MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish

msphil

hi helena 67, I too was diagnosed at 42 and I know the feelings you are having, But I,m here to tell you that you can make it through this journey, I did and so many others here, I am 16 yrs cancer free(Praise the Lord) , so continue to come here we are here for you.  msphil

suzwes

Thanks Meece, I'll look for that product.  Between you and Elimar I should be able to avoid a dr. visit and antibiotics altogether.  Although I promise both of you that if it doesn't go away in a couple of days I'll go in!  Not always a good idea to self treat but after all of my other appointments (as you all know) I avoid going in to the dr. as much as possible.

Kleenex

If you really think it's a UTI and you're not getting relief, don't wait to go in. Those things can progress to kidney infections if left untreated - had a friend who had that happen when she was "self-treating," and it was a bigger mess and more uncomfortable and more expensive than if she'd just gone in and gotten a cheap medication when first she sensed it was a UTI.

Carrol2

I agree with kleenex. I was told that those infections do not go away by themselves.

elimar86861

I've had it go both ways...several times had mild cases where I flushed the UT irritation away with cranberry juice (using the Azo for two days, then not needing it.)  The other occasions, I was still having discomfort on the third day, so knew the home remedy was not enough.  

Kleenex/Carrol2---in your caricature and photo, the two of you have the same hair style!!!

Carrol2

lol elimar sort of. you should see the short dark brown wig i got.

suzwes

Thanks ladies.  If it isn't better by tomorrow, I'll definitely go in.  It is much better today than it was yesterday so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. 

That was a great observation Elimar.  Their hair styles are the same!

Eph3_12

Hairstyles & smiles! Freaky!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Meece

Kleenex, you aren't playing a trick on us, are you?

barbe1958

Holy crap! Chin line and cheek line too!!!!

CatbirdC

Hi All,

I used to be prone to UTI all the time.  And I hate cranberry juice.  LOL   So I went to Walmart, got a bottle of cranberry capsules and took 15 of them along with the over the counter uti med that makes orange tinkle.  CURED MYSELF.   LOL

Ever since that I take ONE cranberry capsule a night and coincidence or not I've never had another one....UTI that is.    I did tell my doctor what I did much later.  He laughed and told me taking the cranberry capsules probably does help but he wouldn't o.k. 15 of them.

Catbird

NativeMainer

Along with Vit C, OJ, and cranberry juice for a UTI don't forget to drink a gallon of water a day.  That helps keeping things moving "downhill" from the kidneys and helps keep the nasty bugs from setting up shop int he kidneys.  It also washes out a lot of the bacteria before it gets a chance to attach to the bladder wall and start burrowing in. 

barbe1958

But be careful to make sure you are peeing enough out! You can get edema from your kidneys not being able to rid your body of all the fluid. It's a fine balance. I, personally, can't drink too much fluid or I start to swell. Found out last year I have kidney disease in my right kidney! Who'da thunk it?

suzwes

Well, I broke down and stopped at the urgent care on my way home.  Pain got worse so that did it for me.  I've got my Cipro and my prescription strength pyridium and am ready to go.  I try to drink tons of water but today I had so many meetings that I didn't get to drink as much.  That did it for me.

Barbe, it is a fine balance and so sorry you have kidney disease.  Not fun and Not fair!

Carrol2

Are you guys saying i look like a cartoon character??? 

well I have been told I sound like Lisa Simpson on the phone lol. 

 Soon I will be wearing a short dark brown wig . . .  

Eph3_12

There's a post further up the page Carrol2 where you & Kleenex are right next to each other....check it out!

raeinnz

Carrol2 - love your sense of humour - you'd make a good Kiwi - take it on the chin and then give as good back!!

Carrol2

eph3_12 i guess i sort of see it lol they captured my chipmunk cheeks

Eph3_12

I think you and Kleenex might be twins, separated at birth (It won't let me take the word off.  I was trying to post the little yellow face that says surprised but it will only print the word & won't put the picture there)

Carrol2

eph3-12 every once ina  blue moon someone tells me that i look like someone else. Very rarely though. Probably just the goofy pici posted. maybe I should steel kleeex's avatar. I wonder if she rally looks like me in person or if it's just that I am a cartoon character. I have been told that lol. I was super into powerpuff girls when it first came out.

girl power! 

raeinnz

Years ago, when my brother got a new girlfriend, he said we looked so alike we could be twins and he obviously told her that too.  When we finally met we looked nothing like eachother apart from long dark hair.  He said 'well, it must be your personalities' - lame - cos we were nothing alike in that department either - she got on with him, I didn't! - men!!

gingersfavorite1

well good morning  (2 a.m.)  ladies - UGH!

Think perhaps my onc. might reduce the steroids for me next time?!   Grrr....

I went to bed just before 10, got up to tinkle a little after 1 and could not go back to sleep.   Within half an hour felt wide awake and decided to get up.

We'll see if I can be productive, do some of my paperwork that needs done today ..... and perhaps get a little more shut-eye on the couch before actually starting my day (?) 

Meece

2 am here, although two hours after you.  We're heading to AZ in about an hour, after we down a couple cups of coffee.  Hope you are getting some more rest Stephanie.

elimar86861

Meece, you brought it up, so why are you headed to AZ at 3 a.m.?

                                                 -------------------------------

On the subject of sleep...   I feel it is at the root of all health, don't you?  I don't think I've slept thru' the night for 30 years, and it's not all bathroom break either.  Is it one of the by-products of middle age?  I did hear that our melatonin production decreases with age.  I can use a supplement and I will still not last the whole night.  Do ANY of you Middies out there get 6-8 hours of sleep with no waking in the middle?  Or does a 40+ woman sleeping thru' the night fall into the same category as leprechauns, mermaids, and unicorns?

barbe1958

I'm lucky that I LOVE to read. So I keep a clip-on light on all night usually. My DH wears eye shades and I read until I fall asleep. I let the book lie on my chest. Then when pain or pee wakes me up, I continue reading. Repeat.

Very rarely I will turn the light off, but then usually turn it back on to go pee. Sigh.

barbe1958

Ya, ya, I know right now someone is typing that night light can cause breast cancer. TA DA!!!!!

Eph3_12

Well Elimar-I for one, am not mythical!  I am very real & I wake up every night, several times a night.  I don't necessarily get up, but I wake up!  I hate it.  I want to sleep long stretches at a time because I love to sleep.  It's distressing to continually wake up.

I love our rowing on the river, garden party picture at the top of the thread. I remember that day.  Barbe, Meece & I were racing little sailboats on the other side of the bridge when this was taken I believe.

suzwes

I hope Joni, Meece and Barbe will invite me to the next garden party - maybe I did attend this one though, I think that's me, the one standing on the bridge watching the boats row under!

I rarely sleep through the night anymore.  I either just wake up or have to get up to pee.  The last few evenings that was many times. I take a melatonin every evening and half of the evenings I have help falling asleep from Mr. Benedryl.  He's wonderful.  Helps my allergies too.  Since beginning my antibiotic yesterday I didn't get up once last night, and got a full 7 hours of sleep!  Yippee.

barbe1958

One melatonin won't do anything. I used to get the big bottle from Walmart with the little, itty, bitty pills. I took 6 a night. Was a good sleep. Why did I stop? Anyone read a post from me way back as to why I stopped? Can you remind me? heheheheheehheeh

I take 13 prescription pills a day now, maybe it was just that I didn't want to take 6 more?

elimar86861

The topic right now is SLEEP (and whether, as Middies, we can ever get a decent amount.) but a a public service to this thread, I have to report on Chester's Puffcorn, which piqued our interest on an earlier page. 

Here's the not-so-skinny on them, or perhaps I should say the Good, the Bad and the Ugly:  They have a texture that is a cross between a cotton ball and a eucharist wafer.  (Mmm, that's good.)   They are not as "dangerously cheesy" compared with Crunchy Cheetos, and I like danger.  (So, that's bad.)  I still managed to eat half a bag.  (That's Ugly.)

The nutritional comparison is:  Same calories in both of them (that's good) but one more gram of fat in the Puffcorn (bad) only it's not the bad fat apparently because the Puffcorn actually had .5 grams less saturated fat (so, good again.)   Overall, they are virtually the same.  So, I've just found another snack food that has the potential to make my clothing fit too tight (and that's not pretty!)

Now, back to our regularly scheduled topic of sleep...