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

Anneb1149

Jackie

I have tried coloring, perms, product, etc on my hair. My middle daughter was the receptionist at a very nice hair salon, and my youngest DD was a hairstylist for ten years. The first time I went there for a haircut ( a few months after Tracy started working there, I was surrounded by most of the stylists and words were flying around- highlights low lights, perm, layers etc. They decided I need color and I think perm. This place had prices way above my usual $12 for haircuts. Tracy had said I would get a discount, but even so... I finally asked how much it t was going to cost me. They all huddled together and came back and said it will be $3 - for the chemicals used- no charge for the labor. My hair looked it's best ever till Tracy moved on. Tracy is still friends with one of the stylists from that shop and she comes by the house on a fairly regular basis and whoever is here gets a cut, or color while we visit. a few months ago I needed a haircut and she couldn't get here so I went to her current shop. With a 20% or 40% discount, my cut cost over $50. I don't have enough hair for $50 haircut.

My hair is so awful that on my wedding day, the man who did my hair actually said that it was such a shame I didn't have hair like my sister- you could really make hers look good. I answered that she may have gotten the good hair, but I had the beauty and the brains. Not necessarily true, but I had to retort somehow.

Anne

carolehalston

Seedsally, good luck with your recovery. I either didn't know or forgot that you were scheduled for surgery. I had a similar surgery but my implants were not saline. I had two drains, one on each side, and got very tired of them before they were removed. My dh took care of them for me for several days until my disgust over my own bodily fluids eased. It will all pass and you will forget the pain, discomfort and inconvenience.

I learned a little while ago that my mother is ill with an intestinal virus. My sister went to visit her but will not stay because my mother is in bed and not feeling well at all. Apparently some of the other elderly patients in the rehab wing are also ill with the same ailment. I feel sorry for everyone involved, including the CNA's who are on duty.

Bonnets, you sound really happy with all those GF bakery items!

I was not blessed with beauty but I do have an abundance of hair. Every stylist I've ever gone to has commented that I have "good hair." It is strange, though, that my hair is curly in the back, straight on top, and wavy on the sides! I went gray a couple of years ago to see if the color was nice. The top was rather pretty with a white streak through the gray but the back was an iron gray. So I went back to color. People always tell me I don't look as old as I am. I think a lot of that reaction is based on hair color. My mother has beautiful silver hair but it took a number of years for her hair to get to that color. She still has a lot of hair for a 93 year old.

I think I heard my washing machine telling me the cycle is finished.

Hope everyone has been having a good Friday.

IllinoisLady

Sometimes during the day, I consciously focus on some ordinary
object and allow myself a momentary "paying-attention." This
paying-attention gives meaning to my life. I don't know who
it was, but someone said that careful attention paid to anything
is a window into the universe. Pausing to think this way, even for
a brief moment, is very important. It gives quality to my day.

Robert Fulghum

Teka

Seedsally, rest then rest some more during recovery!!

IllinoisLady

Good morning,

The sun is finally coming out and that makes me happy. First of the week we will have two or three days of rain. Their is so much pollen out of doors. My car has a slightly greenish yellowy haze on it. Guess I'll see what kind of job the rain can do first of the week, though I may try the car dust mop that I have if the sun comes out a bit better.

Anne, you have definitely tried it all. Hair work ( perms, cuts, frosting, color ) all seems to be pretty costly now-days. I used to go to the Beauty College here but gave it up. Their really good prices have slowly inched up to where I was paying $30.00 for a perm given by people who didn't always know how to yet and never mind some of the really bad hair cuts to boot. I could tolerate a bad mistake now and then for those who are just learning, but not when it gets to nearly the price of a regular salon. I now pay $50.00 total for a cut, perm, and style and the gal who does me has been at it long enough that my results are always consistent and nice. As I consider myself something of a plain-Jane, I don't feel that I have to have extra-ordinary results. I can settle for nice with consistency.

Jackie

carolehalston

Jackie, that's a very reasonable price for perm and style. DH and I went to some cheap walk-in places during our rv travel. My favorite to tell about was a "salon" in a Walmart, where we both sat in chairs to get hair cuts. I tend to chat with people and soon learned that our two young "stylists" had just graduated from their training not at a beauty school but some sort of technical school. We left with butchered hair. That was it for me. I would ask for recommendations from locals in a town and seek out beauty shops with experienced stylists.

I spent the afternoon with my mother, who did get up this morning and went to therapy for some non-strenuous exercising. She had dry toast for breakfast and crackers for lunch. She can deal with diarrhea but is bent on avoiding the throwing up. She had me go down to the nurses' desk and ask them not to bring any dinner meal to her room. She says the sight and aroma of food are not pleasant. I'm hoping she will begin to feel better. Apparently the nursing home has many patients who have caught this intestinal virus. My brother said that a lot of children in the schools are ill with the same virus. Is there anything more distressing than a nursing home full of older people with stomach issues? I feel sorry for them and for the workers.

bonnets

Jackie that sure is reasonable. Around here a perm&cut runs $70-90. I color my own hair, so save on that.My good friend went grey and tried to convince me, but I'm not ready for that. I agree my hair has been thinning, especially where I sleep . The gal who I had cut my hair for about 30 years retired and went to Florida recently so have been trying to find a new stylist. Think I did this time, a friend recommended her, but again, aint cheap. She has been in the business for 40 years! Only thing about hair, if you don't like the job, it will always grow out again!

sandra4611

Hi friends,

Just a quick update: Mike is doing great. He is at day +43, which means 43 days since his bone marrow transplant. Although it took much longer than usual to "engraft" (for the new stem cells to find their way to the bones and start creating a new immune system, red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets), once it started it increased rapidly. Of course he is still quite vulnerable, but the critical first 30 days are over so I've given myself permission to breathe once in awhile. Our next BIG goal is to make it to day +100. There were 4 people I know who had their transplants 2 weeks after Mike. One died on day +11, two engrafted quickly and were out of the hospital even before Mike was released. (One of those has been readmitted for lung infection.) The final person is too weak to get out of bed, is not making platelets so she gets daily infusions. We feel lucky that Mike has made it this far without any major problem.

My son, Ryan, has been a huge challenge. A week ago we had decided to have him committed against his will but his beloved doctor asked to give it one last try. It worked. Ryan has decided to voluntarily admit himself to an inpatient alcohol program. They will also address his mental issues. He should go in sometime this week. Monday he has a meeting with someone from the staff to find out all the details.

My intense stress level has diminished. A week ago I was in the middle of a migraine crises...5 straight days and I couldn't kick it. Fortunately it is gone now. I keep busy making jewelry and doing adult coloring - the more intricate the better. It forces me to pay attention to something other than my husband's and son's illnesses and relieves stress.

MinusTwo

Sandra - thank you for the update. Wonderful news about Mike. And good news about your son too. Still sending extra hugs & thoughts your way daily. I like the idea of adult coloring as a diversion.

IllinoisLady

Okay, I'm feeling good about what I pay to get my hair done now. Well, this little town only has about 13,700 here so that likely accounts somewhat for better prices. There are a couple of places here that get BIG money. They are likely the places that give custom cuts --- by that I mean, if your hair is thicker on one side they thin that side out and things like that. The stylists that do that spend a lot more time with the "cuts" because every thing turns out better when the cut is REALLY good.

I really do like my gal and she uses really good products on me --- I have the same hair repair product from Chi ( thank goodness it doesn't take much ) in a small bottle for $25.00 that you use right after a wash & condition. It is left in and takes just a little dab. She uses that every time she does me.

Sandra, I have been thinking about you and so glad that you gave us an update. Despite coming out of the starting gate a bit slow, Mike really does sound like he is making good time now. Prayers continued for both he and Ryan. Glad as well that Ryan made the decision to get treatment help. Here's hoping that he too while starting a bit late will make good progress.

Yes, do all you can to put yourself and too much stress at a good distance from one another. Prayers for you as well. I hope you will be able to look back at the desert you have had to walk through and feel so amazed at yourself and hopefully easily see your "growth" and the strength you were able to pull in when you thought only turmoil was there.

Will be back in the morning

Night friends,

Jackie

ChiSandy

Sandra, so glad to hear that Mike’s cells are engrafting and Ryan is finally going into rehab. You get to breathe DOUBLE!

I am pretty vain about my hair while I have it. Because I sweat from my scalp and neck so much (even before Letrozole). I get a keratin treatment (tried various ones but now went back to Braz. Blowout) every 3 months or so, and get my grays touched up and split ends evened out every 8 weeks (due for one now). I’ve never been comfy with short hair, and it simply doesn’t suit my face or figure. Back in my mid-20s I tried one of those Dorothy Hamill cuts but couldn’t style the back & sides properly--even when it was its untreated natural-color “virgin hair” it still would get wavy in the wrong direction--as my bangs still have a habit of doing (they sometimes look like a handlebar mustache). I used to go to top salons, but there were so many people there to have to tip--one person for the shampoo, one for the cut, one for the color. another for the blow-dry--so I gave up (especially when I got tired of following my colorist all over Chicago & its suburbs--a problem I inevitably have after a couple of years or so). One salon was on Oak St., nowhere near the train, and the cab or the parking fee were outrageous. Another was up a steep flight of exterior stairs (no elevator), and the Astroturf carpeting on the stairs would chew up the backs of my heels if I wore sandals. One was great.....till it went belly-up. Another was in my neighborhood, but then my stylist (who did all the services) moved. Fortunately, he’s at a salon which, while a bit further away in a neighborhood with no amenities, has much easier unmetered parking (and an espresso machine). You don’t want to know what I pay, though. In between treatments, cuts & color I do my own styling (and if I clip my hair up atop my head before sleeping, I generally can get away with not having to use a flatiron every day). If I just wash & dry it, it still frizzes somewhat (but not as badly as before the keratin treatment).

carolehalston

Sandra, great news that Mike is doing well and your son is seeking help.

Happy Sunday to all.

IllinoisLady

There are no guarantees.
From the viewpoint of fear, none are strong enough.
From the viewpoint of love, none are necessary.
- Emmanuel (Pat Rodegast)

Anneb1149

Sandra - I echo the others- great news about Mike, and I will pray Ryan goes thru with his plAns for rehab.

I have decided that all the "little" things that Tracy and I have been letting slide need to be fixed. Some aren't so little- the kitchen floors have major puddles between the fridge and sink on a regular basis, but since we have no idea where to begin looking ( or what we are looking for) we are going to get someone out to help. The toilet in the main bath clogs at least every other day. Our neighbor- a retired plumber says it's because they made us all go to the water saving size tanks and our pipes are still for the larger tanks. His son, also a plumber is supposed to come by and check it for us. I have no problem conserving water, I just don't want my 13 year old grandson unclogging my poop that often. And the main bathroom door no longer locks. The above ground pool in the backyard is a mess and we have been looking for someone to get rid of it. My SIL called the other day- he used to run a pool service, and he has asked a friend of his, who normally doesn't do above the ground pools, to put us on his weekly roster and get it cleaned and maintain it until the wedding so it will be there for the kids. Then we will get rid of it. We need to get the whole backyard re-sodded. Of, course with all these must- dos comes an even larger list of want-tos. So I started yesterday - we went and bought a sofa and love seat for the family room, and a new coffee table for the front living room- the puppies chewed the table to pieces and it was too large for the room anyway. Today we are going to pick new paint for some of the rooms. We just repainted the house a couple of years ago, but the main color came out like more of a mustardy yellow than the tan, beige I wanted. I was afraid to say anything because Tracy and her ex had put so much time into painting it, but when I finally mentioned it, she agreed she hated it too.

So off we go to Home Depot to pick paints - they look so good at the store, but look totally different on the walls.

Have a good Sun.

Anne

bonnets

Beautiful day here, DH got the grass mowed, I usually do the beds weeds, but it]'s getting to be too much for me. Need to get an estimate to have them weeded and river rocks put down. Mulch is not recommended I read , after all these years, because we have a log house and mulch can draw termites. Log homes are a different thing, they are also loved by borer bees and woodpeckers! Just had a Goldfinch in a tree, right outside the window!

Sandra, so glad you have some good news.

Hope to hear from my surgeon tomorrow on the gall-bladladder sonogram. He never got back to me Friday, but maybe he was off for Passover.

Wren44

Anne, Many paint stores will sell you a little jar of the color you think you want. Paint that on a piece of poster or foam board, leaving a white edge. Then you can put the sample on the wall to see what the light does to it in your room. DS had a color I loved and wanted for the living room. It was Benjamin Moore, who has already painted samples you can take home. In my house it was the ugliest dullest color you can imagine. So it's worth the little you pay for the sample.

Sandra, Happy to hear your good news. How many coloring books have you filled up?

I'm 75 and my hair still reads as dark, despite an increasing amount of gray. It's fine and straight. I keep it short enough to fluff it up. I tried perms and I'm just not a curly haired personality type. DH and DD have curly hair. She looks like one of her parents might be African American.

Puffin2014

Friends came over today and helped sort through the bins in Lew's closet. After several hours of work, here's the before and after photos.

ChiSandy

Puffin, what a difference!

Today it hit 64 here by the lake (80 in the burbs). Bob desperately needed both a haircut and new running shoes (the old ones had gotten trashed over the winter, what with slushy puddles--he will NOT wear boots or rubber overshoes, and didn't want to get salt stains on his black leather walking shoes). He was going to get an electric blue version of the gray/orange NBs he was replacing, but the salesman found him a discontinued model (made in the USA) that was $58 (nearly half off the price of the others). I told him he should snap up the remaining pair in his size, since it might be gone soon and if these got ruined or wore out, there'd be an identical new one waiting in the closet. Well, the Scots & Swiss in him took over and he said he only wanted to spend the $58 (when 10 min. earlier he was willing to spend $118). So we bought the one pair....but I'm going back tomorrow and buying him the second pair. At the very least. he'd be able to rotate shoes and keep them from getting too stinky from sweat. (His feet perspire like crazy, especially when the heat is on in the car; he spends half the day on his feet making rounds and in the cath lab; and he likes to take 10-mile walks on his days off).

After that we went down the street to Forever Yogurt. Amazingly, he'd never been to a self-serve fro-yo parlor; after he recovered from his bowel surgery & bland soft diet, he stopped going to Lickety Split on the corner for frozen custard because it was too fattening and didn't want to regain weight too fast. He was astonished that he could get as much or as little of whatever flavor he wanted, and that he could taste first. I usually get half of whatever is sugar-free and half of their plain “tart" or “Greek style" yogurt--maybe about 3-4 oz. with a few dark chocolate flakes or sprinkles. He loaded up with 8 oz. of plain, no toppings. That was about 5 pm, and we're both still full!

(His favorite barber was all booked up, so no-go on the haircut).

Anneb1149

Puffin- doesn't it feel good to start with something so messy and transform it into neat and organized?

Today starts another day of travel for me. My daughter is insisting we leave here at 10:30 for a 20 minute ride to the airport for a flight that leaves at 12:50. She says worst thing is I will have to sit and read at the airport longer, but I won't be taking the chance of missing the plane. I told her she has no idea how uncomfortable those plastic airport seats are. She also forgets that she has flown once or twice in her life and i fly constantly. Going to Atlanta and back is a full day event. It's a 15-20 minute drive from the house, to the airport, then I sit at the airport for well over an hour. The actual flight is almost 2 hrs, then I get on the local Marta train system, ride that for 40 minutes, then back in the car for another hour's drive to the house. I will leave here about 10, and get to Nancy's about 5. Makes for a very long drive. And in 16 days, I'll do it all in reverse. Plus I have to check my baggage, no matter how small because the lymphedema makes it impossible for me to raise the weight over my head into the storage unit- so add time waiting for luggage to this day. If didn't have grandchildren, I would not travel nearly as much.

Chi-Sandy- hope the second pair of shoes are still there when you go back.

Anne

IllinoisLady

You are here to evolve and make your consciousness high
You are here to dance, sing and celebrate life.
You are here to help others to make their life happy.
We are here not to compete, but to learn, evolve and excel.
We are not here to make divisions in the name of prophets and religions.
We are here to encompass the world with love and light.
- Amit Ray

IllinoisLady

Fantastic day here....about 84 degrees. So very nice with a nice breeze so you didn't feel too heated. I worked for awhile today. A little extra -- always nice. Will be back again tomorrow. Maybe a bit on Wednesday too --- we'll see when the time comes. Sure thrilled that we are having the nice weather -- though of course, starting tonight --- rain can be expected. Can't complain, as I don't think we have actually had all that much this month, but easy to get VERY spoiled with a few great days in a row.

Dh got some extra work today as well. Things will thin at some point so we will just be glad for now.

Hope you all have had a wonderful day today --- and that your weather is good.

Jackie

ChiSandy

Bob insists I not buy him that second pair--“What if these turn out to be uncomfortable?I wouldn’t want to extend their lifespan. What if I want something more fashionable when these wear out?” I swear, he will look for any excuse not to spend money on himself. He got that from his late dad. When his dad needed new walking shoes, he bought one pair on sale. Unbeknownst to him, I bought a second, and hid them in my closet. When his dad died before wearing out the first pair, Bob found the second pair fit him--and he wore them till the soles began falling off. He has a pair of Mephistos--he kept the last pair going for 12 years by constantly getting them re-soled and reconditioned under the warranty, until the factory sent them back as irreparable. They’re not as comfy as the NBs, but they can still be restored. And even though he complains whenever he wears his dress shoes that they’re pinching his feet, he won’t buy a pair that fits, because “I only wear them a few times a year for a couple of hours at a time.” I have to keep checking his closet for frayed cuffs on his Dockers and secretly replace them so he doesn’t notice.

Yet he doesn’t object to paying $70 for a bottle of cognac or artisanal vodka, $80 (incl. $15 tip) for a haircut from his favorite barber, or when I buy spare sets of compression sleeves & gauntlets so I don’t have to wash & dry them often them on long trips.

IllinoisLady

When we pay attention to nature's music, we find that everything on the Earth contributes to its harmony.

Hazrat Inayat Khan

IllinoisLady

Chi Sandy,

Too funny -- in a way. I think this is why men really need women on the one hand. They seem to have a big habit of making their life way too simple because they have no notion that too much simplicity throws you the other way -- with frayed cuffs, worn down heels making the good you might have done far too exaggerated in the end. I see Dh here not always seeing the "end" product of some of his actions though I have to admit, a whole lot of the time he is almost the opposite. Has more clothes and shoes then I do--but the end product on that is --- toss out or give away ill fitting now, or un-used in ages clothing, not until the closet explodes from all that is crammed in there. Sigh !!!!!

Beautiful again today. Keep saying we will get rain, but while there is not the sunshiny morning ( a bit of muted sun ) that we have been having, the balmy air is hanging in there so Capri's again today for me.

I have a busy morning but will likely be back later.

Jackie

ChiSandy

We had thunder & hail last night--Bob was sure that the roof of the car would get hail damage, but it came through unscathed. Going down to Minooka in a couple hrs. to pick up my friend. Tonight we’ll stay at the Oak Lawn Hilton for a Girls’ Night Out/Last Hurrah before she goes NPO at midnight--sometime tomorrow morning (we don’t have a time yet) we have to be at Christ Hospital for her BMX. (Her surgeon pushed for a BLX--the left breast has multifocal grade 3 DCIS, the other just ADH--but she’s adamant about wanting to get bc behind her even though it’s not an absolute guarantee). They’re keeping her in till Fri.; I’ll stay with her overnight at her house till the handoff to her next-door neighbor on Sat.

For a political junkie, tonight will be challenging--we have to turn in early, and she doesn’t care about news so no watching primary coverage on CNN (the hotel doesn’t have MSNBC). Good thing there’s nothing I want to watch Fri. (Bill Maher’s taking the week off), since she ditched her TV. I will also be bringing my mini-Keurig and K-cups, because the only coffee in her house is instant decaf--she doesn’t even own a coffeepot. Wish me luck--and be in her pocket.

IllinoisLady

ChiSandy, you got it. bummer about missing the first hand tallies from tonight. Hope your friend meets with a smooth no problems surgery. Also a good recovery. Your a good friend to keep her company through this period. Like you, I would have to carry a coffee pot and real coffee in order for me to have any effectiveness at all. Lots of positive energies for you and your friend.

Jackie

sandra4611

Ryan was supposed to go see the people at the rehab/psych facility on Monday. He said he didn't set his alarm. Promised to go today. Found out this evening that he didn't go. He said his girlfriend tried to commit suicide and is in the hospital. Good enough reason, but...

Running out of hope

ChiSandy

Talk about CrazyTown. We had dinner & drinks tonight and Bob was able to drop by en route home. My friend and I gave each other earplugs so as not to hear each other snore--we have to be up early tomorrow as her first procedure is at 9 am.

Unfortunately, the earplugs are doing nada to drown out what's going on one room over. Remember that Paul Simon song "Duncan?" ("Couple in the next room, bound to win a prize--they been goin' at it all night long"). Well, I'm tryin' to get some sleep, but THESE hotel walls ain't cheap--for $200 (in a suburb, no less) we expect a little quiet!

From what we could see on the TVsin the bar, no electoral surprises. Waiting for three weeks of e-mail to finish downloading--so I'm typing this in the loo on my iPad. Check bank in with you tomorrow.

IllinoisLady

The only way to live is to accept each minute
as an unrepeatable miracle, which is exactly
what it is: a miracle and unrepeatable.

Storm Jameson

IllinoisLady

It is a wet morning here. Rain late yesterday -- a soaker, and more this morning. Stopped for now, but we are not through. It won't affect our temperatures much so we will just have to wait and see. Sandra, I am thinking of you and saying lots of prayers. All we much ever have is hope that things that are beneficial will work out. As usual no amt. of that can influence anyone to do what they NEED to do. Still, I am hoping for Ryan's sake as you are that he can get this done.

Chi -- sounds like a horrid night for you. You are right -- for $200.00 a night those walls should have been sound-proofed.

Hoping for a really good day. In that, I just wish to stay mainly dry.

Jackie