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

Thank goodness a little sun today.  Makes me happy.  Yesterday there was none, and I could already feel a mild tug of the no sun blahs.  It will warm up ok, but the ground was frosty looking this morning.  Winter is stretching out as always.  We had a couple of really nice ( up to 60's days ) but that is usually reserved for February.  Nothing seems very predictable anymore -- so till we see good change I think I will have to just hope for as much sun as possible.  No matter what else -- I can usually do well if I get enough sun.

Busy day in store.  I did all the morning chores already since Dh had an early work morning.  It's ok, staying busy is a good mood booster do when you get to subtract a bunch of work off the debit side of your work list.  Wow !!!  Mine is far too long.  Missing a couple of days  ( not that I wasn't already behind ) around home can really add some list length.

Hope you are all going to have a good Saturday.  I'm always thinking and trying to send positive energy thoughts to those having problems -- as of late, medical related ones. 

See you all sometime later.  I will go to work sometime this early afternoon or evening -- just not as yet sure of the time.  A walk at the Rec Center, as well as a few stops in town.  See you then.

Blessings to all,

Jackie

Mike is back in the hospital. Yesterday we were at the hospital for an appointment and he collapsed in the hallway. They called out, "code blue" and doctors & nurses came running. After 9 long hours in the ER, they finally took him to his room at 10:30 last night.

 Although he had a blood test Wednesday and his hemoglobin was dropping, it was still 8.6 with hematocrit of 27. Thursday he had outpatient surgery to put in the port. The anesthesia seemed to wipe him out Thursday evening and night. Friday, as I said, we had to be back at the hospital for an appointment. We'd taken his temp and he had no fever. Other than still feeling tired, he was ok and make the long walk through the hospital to his appointment, stopping to rest only once. Afterwards, as we were leaving the office, he went down.

His hemoglobin was 7.7 and he had a 101 fever. They gave him a unit of blood last night and are still doing tests to find the source of the fever. Hopefully it's not a problem with the port.

Put simply - Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time. That is what I believe.

Happy Saturday everyone.

Sandra- once again I feel for you. I remember the first time Bob said he didn't think he could walk from the hospital entrance to the dept. he needed to get to. I always dropped him at the entrance then went to park the car. That day, I made him sit just inside the entrance, and wait until I could take him down in a wheel chair. It is amazing how quickly something that never crossed your mind before, suddenly become the norm. It's a real sign of how badly our strong independent men feel when they agree to being dropped at the entrance or using a wheelchair.

Loving my time with Lucia. She is saying more words all the time, but gets her point across very clearly without words. She is extremely sweet natured and a real joy to be around.

I really don't like all the traveling I do, but it is the only way I can stay close to all the grandkids, which is the core of who I am. If they all lived locally, I would make one trip a year to see my family in NY. My son has asked me to join them on a 7 day cruise in April with his fellow coaches from the school. He hasn't convinced his wife to go yet, but wants me to go so they can have a babysitter along. I am not sure if I really want to go. I am going to see if I can convince my sister to go with me. Chances are slim to none, but I am going to try.

Anne

Anne, I hate for you to go on the cruise and have to spend ALL the time babysitting. Even though you love them, you need some time too. There are wonderful programs for kids on cruise ships that allow kids to be kids in a kid-only environment instead of having to behave themselves elsewhere on the ship. We see some kids when we cruise but mostly in one of the pools. A few of the older ones roam around but rarely cause a problem. (There have been a few memorable exceptions which I shudder to remember.) Once in a while we'll see a long line of kids going down the promenade with their faces painted and fun costumes they've made. I love to see it when parents dress up for formal nights and bring their little ones, also dressed up. They are so darn cute.

Little Cammi.... I'm so sorry..... I just want to cry for you and Sandra.... I just didn't think it would be this fast....

When we talked this morning, I just had no idea.... and I don't think you did either..... xoxoxoxoxo

Sandra I am so sorry to hear that Mike is back in the hospital....hope they figure out real soon if it is an infection.....hope this boost of blood will help him get back on his feet. Sending love to you both....love y'all.

Di

Hi gemma,

You are so right -- if you are enjoying yourself you are not wasting time, you are filling yourself with something special  -- positive energy and emotion.   So glad to see you.

Di,  so hoping that Tamiflu really kicks in quickly.  I probably should knock on the nearest wood but I just don't seem to be bothered with flu's, colds, and things like that.  I guess my only worry for the most part are 'bigger' things -- and I just don't intend to have any more of them.   I hope you are well before you  know it. 

It has remained fairly nice and bright out today ( whew ) but had so much to do I paid scant attention to what is coming up in the next few days.  Hope it is not too bad.  Working later and just came back from a two mile walk at the Rec Center.  Sure glad I'm able to go and do that.  I know it helps keep me in shape ( oval and a little chubby is a shape ) and if I am faithful I will lose a few pounds.

In the class I go too -- they are all for trying not to sit for long periods and they have found ( would be easier for me likely ) that if you have three bouts of exercise done for 10 minutes each time, you are doing as much and possibly even more, than if you do a complete half an hour.    I'm sure part of it is in the variety and I'm sure they'd like for you to do things that get your heart rate up.  Resistance exercise is also good to throw in -- so I figure I will design something where I'm doing those things -- three times a day and also walking maybe every other day or more if it seems to suit.  The one thing I'm pretty sure it won't do is decrease my love of cheesecake and ice cream.  Always a down side you know.

Jackie

Cammi---so sorry you lost your brother. You and your family are in my prayers and thoughts

Cammi, so sorry to hear that your brother passed away.  Hugs.

Sandra, hoping that Mike gets stronger and can come home from the hospital. 

DH's girl cousin from WV and her dh arrived in New Orleans today to run in the marathon there tomorrow.  We're going to the city to try to see them when they run by us on the place where we'll wait on the route.  Then on Monday we'll go back to NO and get together with them.  They're in their 50's and recently retired from their jobs.  They chose not to have children and had good jobs so evidently they can afford to retire young and enjoy themselves doing things they want to do.  Cyndi does volunteer work for Habitat for Humanity. 

My foot ailment is not improving.  I plan to make another appointment with the podiatrist.  I may have to take a prescription anti-inflammatory instead of ibuprofen.  I can't walk a lot or stand on my feet for very long.  My mother suggested I have blood work and make sure my pre-diabetes hasn't become full-fledged diabetes. 

Best wishes to everyone.

Sandra,

So many patients pick up infections while in the hospital. Mike should now start to feel better.

Please have a restful night.

Cami - sending sympathy for the loss of your brother.

Sandra - my heart just cries with what's happening to Mike. Hope the Vanco knocks out the infection.

You know, that's just baloney... We go to the Hospital for "care" and then something like that happens, to someone who is alREADY sick, and it just makes things worse! I was afraid of that too... but what else could we do? Nothing! I'm so sorry Sandra... Dang!

Morning Termite! Oh I remember little girl tantrums... Ha! And Congratulations about the new GB coming!

Sorry about your Uncle.... It's just so hard to lose someone... ANyone.....

And glad you can take the Femara...! My Oncologist wanted me to take that after I stopped the Tamoxifen, but I was just too afraid to try it... Glad it's working fo you!

Morning everyone else! Carole, what was wrong with your foot? I had Plantar's Fasciitis for a long time, until the second shot finally helped... When your feet hurt, you just hurt all over... I tried shoe inserts, even custom ones, but it was the shots that stopped it.

"Don't let life discourage you; everyone who got where he is had to begin where he was." 
Richard L. Evans 

Termite,

Just add me in there. It is difficult to lose of our loved ones.  Even when you feel that they are better off ( out of the disability, pain, and all over loss ) the 'space' in between being viably here and then gone takes time. 

Sandra ( Chevy ) hit it on the head about the reasons to go to the hospital -- we do it to get better.  Then again, I've so often heard it said that hospitals are some of the "worst" places in the world to have to go if your trying and hoping to avoid germs.  They have so many and in one of my nursing classes ( I did not obviously become a nurse ) the assignment was to learn how to wash one's hands.  Easy enough you'd think.  So, we all did with really GOOD instructions from the class teacher.  After washing and drying our hands, she has some spray I think it was --- and spray our hands --well, red spots showed up where the hands were still 'dirty'.  I think only one person in the class passed that day. 

This is only to say  that WE all think we do a good job of the SIMPLE chore of washing our hands, but we likely don't.  Still, in the main, in your own home it probably ( since you and the household ) are all used to the germs there,  won't make a BIG difference though I'd still try to do a really good job.  In a hospital setting that is probably glowing all over from HEAVY-DUTY germs and some rather nasty ones -- if you don't do such a hot job of it, problems can arise. 

Puffin,

Your wedding story was something.  The wedding couple were probably right -- keeping costs down, and taking some of the mind- boggling elaborateness out of it -- no muss, fuss, or worries so everyone can relax and enjoy.  I think of the words, simplify, simplify, simplify -- I don't think the extraordinary production helps you hold the marriage together.  I do know there have been marriages where the debt lasted longer!!!!

Icky here today.  Deck was all wet from the rain -- and though I can see some lighter looking skies for the moment, the weather-man indicated off and on showers through the day -- well, Miss Weather Whiner is not go to say it -- just going to wait for that special light that tracking says will be here tomorrow.   Yay !!!!

See you all later.

Blessings

Jackie