 7 ft tall. Good thing, too, since we're forecast to have another 6 inches later this week and now we have somewhere to put it. The temperature was -15F when I woke up this morning. This winter has been relentless!

jo6359

Im watching the CNN coverage of the Alabama devastation. It is heartbreaking.

ChiSandy

pingpong, if we had any snow cover on the ground when the Arctic air mass moved in yesterday, we'd probably have dropped down to -15 or worse. Fortunately, the ground was bare. (Those Polar Vortex days in the minus-twenties occurred with snow already on the ground).

I'm really, really ticked off about something. Our ophthalmologist (and his wife) are friends of ours. As such, he doesn't charge us for our annual refractions because Medicare pays only for the actual eye exam (glaucoma screening, retinas, etc.). Because of that, Bob feels we should buy a pair of glasses at the optical shop in his office. Last year, I got my computer readers (progressive, blue-light-blocking but neither AR nor photochromic) from the on-site optician and they were fine--as were Bob's regular progressives last year and his computer readers this year. My full prescription didn't change this year, but I didn't have a large enough reading area in my Warby Parker progressives. The optician said that was due to online optical sites using digital labs, which she claimed are "inferior" to the old-school labs (sounds fishy to me, especially because I've always bought Warbys in person, not online). I did ask the optician for my prescription so I could buy just a pair of single-vision readers from Warby, as due to astigmatism I can't use the cheapo drugstore readers. She grudgingly complied, and then we looked for a flattering pair of frames so I could buy a full Essilor package (Varilux, Crizal, Transitions) from her. She said she'd call when they were ready, in about 12-14 days.

Took nearly a month before I got the call to come down there (on the SW Side near Bob's office--an hourlong commute in decent traffic). She pulled out the tray, extracted the little clear plastic bag holding the glasses...and the frame was broken in two at the bridge! She chalked it up to the subzero temperatures and the lab being in MN--not to mention the glasses were shipped with, not in, a case. She said this time she'd make sure the lab would ship it properly, and directly to me to save me a trip in case the frames didn't need an adjustment. She said she'd expedite it. That was three weeks ago.

Last night at 1am Gordy came over to be able to get Heidi to the vet on time early this morning, and handed me a box. "Here," he said, "these were on the porch. Looks like it could be your glasses." (Mind you, I'd been home all day and would have heard a knock on the front door). I got the box open, and inside was a case containing the glasses, two cleaning cloths and an Essilor certificate of authenticity. After about 20 min. I felt it had sufficiently come up to temp, and opened the case. The lenses had little speckles all over them (likely ice crystals), so I waited another half hour before the speckles disappeared. I put them on, and to my horror the L lens seemed to have a smudge that blurred and "flared" lights when I looked through it. No such thing on the R lens, nor on any of my other glasses with the same prescription--whether Warby, Zenni or a local optical shop's replacement in a previous LensCrafters frame. Maybe it's me, I thought--but without my glasses and just the implanted lenses that replaced my cataracts, no such defect. I thought maybe they need cleaning, so I followed the Essilor instructions to a T (tepid water, mild dish soap, the included "official" cleaning cloth). Nope--still there. And today there were all sorts of smudges when I looked through a daylit window. Called the office...natch, they'd left for the day; so I left a politely disgruntled message with the answering service.

When Bob came home tonight, I showed him the glasses. "They look nice on you," he said. I replied they weren't so "nice" to look through, and told him what I'd discovered. He replied that decades agoin NYC he used to get his glasses from the priciest shop on 5th Ave, and once it happened to him. The optometrist was furious at the lab and had them replaced, no questions asked (of course, there was no such thing as anti-reflective coating, much less polycarbonate lenses, back then). We both looked at the glasses and they looked pristine from the front. But he put them on and looked up at the chandelier and gasped, "There's a huge defect in the L lens--like a fingerprint sandwiched between the front & the back, and some minute scratches in the R one. Definitely take them back to the office and insist Sophie (the optician) replace them."

So now, in addition to all the errands, meetings & other doctors' & dental appts. I have before we leave for NOLA next week, I have to find time to schlep all the way down to the SW Side and hope the third time's the charm. I'm tempted to say the heck with it and just ask for a refund, as it's not like they're my only glasses with that prescription (two pair of Warbys actually also have Transitions, but those frames aren't as flattering or lightweight as these). For close to five hundred bucks you'd think they could get it right!

ChiSandy

Oh, and Bob's car has been recalled: if the airbag goes off, the deployment mechanism could also explode and spray deadly shrapnel. The letter from Ford emphasized the urgency...but also the need to make an appointment because the new part has to be ordered. (As if they couldn't ship the parts to the dealerships--they certainly found all the owners). So he's driving around in a ticking time bomb till Friday.

IllinoisLady

Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is
excellent in others belong to us as well.

Voltaire