MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish

Deborah - hope your son was able to get his test written today and can look forward to his vacation!

mac - good luck with that jigsaw puzzle. I used to find great comfort in doing puzzles but for some reason haven't been able to find interest in them for the last couple of years.

mel - maybe we need to change the discussion from poop to perhaps winning the lottery or something that won't scare anyone away from reading the thread - lol.

I actually went to the gym last night - it's been a while to say the least. I get out walking often, but as far as any other exercise goes......well you know. It was only a half hour gentle fit class for those who haven't been active for a while. Some simple squats, lunges, push ups (ick) and planks (double ick). Woke up today feeling not too bad, but as the day goes on, I am becoming more aware of those muscles worked on. Wow - am I outta shape!

Hope all goes well, Tomboy.  Mine is scheduled for March 16th. (my 2nd)   Not sure I want to see that camera!

oh I needed that laugh today. Yes, let's start talking about great stuff instead of medical tests. no more poop tests!

tomboy, oooh a colonoscopy beginner. The prep is the hardest part. The better the prep the better the outcome. (snicker, snicker) Remember no red juices. I've had two and will have to get them every 5 years now. They give you some great drug that makes you forget what happens. I never remember a thing. I tell them don't even give me the photo of my hemorrhoid. I don't wanta see a thing! ick! I do have to take a nap afterwards, though. And remember to get a ride home, no driving after anesthesia.

I got a good laugh last time, as they were rolling me into the operating room I said hey, is this the back door tour?

bars, I got enough exercise today just taking the dog for a walk at the dog park. Snow up to my knees. I was huffing and puffing. Thank goodness I didn't have to do any shoveling. My DD and her BF and another young man showed up to do the hard work. Love those kids!

nobody says it as good as eli!

hey glennie, I started that new LDN med for my fibro stuff. I'll let cha know what I think. It hasn't been a full week yet (but I feel better already) It has to be specially formulated by a compounding lab. I am still on a very, very low dose and will build up slowly to just a low dose. lol

tomboy - good luck on Monday! I had my yearly appt with the gastro in December due to having Celiac. I'm 48 and he was saying in only 2 years it would be time for a colonoscopy. I guess they like to give plenty of warning so people will be ready!

barsco - yes, the lottery! That is a good topic...I would love to win, but I suppose I have to start playing to do that. Anyone else play?

I've never done either...I have a set of yoga DVDs that I keep meaning to try. I actually got as far as picking them up off the cabinet and carrying them across the room to read them. I'm actually going to start with the yoga for stress relief one. I feel like I am close to being over the virus I have had, so I need to make it a goal to try this out very soon. Today was my day off, but I ended up working from home pretty much the whole day! Good luck on starting to exercise! I started, but...it's really felt like more of a "sputter" than a full fledged "start."

Ive done yoga in the past and it kicked my butt. I only did it a few times but I really liked it. It was last winter and the weather got bad so I quit. I am going to start at the Y after I recover from the surgery. I say that...now I just have to do it! First to get through surgery Tuesday... Good luck with your workouts ladies! Hugs Amy

I did a Restorative Yoga class and quite enjoyed it. It was an great introduction to getting back into the swing of things. I have also found some Yoga for Arthritis videos online to be helpful.

DH and I do play the lottery - once/week, cuz as noted above you can't win unless you buy a ticket. However, make sure you know which date the ticket is for. Could be a very disappointing venture. Check out the video link......

http://www.torontosun.com/2015/01/29/quebec-man-7-seconds-too-late-for-share-of-27m-lotto-jackpot-supreme-court

oh bars, that is just too sad. 7 seconds.

I'm another one that never buys a ticket. I'm too cheap. lol One time I bought a scratch ticket to show my kids how unrewarding it was, of course we won $5. I bought another ticket and gave them each a dollar and said never again. I had to tell them when they had their own money they could buy as many tickets as they wanted. Not quite the lesson I was trying to impart.

glennie, Try not to bite off more than you can chew. I'm a great one for jumping into an exercise routine that is way to strenuous for my body. Or trying to exercise too much or like I use to. I have to take things way more slow these days. So ease into it. Good luck, I hope both places are winners.

I try to "do" yoga twice a week. I have a great teacher. It took a lot of time to build my stamina and endurance up to being able to do it for a full hour. I started with chair yoga and gentle stretching and now am up to "silver" yoga. Oh man. Before dx I never had time for any thing so "slow" as yoga now I love it. It really helps with stretching my scar tissue and whole arm and shoulder area. I can imagine how tight I would be without it. My teacher has gone for a training in Chile. She left me some DVDs of classes, we'll see if I get them off the shelf. I find having someone to do it with really motivates me. She'll be back in two weeks. It really takes discipline to stick to all these healthy habits.

Amy, are you having reconstruction? Or am I forgetting a whole conversation on this thread. Maybe ask if you could have some physical therapy to keep your muscles from tightening up after surgery.

Amy, we're thinking about you on Tuesday! Please let us know how you are when you feel up to it!

oh silly me, I didn't even look at the dates in you dx line, amy! My brain is residing else where lately. We'll be with you in spirit. How long will you be in the hospital? Do something fun for yourself before surgery. Do you have family that will take care of you after? I found with a little practice I got pretty good at telling other people what to do for me. I really liked my friends that would come over and do the laundry with out me having to ask. But others would get mad when I wouldn't call them to tell them what to do. There are times in this process where I couldn't even pick up the phone. So if you have that one close friend or family member confide how you feel about asking for help and maybe they would do it for you. One of the biggest lessons I have learned is to make sure I take care of me and that means relying on others. Don't try to tough it out. This is the time to ask for help and let people take care of you. Be sure to come on here and tell us about every little thing that is bugging you. That's what we are here for.

Are you a football fan? there's a huge distraction!

Hi Amy, glad to see you've found us.

I had a send off ceremony for my breast two days before my MX. I will paste the link below. I was caught up with cancer, I hadn't dealt with losing my breast. You may come up with your own send off/memorialization or acknowledgement before your surgery. It really helped me immensely. Also, I have a very thorough blog on Tissue Expanders called "Tissue Expander 101 and Fun With Its Magnet" that has photos and all details that I wasn't aware of before my MX. I also have a humorous photo about when you go for your first TE fill.

If you need help with understanding the quick and easy way to strip surgical drains- we know all about it! Think Linguini and use an alcohol pad for lubrication to slide your tube. We'll explain later if needed. We're here to help with practical and emotional support. Enjoy the links.

Lastly, although we Middies rock, if you haven't already done so, there may be a February 2015 Surgery thread on BCO where all the women on it are have MXs and BMXs. My cohort was February 2012. Those women were just fantastic. In fact, it's our 3 year anniversary and some of them are posting again about how things have progressed.

Best to you, and we're all here for you to help you navigate in a 100% safe place.

Many hugs & smiles to you.

Deborah2012

Thanks everyone for the well wishes. I will go in Tuesday and out Wednesday as long as all goes well. I went out for my birthday this weekend and plan on just staying home tomorrow. Well not really...I forgot we are going out to buy me a recliner which will be delivered Wed. Nothing like waiting until the last minute. My 19 year old dd is going to be my primary caregiver while I recover, but she is not very empathetic, so that worries me a bit. As for football...I watch the Superbowl every year and that's about it...I still haven't decided who to root for and it starts in 25 minutes...I think the Patriots..Someone suggested I post on the surgery board as well as here and I have been...on the January one because I was supposed to have it in January but the PS was overbooked. That board has been a real blessing. I'll post after surgery. Thank you all! Hugs Amy

Amy, best wishes and prayers for a successful surgery and speedy recovery. It has been a long road! Keep us all posted when you are able. XXOO, Jeni

ooo, barsco,, that look yummy indeed!  In the pocket, too.