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

IllinoisLady

Because it has optimism in it, because it's closely allied to cheerfulness, enthusiasm has the power to lift people over the rough places in life. Which of us does not admire some friend who has proved his or her capacity to endure staggering blows, keeping their sense of humor, their interest in things, their vitality intact? We marvel, as a rule, that such people are able to retain their enthusiasm. The truth probably is that their enthusiasm--the love power inside--is supporting them. -Arthur Gordon

IllinoisLady

Brr, cold here this a.m. Like 11 degrees. Not going to be a great day. There is some sun out so that will make it 'look' nicer -- nicer than it is. Sometimes if the ground stays warm enough -- the sun might slush up some of the snow on the back roads, but would have to wait and see. I know the roads are not frozen underneath yet because the day before was in the 60's. Once again our drastic from one to the other in hours took place to get us here.

Petite, sounds like you are moving right ahead now. Good for you.

Looking at having a quiet day here with indoor activities of course. I've been able to make some small strides here and there.

mistyeyes

Di - I hope after having the implants removed you will feel so much better. It will be good to be out of pain and be able to have more movement in your arms.

Worry the pooh - I have been reading about the fires there. Stay safe, I hope it all gets under control soon.

Wren44

Di, Hope everything goes well and you finally get relief from the pain. I only had one removed and no recon. I've been tempted to remove the other one as well because I think dressing flat would be a lot easier.

WorryThePooh

Thanks mistyeyes, yes it's been an exhausting and harrowing week. I just hope we get some rain soon all over this state, as they are running out of water to fight the fires.

thisiknow

WorryThePooh... I heard from someone today that they also may be running out of firemen. May God help you

ChiSandy

Worry, I’ve been anxiously following reports of the NSW fires—just as scary as CA, but perhaps more dire due to understaffed fire crews. Stay safe!

Di, hope you’re resting comfortably (and they gave you one of those rooms with a ship canal & Mt. Rainier view. The latter made getting my wisdom teeth pulled at the UW Dental School clinic almost enjoyable—that and the I.V. Valium, of course).

Brutal, bitter cold (12F this a.m., 9F by tomorrow morning). Overslept and wouldn’t have made my dental appointment since I had to feed the demanding kitties; also had some tummy issues, which meant no prophylactic antibiotic. So I didn’t have to kill 3 hrs in the Loop after all. Meanwhile, it was extremely tough to prep for the audition for a solo in the Bar Show ensemble number: my ancient piano is out of tune, but the pin block is shot so tuning isn’t an option; and my cheap Yamaha electric synth is also broken. Bob says I can get an 88-key electric spinet if I want. But no time to get one—unless Costco can deliver. I ended up getting a duet in the closing number, which is better than nothing—the director wanted a strong alto on that duet (the solos ended up going to the first & second sopranos anyway), and nobody else could make hide nor hair of that illogical line.

WorryThePooh

thisiknow thank you! Gosh I hadn't even heard about the firemen running out.

ChiSandy, thank you! Glad you got a duet, I know very little about music must admit!

I have my yearly mammogram tomorrow morning, first one since diagnosed last November.

IllinoisLady

Can we recognize our oneness, though? And what will happen if we
not only start to see that we are connected to the other human beings
in our lives, but also start to live as if that were true? Would we
become more compassionate if we were to recognize the same hopes
and dreams that we have, there in someone else? Would we be able
to help someone else feel more hope in their lives? Would we feel
more at home and at peace in our own places in this world if we were
to keep in mind that we are an important part of the human race, and
that we have many chances every day to improve the lot of humanity
by improving the life of a fellow human being, even in tiny ways?

tom walsh

Chevyboy

Morning gals... Yes, this cold wet snowy weather is not what I like... But I couldn't believe the temp. when I woke up this morning...51 degrees! Soooo much better than the teens!

Thinking about you Di... I have wondered how the implants held up... I probably would have had them also if I were younger.... I just had a Lumpectomy... and everything good 10 years later! Just "modify" my bra's to make the cup on the left side fit !! Just easier to go without a bra, but know I shouldn't, especially when leaving the house.

Petite! Yes! Our oldest Daughter and family live in Orlando... She LOVES the cold weather when she visits here in the Winter... But warmth sounds so good to me!

MC... Do you wear hearing aids? I have the Bernafon from Costco... They work really well!

petite1

Good morning. 50 degrees here. The cats demanded food at 6:00, but I just wanted to stay in the bed. The rash was very uncomfortable last night and my nipple has turned red and is very sensitive. Radiation will be over, soon and on to the next part of this journey. Thank you all for your support.

carolehalston

Cold here this morning but the sun is shining. We ran a trickle of water overnight.

This afternoon I have an appointment at Sam's Club to pick up a new cell phone. My I-phone is one of the "ancient" ones and Sam's had a deal I went for. The I-Phone 10 model I chose comes with a gift card for $400 of purchases at Sam's. We easily spend that much in a couple of months. I have held off getting a larger phone but this one isn't the huge one.

Meanwhile I need to get myself to the gym this morning.

MCBaker

Petite, my prayers that you will finish with minimal burns.

Worry, I haven't been following the Australian fires, I get too anxious following the California fires. They use airplanes and helicopters to dump water don't they? I suppose the salt in ocean water might disturb such a fragile ecosystem too much. Maybe they ought to offer USA firefighters a working vacation. In California they have crews from prisons who work the fires. Praying for you. I would not want to go through the trauma of evacuation, then not knowing if you have a home to go back to. We have a lot of forests here, and are well prepared; the water supply here is much more than ample; I suppose around here they would end up going to the Mississippi. Then many small lakes before they get to Lake Michigan.

I had the two teeth pulled day before yesterday, and I am still experiencing quite a bit of pain.

My first HA's more than twenty years ago were Siemens, Second ones were Resound, then Starkey, now Oticon.

Wren44

Pooh, Wouldn't surprise me if Washington State sent some firefighters. I know some Aussies were here helping us when we needed it. I know we have some down in Calif. I have only seen a grass fire when I was a kid. Pretty impressive and as dangerous as a forest fire although unlikely to spread as fast.

Di2012

Thanks for the "well wishes".....HOWEVER.....my surgery is tomorrow @ 5:45am (check in). My surgery is OUTPATIENT surgery and should be about 3 hours.....because these hard as rock implants are under my pectoral muscles...when I move my arms the FOOBS move too!!

Hugs,

Di

Beaverntx

Di, with you in spirit tomorrow morning. May all go well and you achieve comfort again!

WorryThePooh

Thanks MCBaker and Wren44. I am safe now where I live, but am worried about friends who live where the fires are still burning. So far a million hectares of land has burned, over 300 homes have been lost and four people have died.

Good news for me is I got the all clear with my mammogram today! Don't have to see my specialist for another year now.

IllinoisLady

Hello, sun in my face. Hello you who made the morning and spread it over the fields...Watch, now, how I start the day in happiness, in kindness.

- Mary Oliver -

petite1

Good morning. I saw the RO, who looked at my rash and said "OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO..., hang in there, 2 more treatments." So, that is what I am going to do.

Beaverntx

petite, don't know if this would be helpful for you or not, but when I started to develop a rash my RO suggested I gently wash and pay dry the area, after it was dry then apply cornstarch lightly, wait a bit and then gently brush off any extra. Worked like a charm for me but I only had a small area of rash. Also, I wore only cotton clothing during rads so moisture was wicked off. With only 2 more to go, the end is in sight, YEAH!

MCBaker

As of this afternoon, I have only one more infusion to go! Then I ring the bell and get rid of the port. Guess which will be the greatest????? Then careful watching. I had my infusion at the new hospital in town.

MinusTwo

McBaker - Congrats on only one more before the bell.

A thought about ports. I made sure to keep my port until all the testing that the doc wanted post treatment was finished. I found it so much easier to have MRI, CT, PET/CT - all with contrast of course - so they could use my port.

MCBaker

I will talk with him about that. Good point, Two. But all that testing will be the rest of my life.

Chevyboy

Morning girls! Minus.... always thinking about you... I know we have really come a long way with treatments and options, but some of us/you are still fighting for somewhat of a normal life! So sorry, we all go through this, seems like forever...

All I wish is for you to live happy, for every minute you have... I know if it isn't breast cancer, it will be something else...

Just lost a SIL to ALS... And my other SIL is hanging in there... Liver failure, dialysis 3 times a week, gets 24 hour care in Nashville, and my Brother drives to be with her every day... says her other organs are failing... has maybe 2 weeks to a month to live. But you know, he just thinks he will have her forever! Guess that's what keeps him AND her going.

I am so thankful for every new day... with my Husband...

pingpong1953

Tomorrow is the last craft show of the year. I've never done this one before, so I don't know how strict they are about laying out our areas, etc. I'm taking some items I have on my Etsy shop and "borrowing" them, hopefully to sell. If not, I'll just put them back on. (Shameless self-promotion that administrator may remove if it's inappropriate: I have some beautiful Christmas cards for sale. I even do custom work. And I ship to the US. And I don't have to charge sales tax, which is a bargain for the buyer.) Winter started on October 31 and it's been snowing and bitterly cold the past week. It's supposed to be warming up and we're supposed to have sunshine tomorrow, which should bring people out to the show. I hope!!!

IllinoisLady

I am responsible. Although I may not be able to prevent the worst from happening, I am responsible for my attitude toward the inevitable misfortunes that darken life. Bad things do happen; how I respond to them defines my character. -Walter Anderson

petite1

Beaverntx , I tried it last night. It looked much better this morning! Not nearly as red. Thanks for the tip. Today is the last day for full breast radiation. Next week is just the spot where the tumors were, for 5 days and then done with radiation. I will be so glad.

Beaverntx

Petite so glad it helped. You are almost there.

IllinoisLady

Petite I too am glad you found some relief. I think those last five treatments ( when I did rads they were called boosts ) may call for some of what has helped you now. Always fantastic to 'complete' whatever part of the treatment you are doing. Hoping this will be it for you. It takes a bit of time to get back -- in fact, I found it a little off-putting when I was no longer "doing" something that seemed designed specifically to help me get to NED status, to feeling really 'normal' and feeling generally secure that you have attained a 'wellness' that you don't have to consider everyday or plan to do. I had questions for a bit -- like am I really well now that I don't have to do anything ( no chemo or rads ) but maybe take a pill. I couldn't tell a difference when I took that pill so felt like I was adrift.

In time I became used to having a life as a person who was in fact quite well. It comes and while we always have to keep a check on our health, we were doing that anyway. We just aren't complacent much any more.

WorryThePooh

Chevyboy, I am so sorry for your loss, what a horrible horrible disease that ALS is. A friend of mine recently lost her sister to it.

Petite, I am glad the redness has gone down and you are almost there. I remember being at that stage, around new years it was for me, let's just say I didn't go out partying!

I was a bit on a high on Thursday finding out my mammogram and ultrasound were normal... NORMAL!!! I know it doesn't mean it can't come back, but I feel more optimistic for the moment. Unfortunately there is an international Tamoxifen shortage, so I hope that I will be able to get some soon somewhere.