thread for middle age to older Christian women.

ARCats

Susie, there are no words that I can say except that I'm praying for you and your family.

Nancy, praying for you also, and as always my prayers are with all of you.

Please pray for me, I have an appointment next Monday with my OBGYN.

God Bless.

Lita57

Dear sisters, please pray for my 23 yo daughter. I'm worried about her because she has slipped into a deeper depression. She will be seeing a new therapist soon...I've convinced her to try a psychiatrist this time (who can prescribe Rx's if necessary). She has been battling dysthemia (low grade depression) and moderate anxiety/depression for years. She has been resistant to trying anti-depressants and anti-anxiety meds, but I think she's been suffering too long with this.

She was raised in the church, but since college, has become agnostic. Please pray for her on that issue as well.

Thank you for your prayers.

Nancy - Stomach flu is horrible! Lots of bugs going around. Everyone try to stay healthy.

Mini1

Susie - No words. Just prayers.

My eye infection is better. Still a little soreness and redness, but much better than it was. So is the crud I've been battling.

I meet my new oncologist tomorrow. I hope it's a good fit. My former doc was my husband's doc 30 years ago, and then mine 4 years ago. I've never had to deal with another oncologist.

Blessings

auroaya200882

Susie I'm sorry you're going through such a heart wrenching experience. I'm sending prayers to God for wisdom for you and your daughter on what to do and for the insurance people to be gracious about it. God, listen to our prayers, be with Ethan and take him in your arms if it's your will. Amen.

zjrosenthal

Lord please be powerfully with Susie and her family during this ordeal. Love, Jean

auroaya200882

Susie I'm sorry for your loss and I continue praying for you and your family specially your daughter. May God grant your daughter comfort and peace through what must be unbearable pain. Godspeed.

Aurora

Lita57

Susie, condolences. This is indeed tragic. I have no more words.

bandwoman1234

Susie, I am so very sorry to hear that Ethan has passed. This all happened so quickly and I cannot imagine what your daughter is going through. Our family went through this in January seven years ago. I know there will be this surreal period of feeling like you are going through the motions but I do know that God will be your needed strength. He knows your pain and your family's pain. Let Him comfort you.

Lita, praying for your daughter and that she can get help for her depression and that she will turn back to the Lord.

Mini, I just last week got passed off to my MO's new PA. Actually in my situation I think it will be an improvement. She seems much more relatable and receptive so we'll see what happens.

Have a good night dear sisters,

Love

Nancy

zjrosenthal

Praise for Jo's good report. Prayers for Susie and family. How sad. For Lita's daughter. Nancy I hope you are feeling better. For all here that Jesus will make His presence real. Please Lord, meet our needs.

I am grateful for the snow day. Here is a view of our tenant's cottage from our window this morning. Love, Jean

Faith-840

My dear sisters, I took a short break from always having cancer at the forefront and enjoyed doing some other things to keep my mind off of it. However, I have been reading and praying for your needs and I just had to write and say how sorry I am for the terrible loss of Ethan suffered by Susie and her family. There really are no adequate words but there is God and He is there to lift your burdens somehow.

May God's peace be with you all and may He lift the burdens we all carry. In Jesus name I pray.

Love and prayers,

Faith (in the future)

enjoyevrymoment

First of all Susie, I am so sad for your loss of Ethan and will continue to pray for Amanda and all of the family. 17... gosh when I look at the privilege of days we have been granted by the Lord I am just sad that he did not have as much time. My heart breaks for you and I am asking God to give strength.

Lita, so sorry to hear about your daughter going through such struggles. She may possibly return to her faith one day, I am praying for her and the psychiatrist that he will find the right way to help her. My sister was agnostic for a while and just out of no where started reading her Bible again and God brought her around, she does not attend church but has a strong faith now. She also had breast cancer so we have become very close. Anyway I hope you are doing well.

Someone posted a great post about CS Lewis on Facebook which was so encouraging to me but I can't seem to cut and paste. Basically it was from the Screwtape letters and reminded me that Satan loves to distract us from what our focus is. This world is a bit ugly right now but I am choosing to focus on being the change God has for me to do where I am planted. Keep hope my friends, God is on the throne and has much for us to do.

Jean how happy about you finally getting that port out! Hoping you get stronger each day.

Mini wow glad the hole filled in with your eye and hope it stops any more signs of infection.

Nancy, my Mom is gone but there are many hard parts about seeing our loved ones suffer so it is not always the same as when we were younger and could do things with our parents when they were well. So hard to be out of our routines too when we are away, asking God to bless you especially for your sweet care towards her

Joanne, I hope your birthday was wonderful.

Nancy to answer your question my son LOVES his teaching job, it is only until June but I am praying God brings a full time one soon.

Faith, glad you are doing ok! That is the beauty of forgetting you have or had cancer, I have learned we all are different in continuing to process the beast. A friend had bc in 2012 and now has Stge 4 and I have been praying for her. Sweet nurse with three kids. Asking God to help her, not sure where faith is with her but asking God to use me.

Hugs to everyone else I missed, that was a record for me to remember that much lol. Hope God blesses each of you today.

I am working on my doctorate paper so will be spotty for a bit but don't think I am not thinking of you all and praying for you! PS has anyone heard from Deb (Foots)

Cindy

Ade

Susie I am so very sorry for your terrible loss and will continue in prayer for you and your family.

(Sorry I didn't post sooner - have been battling the flu.)

Love -

Ade

zjrosenthal

Susie we are still praying for comfort and peace for you and your family. So sorry. Love, Jean

bandwoman1234

Susie, you and your family are in my heart and in my continued prayers.

Jean, we have seemed to miss most of the snow in the New Year. I know you enjoy it. I think it is pretty if I I don't have to drive in it much. Your picture is pretty.

Cindy, thank you for remembering all of us. I am glad your son is enjoying his teaching job. Those short term assignment have a way of turning into much bigger things so we can always hope that will happen for him. Foots sent me several PM's this past few days. She can always use your prayers as she battles physical challenges.

Ade, I too have been sick with the stomach flu which doesn't seem to want to let go. Hoping we both feel better.

Lita, praying your pain is manageable and that your daughter can get to feeling much better.

Faith, I hope that you had a good mental break from things and praying it was a good recharge for you.

Mini, praying your eye is doing much better now.

Joanne, praying that you and DH will start to getting your strength back and feeling much better. Continued prayers for your family situation with the great grand kids.

Aurora, praying you can get your doctors and insurance in place so you can start on another treatment plan.

Angie, are you still out there? You have been on my heart for a while. I hope you are doing okay.

Mags, I have been thinking about you as well. I am seeing Sandi Patty next week on her farewell tour and I know she either goes to your church or used to. I am hoping I am well enough to go. How are you doing? Not sure if you are still checking in or not.

Have a good night dear sisters.

Love

Nancy

7of9

Susie, prayers for from Ohio, especially your daughter. I'm so sorry. I have a son who is seven who gives me the will to fight the good fight. I'm so sorry for your family's loss of their young light.

bandwoman1234

Ellen, how are you doing back at the helm of your Bible Study? Praying you are getting your stamina back for all of your responsibilities.

Faith, glad to see a pretty face with your name. Hope you are doing well.

Teka, how are you doing way up there in the North Country?

G, how are you doing way in the opposite direction. It is probably pretty nice now in TX and I bet you are really busy with your home schooling and all of your responsibilities.

Hope all of you have a good night's rest.

Love,

Nancy

bandwoman1234

Mini1

Susie - I am so very sorry for your loss. I can't begin to imagine what you and your family are going through. I hope you find some solace in the prayers going up for your family.

Blessings

Mini1

My appt with the new onco doc went well. I think we'll be OK. I'm having one more follow up MRI for my knee in 6 months, but he believes it is arthritis, not the beginning of a mets.

I had an infection in my eye which made me pretty miserable after surgery, but infection notwithstanding, they say my progress is actually ahead of schedule. I started using a steroidal eye drop Thursday and my eye feels so much better. There's a small bit of swelling left, but I think it should be better in the next couple of days.Thank you for all of your prayers.

9 more days and I head to Florida. I'm so ready to be warm. :-)

Blessings

bandwoman1234

magdalene51

Dearest Nancy! And all my sweet sisters in Christ. I have continued to read this thread, more sporadically than in days past, but it remains on my favorites list.

I think I told you that my cancer had progressed to Stage 4 with mets to the lungs, back in August. In November I learned I also have bone mets, to the cervical and lumbar spine. I have been on a halaven treatment schedule since then, but I have made the decision (for a variety of reasons) that the round I just finished last week will be my last. If you are interested in the details, I left a long post in my usual hangout, Insomniacs thread, and you can read it there. I'll be having a PET scan next week, and my MO has requested that my DH accompany me to his office visit the following day, so at least we will know where things stand. As you might imagine, my MO is strongly discouraging me from stopping treatment, but we know all he is doing is giving me more days in which I have no quality of life.

In any case, thanks for remembering me, Nancy, and thank you for your faithful encouragement on this thread. I do try to pray for the concerns as I see them but my brain doesn't hold much these days.

Blessings to you all

ladyb1234

Susie - I am so very sorry for your loss. Prayers for your daughter and family. I pray for your and your daughters strength and peace.

Nancy, I am here. Just can't check in as often. Day before Bew Year's Eve I got that nasty bug that is going around. Took me two weeks to get up and moving and still have linger cough but getting better. The wet and cold weather didn't help much.

Jean, praying for your daughter and granddaughter.

All, continuous prayers for each of you.

For our stage 4 sisters, I continue to pray for each of you that your treatments are keeping you stable or NED! Pray for that treatments are reducing any pain, increasing quality of life, and most of all for guidance in all that you must face, decisions you must make, and that your support system - bfamily, medical team, friends are walking lock step with you.

Love across the miles,

Angie

bandwoman1234

Angie, I am glad to hear from you but sorry you have been sick. I have had the stomach flu all of last week and finally made it to church today as my first real outing. Praying you stay well now and I pray you have a great year.

Mags, I went to "your hangout thread" and read past posts, responses to your post and your last post. First, let me say how very sad I am to read all of what you have gone through and what you are going through. I know how much you went through in your initial treatments and it just seemed like every step of the way was a challenge. I don't think anyone can sit on the sidelines and second guess what they would do if they were in your shoes because I don't think anyone can truly know what they would do.

My plea to you is not to make any hasty decisions regarding your own life based on the actions of your DH. In the end you will be face to face with your Father and I don't want you to regret anything or any decisions you made in the end. If you feel like you cannot take another day of treatment because you are so sick of being miserable I feel like that is another separate issue altogether and one that you need to really pray hard about and discuss with your medical team. I feel God wants us to chose life but again it is not me living in your shoes.

I have known of strong Christian woman who have decided not to have treatment at all when hearing their diagnosis. They did choose life but maybe not in the way we would normally think.

Let me say what an impact you have made on my life as we were bc sisters going through our stuff at the same time. I have prayed as much for you as I have my own family members. I want you to know that your life mattered even in those years of misery. Your life mattered to ME and to many, many other people that you have touched so please don't think of those as wasted years. We will never completely understand what suffering is all about but when we are in heaven I think all the pieces and questions will instantaneously fall into place.

I love you dear sister and I know there are many people in your life that feel the same. I know your smile can still light up a room whether you are really feeling it or not.

I am glad you checked in with our thread and I will certainly be praying for you.

Love,

Nancy

Teka

Susie and Family,

Sharing in your sadness as you remember Ethan!

Teka

Nancy,

Feels like frigid Winter has come to the North Country. (

zjrosenthal

Mags, I am so sad to hear of your suffering. I will be praying for you. Love, Jean

Faith-840

Mags, I wasn't here when you were going through your first bout with BC, but I just went back a read a few of your posts. I am so very sorry for what you have and continue to go through but Nancy has given you some wise words and I pray that you will at least think and pray very hard about your decision, you will be in my prayers.

Nancy, thank you again for remembering me and all the others here. I'm glad to hear you are starting to feel better, this has been a terrible flu season for so many. I've been fairly lucky so far just a couple of days of not feeling well but nothing major. I wrote a long post on Friday night and it somehow ended up being deleted from my new iPad. I was so frustrated I couldn't write another till now.

I enjoyed my short break from the cancer world until it was suddenly upset by drug and insurance issues. Its too long of a story to go into but I just have to say, I was taken advantage of by some very unscrupulous company at a very vulnerable time in my life and gave away unwittingly too much private information. I pray it will all work out in the end but it's been a very upsetting couple of weeks. I did write about the story on the Ibrance thread for anyone who's interested in how to be more careful about everything we do on the internet.

As always, I continue to pray for all of you here. I'm also praying we see some sunshine soon. These gray days are really getting to us.

Hugs, Faith (in the future)

bandwoman1234

Teka, you would laugh at the pic my sister sent me from downstate of the itsty bitsy snow on the ground very early in the morning that had melted by sunrise. We certainly don't get the snow like you do on any given year but this year has been really strange with very little snow.

Susie, my continued prayers for all of your family. What has happened to Jeremy?

Joanne, excellent wisdom in those banners. Thanks for posting those. Praying for the court case this week.

Faith, I can't tell you how sorry I am for your phone scam. Insurance issues and these types of things makes me so angry. I did read on your Ibrance thread and it sounds like there is a great bunch of caring and informed individuals who are truly there to be supportive and I am so glad that is there for you. I am praying for a miracle for you in this outrageous price of this drug. I wish there is something I could do but I can pray and I certainly will do that. I have been in battle mode for weeks on my new Medicare plan and it is just insane the way we have to jump through all of these hoops to get needed meds.

Thank you for your encouragement and support. I did make it to church today so I am hopefully over this stomach bug.

Yes, to see the sun would be so wonderful. It has certainly been days of dreariness for sure. Praying for a break through for you.

Love,

Nancy

Lita57

To all, our true home is not here, it is ultimately with our Lord and Savior.

Stage 4 cancer is a living HELL for some of us. Many have fought valliantly for years, but when there is no longer any more quality of life, we are just "existing" and not glorifying our dear Jesus. Are we then prolonging our lives, or just prolonging our inevitable deaths? These are serious considerations that women like me are confronted with every day.

My MO was very honest with me. Because my cancer is so far advanced (and I was only dx'd 9 mos ago), she told me there is NO cure. Basically I'm only getting chemo to keep me around a little longer. MO said, "You're going to have to tell me when you've had enuf and it's time to throw in the towel. I can't make that decision for you. It has to be your decision."

Quite frankly it deeply offends me when people who are NOT going thru what I'm going thru admonish me to keep on fighting. Until another walks in my stage 4 shoes, they will never know what I'm going thru or what other women who are stage 4 are suffering. This is IT for us. We will never get better. We will ALWAYS be on chemo for however much time we have left. While we appreciate that we are loved and an inspiration to others, the decision to stop treatment and ultimately leave it in God's hands, and not Taxol's or Xeloda's is ours.

The doctors are already "playing God" by keeping me alive this long. With my extensive Mets, I would already have passed had I come down with this 25-30 years ago. Right now, I've decided not to take the End of Life Rx drugs that are available by law in California. That would be playing God on my part, but when it comes time for me to stop treatment, I will choose to voluntarily refuse food and Hydration when it gets to that point. God will be completely in charge...He'll either take me within a week or possibly two.

When one of my metastatic BC sisters decides that it's time to stop, I know that she has already thought about it long and hard. All the sleepless nights, all the anguished tears shed, the countless hours of prayer. No one wants to die. The body has a strong will to live, but the soul ultimately longs to go home after a protracted battle the body will ultimately lose, and who are we to guilt a person in to staying when their soul wants to fly home to our Savior?

I just want people to know how a few of us Stage 4 gals feel about this.

L.

magdalene51

Lita, you've put my struggle into words, powerful words. I have said from the beginning of this journey, my times are in His hands. That always has been, and will remain, true. He will keep me here as long as it pleases Him and not a moment longer. I pray every night that He will take me home. For myself, that is all I want. I chose to do treatment for my husband's sake as he was so emotionally dependent on me. But if he doesn't need me any more, as seems to be the case, then I have no further motivation to continue treatment. Like you said, its only purpose is to prolong my days. And each treatment damages my body even more. I don't know how long I'll last. We'll just have to see