The Hermit Club

Yay lily so happy they found that virus, b better late than never. 

Jazzy, so happy 4u that u treated urself to the springs. 

Hugs n happy holidays to 

Merry Christmas to all! If you celebrate Hanukkah, I hope that it was a beautiful celebration for you.

Hello Chevy, are you new to this thread or BCO? Welcome to both (I am new here).

Bippy, best gift ever is a good pathology (sorry so late but congrats!). Happy happy happy for you. God answered Hope you feel up to a happy dance today.

Mommy, a husband that gifts you with a bread maker - that's a gift in itself. Hope the rolls turned out perfect. My memory seems to be spotty, but I hope that your difficulties with doctors are sorted out. It's much easier to deal with the yuck of treatments when you feel like they are on your side. Hope your fur family remains on good behavior.

Ducky, such a perfect picture... this summons great memories. My little ones are over 6' tall now - we used to take an annual picture with the tree, but now it looks silly Enjoy the holidays with all the little ones.

Cami, Hope that other shoe made its way back to your foot! Blessings of peace and happiness for you as well! Only a few of my family will be here this year (8); so, it's very manageable. And my BIL has stage IV prostate cancer, so we both zone out No little ones yet... it's very quiet here.

Blondie, praying for days without pain. {{hugs}} Hoping that your holiday celebration is just perfect.

Teka, is that your cat just sitting calmly under a Christmas tree? What a beauty! We do not decorate the bottom third of our tree... at least neither of ours has climbed the tree yet. Hope your Christmas day is just as peaceful as the pic.

Lily, agreed - good health for all of us in 2015. Special prayers for healing for you now, in 2014.

Onco, I am new here - wishing you Merry Christmas as well.

Mags, in my mind, you are still relaxing in the recliner with awesome Christmas music swirling around and uplifting you. I hope that your Christmas is magical. Wear that BEAUTIFUL Christmas sweater with pride. Hope it's a joyful day. I love this slightly different version of my favorite Christmas Carole, Little Drummer Boy :

Jazzy, I would love to experience the hot springs in the snow - hope it happens for you! I googled The Christmas Train - by Baldacci? it looks like an entertaining read - please let me know how you find it. I have time for reading now that I am unemployed I am glad for your relief for your feet - can you have reflexology regularly at home? Or are the hot springs key to the relief? My BIL has neuropathy from cancer treatments as well - looking for suggestions... I wish you peace and renewal on this excursion. (You seem to work so hard.) I am sure that I am romanticizing your getaway but it truly sounds divine and ultimately hermit-y. Be well.

Dwill, (is that right?), hope you are recovering well...

Love to all. (including past hermits that I have not met)

Daisy...thank you........I thought it was a picture worth sharing......Hope you all had a great xmas.....hugs.

Merry Xmas hermits! I am back from the hot springs and it was a lovely time away. I left a bit earlier than planned to get ahead of the winter storm. No snow while I was there, but decided that since northern NM was going to get a good 10 inches of snow, I did not want to be driving home in that. It is sunny here in the city, but the storm is supposed to be here tonight.

Daisy- I am sorry about your BIL's cancer and also the neuropathy. I don't know much about what might help neuropathy (my mother used to have it with her diabetes), but it is possible that either foot massage or reflexology on the feet could help your BIL.

The hot water does help my feet, and I put them on the jets in the hot tub the gym when I go. Hot springs help more and are good for what ails you. I got into going to them regularly here a few years back and before bc, but now it is part of my post recovery.

My massage therapist here does reflexology on my feet when I see her for massage, but never for a full hour. Perhaps we will be doing that in the future though! The gal at the hot springs also recommended Japanese foot massage too, which I have never tried. The western medicine docs rarely recommend these things, although they do usually think they are helpful. Your BIL might benefit from a visit with a holistic practitioner to see what complementary therapies may help him with the SEs. Some of them are paid by insurance too, especially acupuncture.

Oh and The Christmas Train is very good so far. Already up to 100 pages after starting it late yesterday. I plan to read some more this evening. It is fun easily light reading for the holiday season.

Lili- how nice to take a walk in the mountains with the dogs. Sounds like things are getting better for you. Knowing what has been going on has made all the difference. Nothing worse than not knowing if what we are experiencing may be something worse, which is frightening. Wishing you continued better days.

Sally- happy holidays and hope you are having a nice day! Are you getting any of this weather out west?

Ducky- hoping the day with the little ones is lovely.

Loral- hoping your day today is lovely too.

Did someone say Dwill? Is she back on this thread? Did I miss that?

Hope Santa was good to all of you as I know you have all been nice all year long. Blessings to everyone on this thread, including those who may just listen to our conversation. We care about you too!

Good afternoon, Hermies. Jazzy, that is a beautiful pic. So glad you had a great refresher at the hot springs.

I have an update on my radiation situation. I called the RO on Tuesday and talked to the tech. I told her I was not going to go ahead with rads because I couldn't handle the pain in my shoulder. It is still hurting a week after the trial run. She said the RO wasn't in but would call me the next day. The RO called Wednesday and told me in no uncertain terms that radiation is not optional with the aggressive nature of my cancer, and the positioning also cannot be adjusted in order to get the correct exposure. She then suggested treating the pain with Motrin (tried it) flexeril (already take it) and narcotics (I don't want to spend 6 weeks stoned). Her final option is a pain specialist. I agreed to try though I am not optimistic. My appointment is January 6th, all the way across town.

Next week I have a PET scan on Tuesday followed by MO appointment on Wednesday. I will tell him that I can't do radiation with my shoulder like this, and I really don't want any more surgery but orthopedic specialist says there's nothing that will fix it short of complete shoulder replacement. I've known that for years. I have had 2 surgeries on it already, because the bone spurs slice through the rotator cuff tendon.

I don't know what the solution will be. Right now I just want to be left alone. I guess I don't have that option either – and I hate being out of control of my own life!

DH gave me an iTunes gift card, so I went hunting around in the shop and found a pianist I hadn't heard before and bought 3 of her albums of Chopin selections. Even though I have other versions of some of these pieces (multiples of some!), the stylings of the different artists bring a whole new sound to them, and I love her styling of some of my favorite works. So I am listening to her now. Her name is Ingrid Fliter. Very soothing to the troubled heart.

Have a wonderful weekend.

mags,

Sorry about your situation. I have nothing to offer except I am thinkin of you and hoping for a solution. Keep on with the music!

Jazzy, love the pic!

Bippys drains are OUT! Today the doc was awesome, he has such deft hands. No pain, but weird felin them coming out. Staples still in, but they are no bother. They come out next week.

Tonight we are takin a walk round the hood, lookin at xmas lights and exercising me. I had not left the house since the 18th until today! So I have cabin fever. Back to walking and ramping up exercise! I want to get the weight down and feel good.

Be well hermies!!!!!! I start rads in a few weeks, so enjoying my vacation

so happy that everybody had a good Christmas I'm so sorry that you have to deal with the shoulder mine but you're the boss it is an option you can say no.

Mags I would definitely get another couple of RO opinions,some places do rads with wonen face down,others with arm stretched out at right angles, others with arm above head. The equipment moves around patients so it may be a case of re programming equipment,trouble is so many doctors focus on treating the cancer and forget about humans too......

Good luck

Good Morning All

I am trying to find my internal place of peace and normalcy after the Christmas build up.  I love the months of October, November, and December but the switch to January always unbalances me.

Lily, your Christmas Day post seems to say that you have found some serenity ... I hope that is true as you deserve it.

Jazzy, that sunrise picture is fantastic.  You asked about the weather here ... we had wind and rain but no snow here in the valley ... the mountains did get snow which is sorely needed to help with summer water supply.  I enjoy the wind because I enjoy the moving shadows that it creates with the bare tree branches.

Mags, I am hoping the pain management people will find a solution for you.

Hi Sailing Wind ... wonderful name ... is there a story behind it?

Better post this before I lose it ... will be back.   

Bippy, it is good to hear that you are up to going out.

Hi Onco and Blondie.

Jazzy......shared your sunrise......beautiful.....showed it to my family......

Thought you ladies might enjoy this......I am in Chicago....bumpy ride, but this is a riot......check it out......he wanted me to help with the navigation, but I told him "your doing just fine"

Jazzy......it was on the way to Chicago.....when we were leaving the plane, the Steward said how did you enjoy the flight....I said "only my 2nd time lfying......he said "oh you need to have a picture in the cockpit........I laughed, but he was dead serious...........thus........the result............LOL.......

We leave to go back to Philly on NY's Eve early afternoon......we should be back in Philly by 2:30 Eastern time...........

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My sweet DH got me a hermit bed chair for Christmas. It's on the daybed in my studio, which has a tempurpedic mattress. It has a massager, a light, and a cup holder. What else would a hermit need? Here's a pic:

I had my PET scan today, went easy, I'll see MO tomorrow for results. I'll talk to him about the rads issue too.

Now to hermit.