I say yes, you say no, OR People are Strange

Bren-2007

Chaplain .. hope you enjoy the conference .. sounds like fun!

Ang ... I don't get flu shots.  I'm rarely around people and work from home.  I might get a bad cold in the winter, but rarely get really sick.

Susie and Otter ... wonderful news!

My dear friend Nicki is going into palliative care at a treatment facility today.  She has stopped all chemo treatment.  I've known her for going on five years and it just breaks my heart.  I hope they can manage her pain and keep her comfortable. We've got a card shower going for her, so PM me if you'd like the address.

I've had a busy day blowing and raking acorns.  They were so thick on the driveway, I slipped and took a tumble with the leafblower going on one hand.  Ouch! 

Hope everyone had a great day!

hugs,

Bren

suzieq60

((((((((((((((((Nikki)))))))))))))))) - give her our love

bluedahlia

Bren, hope your ouchy is better.

Thanks for posting the update on Nicki.  ((((((((((Nicki))))))))))

rosemary-b

Sunflowers

It did seem like allergies but the symptoms were significantly worse starting the evening of the day I had the shot and lasting two days, just the time frame in the flyer from the doctor's office. I think I'm going to give it one more shot. (Hee, hee,hee)

rosemary-b

Chaplain

Have a good conference

Bin

Ouch!

1Athena1

Never had a flu shot in my life, nor given it much thought. I am not much of a preventive medicine person, I'm afraid - not by choice but I just don't worry about my health unless it worries me. Besides, I tend to get illnesses that are impossible to prevent because they are either inherited or of unknown origin, incurable and potentially fatal, so whenever I am "between treatments" I like to forget medicine. Ironically, I am blessed with a great constitution - don't get flus, GI problems, infections, etc... Have no idea what a toothache or a sinus infection feels like. 

Cherryl, have a great time. We will do our best to keep the bartending to your exacting standards. Having delicious wine myself. 

Otter the immunologist-  I won't forget that. I bet you were very good, too. 

rosemary-b

I bought tickets today for a fashion show at the local hospital. All of the money goes to the Cancer Center at the hospital. Some of it will go to the prescription fund for the Cancer Center, some of it for cancer imaging (I'm not sure if it is new machines or just maintainence) and some will go to their Survivor's Support Group. That is a fundraiser I can enthusiastically support.

kad2kar

Bin----Get yourself one of  those metal bag holders that hold the large leaf bags that should help.............IF you climb in it while doing all the things you do to slip and fall, you will have something to grab onto and maybe prevent the slippage.      kad2kar  HUGS TO ALL

AnnNYC

Cherryl -- have a great time!

Bren -- owwww!!!  Hope you feel better soon!

lewing

Bren, hope you're not bruised up from your fall.  (I'm notoriously clumsy - I swear, I have tripped over shadows on the sidewalk - but have not taken a fall since June.  Knock on wood veneer.)

Cherryl, have a great time at your conference, but also: darn! I'm going to be in Chicago for a lightning-quick trip this weekend.  Daughter took the bus home last night (love that Mega bus between Chicago and Detroit - just $36, less than the gas and tolls would cost driving), and I'm taking her back this afternoon, after she's had time to see her dad and gather up more winter clothes.  Lots of hugs outside the bus station last night when we saw each other for the first time in almost 2 months!  We're both excited about the return trip . . . she wants me to meet her friends, believe it or not.  Sheesh: when I was in college, I went to great lengths to hide my parents from my friends!

Annual onco check-up this coming Tuesday.  I'm a little ticked because my doe-eyed young Peruvian doctor has left the system - the downside of being a boring patient in a big academic medical center where a lot of care is provided by Fellows is the built-in turnover (though I am very, very glad to be boring).  As luck would have it, my tamoxifen just ran out and a snippy nurse gave me trouble about reauthorizing it.  "Your doctor has to do that," was her response.  Well, I told her, my doctor has left, but my new doctor is Dr. B----.  "Yes, but he has to see you first," she told me, then asked (in an accusatory tone) if I was planning to keep my appointment on Tuesday.  Of course, I told her (thinking: bitch!).   Do you want me to skip my tamoxifen until then?  FINALLY - and I swear, I think I heard her heave an exasperated sigh - I got her to relay the Rx to their "on call" (whatever exactly that means) to fill.

I felt as though I was being treated as a tamoxifen addict, or maybe a dealer.  Hahahaha - what do you think the street value of that stuff is?

L

Bren-2007

Kad2kar ... you made me laugh out loud.  I think the solution is to cut down the 100 ft oak tree!  Of course I won't do that .. but that tree gives me fits.  I'm fine today.  Mostly it just scared me more than hurt me!

Linda .. sounds like a wonderful reunion with your daughter.  I've got a bunch of Tamoxifen here if you want it .. I can be your dealer.  Too funny about being a Tamoxifen addict!

Rosemary .. the fashion show sounds like fun!

Well .. I need to get outside and start shoveling up all those freakin' acorns I gathered together yesterday.  Should take a couple of hours ... okay .. I'm now seriously thinking of chopping that monster tree down. (just kidding)

Hope everyone has a great day.

hugs,
Bren

PS .. Don't forget the card shower for Nicki ... PM me and I'll give you the address.

YramAL

Bren-were you wearing your beautiful birthday shoes when you fell?  I think it was you that posted a picture of some sky high heels awhile back-if not, excuse my memory.

Athena-I'm like you as far as everyday ailments go. I work with kids all day, and I very rarely get sick. Like I say to my husband, "I don't get colds and flu-I just get cancer and Graves' Disease." I am planning on getting my flu shot though. I have co-workers who don't because they are "afraid of needles" or because the flu shot "makes them get the flu". Invariably, these people DO get the flu, and end up missing lots of work, and I frequently have to cover for them. Kind of pisses me off.

Linda-that sounds like you had a wonderful time with your daugher. I find that my daughter likes me a lot more since she has moved out of my house and about an hour away.

Happy Saturday to everyone! I was on jury duty this week. Came within one person of having to serve on a 3 week murder trial. I think it would have been interesting, but I'm done now. Yay!

Mary 

YramAL

Really need to share what happened to my elderly parents yesterday.

Someone called them and pretended to be my 23 year old son and told them he was in a Mexican prison and needed $3500 for a lawyer to get out. My mom is somewhat hard of hearing and said this person sounded like my son. He told her to send the money by Western Union. He also told her not to tell his parents-he wanted to tell us himself "because you know how mad my dad can get." My dad went to the bank and withdrew the cash and went to Western Union. There was an angel watching over him because the clerk there told him it was a scam and to call the police. Then, and only then, did my mom call my brother and tell him what was going on.

It really pisses me off that people prey on the elderly like this, and it also pisses me off that my parents were going to hide this from me. If it was just one of them, I would be concerned about dementia, but they were in this together. They were going to send $3500 to someone they thought was my son's Mexican lawyer. 

My brother and I are making sure my parents get caller I.D., and I have told them I want to know if one of my kids calls them like this in the future, no matter how mad they think I'm going to get. And then I'm going to drop it, because I think they've beaten themselves up enough already.

My son said he feels good that his grandparents have his back.  

Argh.

Mary 

1Athena1

YramAL - On my goodness. What a near miss. Your son is right - your parents need your "back" and are lucky to have you. Glad everything is ok and kudos to Western Union!

Lewing, are you sure YOU weren't scammed - lol! I don't think you spoke to a nurse - I think you spoke to my supervisor.  

otter

I'll bet Bren was wearing those high heels.  Be careful out there...  We seem to have a better-than-usual crop of acorns this year, too.  Walking on acorns is like walking on marbles, and everybody knows what can happen with that.  Ouch!  But do not cut down that oak tree. I secretly believe big, old trees have spirits (kind of like in the 2nd episode of Lord of the Rings).

Maybe we could play tag-team bartender to fill in for Cherryl. I'll be around much of today and tonight. Mr. otter is going to the football game, but I'm nursing a stuffy head-drippy nose-cold so I'm staying home to watch it on TV.  Everybody cheer for the team in orange. Oh, that's right -- both schools wear orange.

I've been making fun of the pink stuff on another thread here, but I do agree with rosemary. I favor the local campaigns, because they're the ones that are really going to make a difference in people's lives. OTOH, I was out of town last week when a local hospital held its "BC Awareness" luncheon. Along with the luncheon, they had a "bra-decorating contest," a concept that Mr. otter found quite odd.  Also locally there was a walk-for-BC for which everyone (not just "survivors") was urged to wear pink. Pink everything.  One of the organizers was quoted in the local newspaper as saying how much she was looking forward to the event.  "It's going to be so much fun!", she cheerfully told the reporter.  "I think it's so fun to see everyone dressed up in pink!".  Good grief.  Back to making fun of it all...

lewing, I'm happy that you have such a good relationship with your college-age daughter. That's a good sign, and a good omen for the future.  As for that b*tch nurse, I would report her.  I've changed doctors over things like that, or at least complained officially.  These days, with unemployment being what it is, there is no excuse for shoddy care... no excuse for an employee to treat a patient -- a paying customer -- that way.

Mary, I was on a jury for a murder trial once, and it was fascinating.  It was a short trial -- I think it only lasted 4 days -- but it was a most amazing process.  What really spooked me was how much it resembled the trial segments on Law & Order -- from lawyers having tantrums to impress the jury, to jurors behaving totally illogically, and everything in-between.  it was also scary to realize how easily a good attorney could sway a jury, no matter what the facts were.  Just like Law & Order.

As for your parents' experience:  It's disgusting how criminals prey on elderly people.  I think there ought to be a special punishment tacked on for people who defraud the elderly.  They are so vulnerable.  I wonder what your parents would say if they found out you were trying to go behind their backs and get money from your grandparents... especially to bail yourself out of a Mexican jail!  (Was there any reason to think your son might really have been in a jail in Mexico?  That would have tipped off my parents, for sure.)

Hi to all.  Hi to Nicki, for anyone in contact with her or her family.

otter

YramAL

Otter-My son is a college student. He's currently at the local university. He does travel a lot when school is not in session, in fact he was in Europe/Africa for 6 weeks last summer. So I suppose a Mexican jail wouldn't be totally out of the question, at least in my parents' minds. And...my daughter was in jail a couple of times many years ago when she was involved with an alcoholic abusive boyfriend, so I'm sure that opened my parents' minds to the possibility of a grandchild in jail....

Again, I say Aargh.  

Mary 

Enjoyful

Lewing - Did you know that weightlifters use Tamoxifen?  For reals!  You should see what the street value is at the gym!  ;-)

Mary - Your poor parents!  And what an awful person that scammer is. 

Speaking of pink and all pink-related garbage - My daughter and I will be in a November fashion show benefitting a local cancer support group.  Thank goodness it's about all cancers, and no pink is involved!

1Athena1

Good for you, E. At this point, I'm even embarrassed to admit that I have a history of breast cancer - the pink movement is so shameful and self-centered, if not outright fraudulent at times. I prefer to just say "cancer." 

kira1234

Mary, What a thing to do to your parents. It's terrible how scammers pray on elderly people.

I am also sick of the pink thing. I went to a pumpkin patch with my grand kids today, and they were selling pink stuff. I will say though I had a great time with the grand kids as well as their parents.

1Athena1

How is your DH doing, Kira?

suzieq60

Morning Girls!! Been up since 5am - that's what happens when you go to bed early.

Just cleaned the salt cell and got all of the nasty leaves out of the pool. I don't swim in it much, but someone has to keep it clean. Now the whole yard needs sweeping - I hate one particluar gum tree. I planted the bloody thing 30 odd years ago and now it causes us so much pain - it seems to think now is the time to have a major leaf shed - most of it into the pool.

We've had 2 days in a row with thunderstorms so the garden is very happy.

Mary - what a nasty scam - lucky the Western Union guy was aware of it.

Bren - glad you are ok after the fall - be more careful outside.

There's only one "pink" thing I like and that's when one bakery chain here sell pink buns - pink icing and sprinkles on top - really yummy.

Sue

RetiredLibby

Hey, lewing ... I have a whole 90-day supply of tamox that I can't use anymore ... I stopped taking it the day I was Dx with the reoccurrence, so it is just sitting in my cupboard mocking me. PM or email me if you can use it! (The reoccurrence wasn't the tamox's fault ... It was my industrial-strength estrogen that I am considering selling as a paint remover! j/k)



If lewing can't use it and someone else can, please PM me ... I hate wasting stuff!



L

bluedahlia

Good evening ladies,

Mary, those scam artists should be put away.  I used to do Paid to Read and there are so many out there.  Belonged to a forum where we reported them.  The scammers didn't like me either.

I'm still thinking about Nicki 24/7.  Have known her since my diagnosis via BCO.  We got a short note from her yesterday.  She sounded happy.

1Athena1

HL - So are you triple neg this time around (not as rare as one might think)? Either I never asked, or if I did and you answered, I forgot -sorry!

RetiredLibby

Athena, nope, I am still ER+ 100%, but since tamoxifen failed to prevent my reoccurrence, it clearly doesn't work for me. I also have no breasts left, so there is no point in taking it. Since I am still pre-meno, I can't do AIs, nor are they indicated for DCIS, so I am done with meds until they come up with something new.



L

1Athena1

Good thinking, HL - would have perceived this in the same way if I had been in your shoes. (We need our ovaries! No one comes between me and my ovaries except ovarian cancer! )

suzieq60

Libby - interesting that they had you on tamoxifen in the first place - my friend from the bus had an mx this year after a dx of DCIS and the docs did not recommend tamoxifen even though she was hormone positive. I asked my onc about it and he said that was standard.

Been watching the political tv shows again - it was a sad day when they passed this bloody carbon dioxide tax.

lewing

Thanks for the tamoxifen offers - I don't need it (got the Rx filled, finally), but there must be someone out there with no/limited insurance who could benefit from it. 

Athena, who'd have guessed that your supervisor moonlights at my cancer center?  What a coincidence!

Enjoyful, I didn't know weightlifters used tamoxifen . . . I did know they sometimes use AIs.  (Oddly enough, that came up very recently when I was talking with a male friend who believes his endocrine system is messed up, and has been experimenting with various herbal supplements.  Swear to God, I did NOT try to sell him any of my tamoxifen stash!)

My daughter and I are chilling tonight in a Country Inn & Suites in beautiful Portage, Indiana.  It's an ideal location - just off I94, and with a giant Bass Pro Shop next door.  Why pay $200 for a room in Chicago when you can have all that - plus mediocre Chinese food  delivered to your room - for so much less?   

L

BarbaraA

{{Nicky}} Sending gentle hugs and warm thought.

Bren, you could have really hurt yourself. Be careful1!

Linda, glad you are having fun with you DD.

Waving at everyone.

Had to do a trip to the ER yesterday, ugh. Woke up friday barely able to move because of back pain. Never had back problems, ever, and didn't do anything that I know of. so Saturaday, I woke up, barely made it out of the bed to the toilet. Then when I tried to get up, the pain was so bad, my leg kept giving way. Had to call for Marty to pull me up. How embarassing. Anyway, slammed some ibuprophen and that did't cut it so I went to the ER. Sciatica is the verdict after a lumbar xray said osteoarthritis in there. (Was fearing the worst, as you can all understand).  So they gave me flexeril which allowed my to aleep all night. Went to bed at 7 and when I woke up at 1, took more. Finally crawled out of bed at 8 so I must have needed it. Gotta keep moving. Hoping for a better day today. If not better tomorrow, they want me to  go to an orthopod. I hate doctors.

AnnNYC

Oh, Barbara -- WHAT a drag. I hope things are better today. (((((((((((((Barbara)))))))))))))